by Bill Turner
One of Roanoke’s oldest and most successful restaurants is currently celebrating its 70th year in business with a party like no other. The Roanoker, which originally opened in downtown Roanoke in 1941, before moving to Towers Mall in 1961, and to its current Colonial Avenue location in 1982, is giving its customers a taste of the 1941 hospitality that created its long-time popularity.
Owner Butch Craft, as she termed it, brainstormed with their vendors to come up with a way to celebrate the business achievement by rewarding the customers.
She pointed out that the restaurant’s founder, Crafton Warren, always prided himself in caring about everything and everyone. “He wanted the food to be right, the service good and the restaurant to be hospitable. Mr. Warren lived at this restaurant.”
The resulting promotion played off the original opening date in 1941 in a unique format with prices from the 1940s. The restaurant would offer a surprise item in the form of a meal, entree, dessert or beverage, Tuesday through Friday, during the entire month of July. It could be breakfast, lunch or dinner, picked at random each day.
A birthday promotion was not new to the restaurant. Fifteen years ago, to celebrate the 55th anniversary and 50th birthday of former owner E.C. Warren, son of the founder, customers were fed free all day. E.C. Warren passed away in 2008.
Craft wanted the promotion to be fun, with an element of chance. Admittedly, she wanted to show the regular customers her appreciaion, but the surprise special was good for anyone who happened in at the right time. Everything went off like gangbusters.
On July 1st, breakfast customers could get sausage gravy for 35 cents. Tuesday, July 5th lunchgoers picked up a grilled cheese and soup for 40 cents. The following Tuesday, it was a hamburger for a measly 15 cents during lunch; Wednesday’s dinner offered a two-piece chicken meal with two vegetables and bread-only 40 cents, a 94% reduction below the 2011 price.
Then, to borrow from the 1966 farce musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” strange things started happening on the way to the party. Aided by a television news feature on the anniversary promotion, word quickly spread. The candles on the birthday cake suddenly became like a prairie fire.
“You can please some of the people all of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time” – John Lydgote
Customers began demanding to know the special in advance. Last Wednesday, the restaurant fielded over 150 such calls by midday. Longtime affable cashier, Pat Coleman, held her head in her hands as the calls rolled in. To make things worse, a customer cursed out a manager for not spilling the beans-this time inside the eatery.
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”- Saint Jerome
If the ones wanting advance notice weren’t bad enough, other schemes followed. Some got the special, then asked for another to-go (the rules clearly spelled out dine-in only). Some liked the 15 cent hamburger idea so well, they borrowed from the Popeye cartoon. wanting a Wimpy-like platter of burgers (sorry guys, the sign said one to a customer) I heard one fellow lament he got charged for adding cheese.
“Blame is just a lazy person’s way of making sense of chaos”- Doug Coupland
One of the injustices may have been the one suffered by the waitstaff. Some customers had the audacity of tipping 15% based on the price of the special. For those mathematically challenged, that’s 6 cents on the 40 cent chicken dinner. “Don’t people understand tips are how our servers pay their bills?” Craft asked.
All-in-all Craft has held up well, as have the servers and managers. “Most have thanked us for the promotion,” she points out. “I’ve even received phone calls at home thanking me.”
But, last Thursday brought the coup de theatre. The all-day special was a 5-cent beverage. Some people walked out fuming because it was not food. One customer, already having been on hand for the Tuesday lunch and Wednesday dinner specials, informed the restaurant they were filing a complaint with the TV station and the Better Business Bureau because Thursday’s offer was not food as well. It was verified they followed through.
Craft was understandably frustrated. “I’m amazed at the expectations. It’s simply greed.”
I consulted an expert to explain such irrational behavior. The result was straight to the point. In dealing with the public at large, you can always strive to make people happy and offer repeat business. But, every once in a while, you’ll run into a client so absolutely jaded and prepared to make your life miserable, that you never forget, but have a great big laugh after it’s all said and done.
The birthday bash will continue until July 29th, rain or shine. It’s not too late to help recoup lost tips to the servers. Coleman, in addition to cash and credit cards, will accept apologies. And, to the guy who filed the complaint, they hope you come back in-you may have a message. Just like the promotion, I’m not giving you an advance notice of what it is.
