Surly in Chicago

Yesterday I was at Midway Airport in Chicago, flying Southwest, and I eagerly brought my good friend, Ron Penland, to PotBelly Sandwich Works for his first PotBelly submarine sandwich. What at operation! Eager, energetic members of the PotBelly staff work like musicians in a symphony to turn out hundreds of sandwiches every day. It starts with one employee asking you to shout out your order when you're about ten or fifteen down in line. By the time you reach the counter you are then asked by another employee what condiments you want on the sandwich.

Smooth, efficient and tasty. Oh, I don't want to forget the unusual selection of beverages, sugar cane sodas, IBC rootbeer, and other "not found everywhere" drinks.

All came to naught when I checked out. A rather surly young lady, who had nothing more to do that operate a cash register, significantly diminished the collected efforts of every other PotBelly employee. When I asked for a jar of hot peppers to purchase and carry home she stared at me. I repeated the request and she pointed with her chin and said "Take that one there."

"The display jar?" I asked.

"Uh-huh."

She rang me up and we exchanged a $20 and the $7.25 in change.

"May I please have a bag for the peppers?" I asked.

Again with the head point, this time to a bag on the counter. So I bagged my own peppers and sat down to eat.

Great sandwich, by the way. But there was a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste regarding the service.

As I waited for my flight I thought I would refuel with some joe. I walked in A Piece of Cake, a shop that proclaims itself to be a bakery, bar and deli. I placed my travel coffee mug on the counter and asked for a cup of regular coffee.

"Small or large?" the cashier asked.

"Whatever you need to charge to fill this up," I answered.

"We don't do that. You have to buy one of our cups."

All right, let me give this young lady the benefit of the doubt. Maybe this is some stupid corporate policy, and maybe she doesn't even agree with it. But, please, a little courtesy would have been nice.

I decided not buy any coffee at all. Why would I buy a paper cup, pour it into my mug and then throw the paper cup away? Don't we have enough garbage?

Perhaps these are minimum wage jobs. I doubt it, but in each instance, it might be the case. Unless these two paragons lose the attitude they will never rise above those entry level positions.