Word-Of-the-Week #720: Expected
May 24, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #720: Expected
Expected – likely or probable to happen.
When was the last time something you expected to happen didn’t turn out the way you thought it would? How did you deal with it? How good are you with handling the “speed bumps” of life?
This week long time friend Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor, shares his perspective on dealing with the unexpected. He writes, “Lately my full-time job has been getting the house ready to put on the market at the end of the month. It’s a big house and we’ve been here since 2000, so we’re talking about some major de-cluttering and staging decisions.
Late April/early May is a firm deadline to list the house since we head to Portugal the first week of May to scout potential spots for our next chapter. It was all going smoothly, but we we hit a speed bump last Sunday when a “septic incident” flooded most of our lower level. Happy Easter!
Now the project has morphed into dealing with water remediation techs, septic re-designers, insurance claims and contractor negotiations. Half the house looks like a bomb went off. With luck, we’ll still be able to get the house repaired and staged by our deadline … but it will be a photo finish. Wish us luck.
I hope you never have to deal with an issue like this, but don’t think it could never happen. Let’s say a drain backed up in the middle of the night and wasn’t discovered until the morning shift arrived to find an inch of sewage-laden water covering the kitchen and dining room floors. You will have to close for weeks to get the problem resolved, do the repairs and get the appropriate agencies to certify you to serve food again.
Do you know who to call and what to do? Do you have adequate insurance coverage? [Hint: check the amount of your deductible before you have to make a claim!] How will you handle things with your staff? What will you tell your guests?
It might be worth making a few phone calls NOW … while you have time to do the research. It might be worth checking your store rooms and walk-ins to be sure no food items are stored on the floor. It might be worth staying on top of the regular maintenance of your restrooms and drainage systems.
Just sayin’ …”
While his post is directed to the Hospitality Industry his points are very valid for anyone who owns property. And this week we are heading to our grandson’s graduation. We turned the irrigation on Saturday because it was so hot over the past week and guess what we found on Sunday? A big pile of mud in our fire pit seating area and a big busted pipe. My first thought was “Thank goodness we turned it on before we left. Otherwise we would have had a bigger mess when we got back home.”
This week’s focus is when the expected doesn’t happen. How do you feel when the expected doesn’t happen? Are you prepared to handle whatever comes along? Have you ever had to use a backup plan?
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