Ignite a Revolution – The Sharp Valet Attendant

This is post Four on my Igniting a Revolution Series.

As part of my series I will be creating reviews of places that I see are really focused on improving customer service in Puerto Rico from many aspects. Here is a short story on one individual who clearly makes a big difference at one small restaurant.

I am always seeking opportunities to find people that are committed to the task they have at hand. Individuals with a high sense of attention to detail that will clearly stand out from any other individual doing the same job.

A few evenings ago I went to dinner with Richard and Shoko, new friends whom I met on the beach, for dinner and a drink at Bar Gitano Restaurant. The conversations covered many subjects since we all have different backgrounds; Richard Bonilla ( @richardbonilla ) is an entrepreneur from New York and Shoko Tamai ( @shokotamai ) is a professional ballerina from Japan now based out of New York. But our connection to New York and love of music helped us keep the conversation going.

After trying some tapas and entrees at Bar Gitano (yes even though they are Spanish themed they offer vegan options) Richard and Shoko enjoyed each meal.

Back to Our Car

Once we finished our meal we walked over to the Valet and by the time we got to the valet stand my car was ready for us to get in.

I quickly realized the valet parking attendant, Zami was paying attention to patrons coming in and out of the restaurant. I was so impressed with his small action demonstrating the high level of attention to detail, I had to ask for his name and write this post.

Owning Your Process

My friend Chris Brogan always talks about having an Owner’s mindset in everything you do. As I am reading his new book, Impact Equation, Chris and his co-author Julien Smith, they talk about the importance of owning what you do. Zami demonstrated he owned his job and the tasks related to it by giving the best service possible to patrons of the restaurant.

Zami works for another company that is contracted by Bar Gitano to take care of their guests and give easy access parking to patrons for the inexpensive flat rate of $6.

Zami might not realize how he impacts Bar Gitano because with sharp individuals like him taking care of those who visit Bar Gitano it makes me and others want to recommend and visit the place more often (Hint: This blog post).

When visiting Bar Gitano take a look and check if your parking attendant is Zami. Hopefully the company he works for sees value in what he does and he might be able to train others who should be doing the same.

Here in Puerto Rico I have parked in valet many times, but I have only met one rockstar valet attendant and that of course is Zami!