A friend told me she saw where a woman had left a bakery, smiling and happy with her warm bagel smeared with cream cheese and strawberry preserves, heading for the office. When she stopped at the curb to wait for the light to turn green, she saw him. Him being a man obviously homeless, looking hungry, and cold. She handed her desired breakfast over to him with a smile saying, “Please take it. It’s still warm.” He received it with a grateful look and a mumble she took to be a thank you. Another woman who had been in line behind her at the bakery saw the whole performance; said to the stranger, “Here, take half of mine. I ordered the same thing you did and you deserve it.” She tore her bagel in half, handed it over, and everyone left the scene happy.
That’s the way kindness works. When you extend a kindness to someone, it always comes back to you in one way or another. The community dining room is the perfect place to practice kindness. Watch how it flows through the team you work with on a daily basis. Kindness is always demanded from food servers in reference to the seniors in your community. That’s easily understood, but it’s kindness toward your coworkers that makes life flow like water lilies on a pond. Build relationships with your coworkers one meal at a time. Start a conversation that will pass along to other food servers like a chain reaction, including everyone to participate. A few words that may even include a reaction with the seniors you’re serving. Communication is a wonderful gate that opens the way to understanding, building trust, and learning to enjoy the work you do.
Kind Dining® believes in these concepts and can train your food serving team as a way to improve the lives of everyone in your dining room. What could be better for the community than that? Finding happiness through practicing kindness has been proven. The best part is that your food serving team can be taught how to be kind and be happy because of it.
Our B♥ Kind® Tip: Remember, the service your food servers give has the power to build community.