Missoula News

Column: Missoula's Dish

You Had Me at “Hello”

By Danielle Lattuga, 9-27-07

If only it were so simple.  You walk into a restaurant, and everything is covered in a hazy glow, the kind that you’d see around a girl with feathered hair on a sunny afternoon in a 70’s movie.  The service staff is unbearably attractive and as they greet you, their smiles glint like candlelight in crystal.  In that single moment, they’ve won you over.  It’s just a bonus that they remove your shoes and carry you to your table, only to bring you exactly what you want: baby arugula topped with pomegranate vinaigrette, crab stuffed puff pastry, melt in your mouth leg of lamb, and a vat of wine. 

We all know that it is a rare occasion that the initial greeting is all it takes to begin a lasting relationship of succulent experiences.  That occasion is often reserved for soul mates or old friends that have just met.  Yet, it seems that “Hello” is not as commonplace as it used to be, so perhaps it does carry more weight—not earth shattering love weight—but weight just the same. 

Missoula is a place where virtually every stranger on the street will say, “Hello!” and make you feel like you really are in a little, big town.  However, this doesn’t always ooze off the pavement into our establishments—whether restaurants or shops.  Is it a product of the change in air quality from sidewalk to dining room?  Is it the sensory overload that can happen with a quick change of scenery?  Is it a side effect of low blood sugar colliding with a heightened sense of hunger?

Perhaps my “hello” reflex is over developed.  I have to admit that when someone new enters the space I am in, I zone in on them like a bee on a brand new nasturtium bloom.  As a result, I find myself acting as the “Hello Police”, on many an occasion. 

“Hello, how are you tonight?”

“Table for two.”

“Oh, you’re a table for two?” (That’s if I’m ornery- look out!)

Then there’s question that answers the greeting:

“Hello there, how are you on this fine evening?”

“What are your specials?”

“A brand new set of listening skills, sauced with courtesy and manners.”

Yes, sometimes my brain says something that my lips translate as, “I’d be happy to tell you the specials.”

And it works the other way too—I firmly believe that you can’t build a business on blank stares.  A couple of years ago, I was strolling around downtown and happened upon a new, earth-yuppie kind of store.  It presented with a starkness that was refreshing, just a few of each item, economically placed in an elegant space.  I walked in, enticed by the possibility of supporting a local, conscientious business.  There was a counter placed in the back of the shop, around which stood three bespectacled individuals.  They looked up at me, stared for a moment, and went back to what they were doing.  I supposed that “Hello” was included in their limited inventory, and headed back from whence I came. 

I wonder, really, when did a proper greeting become reserved for close friends hosting you in their home?  Why wouldn’t you want to start things off on the right foot?

I mean, if “Hello” doesn’t represent you or your product, what does? What are you saying by not saying it?  In a restaurant, you don’t have a plate greeting you at the door saying, “Hi, I’ll be your dinner tonight, feel free to savor every morsel of my dynamic melt in your mouthness.” I would love it if a dress walked up to me as I entered a boutique and said, “Hi, I will look absolutely fabulous on you, and I am just your size, prepare to knock their socks off, you sexy thing.  Oh and yes, I just happen to be on sale.”

No, it doesn’t work like that—the plate and the dress, they need to be built up, or at the very least allowed a fair chance at representing themselves—if the road leading up to them is not smooth, pleasant, or just plain courteous, there is a risk that the most gorgeous, medium rare steak will be spoiled by hunger turned cranky.  There is a risk that the perfect slip of a dress may be just a tad “spendy” for all the neglect or attitude that accompanied the process of trying it on. 

Even if a place is clearly busy when you step through the door, “Hi Hello, I’ll be right with you,” makes all the difference.  You know you’ve been noticed and someone will help you shortly.  It says, “Welcome to our world, we want you here,” and as a service individual, it buys you time. 

All economics aside this old fashioned girl believes that “Hello” goes a long way in any interaction.  You can’t put a price tag on it—it’s about engaging properly with your fellow human (or any other animal, for that matter).  It’s classy, and it shows that you can see beyond yourself.  It also gives you the opportunity to exercise your tongue with a variety of versions: Bonjour, Karibu, Ola!...The possibilities are endless.

Goodbye, thank you, hope to see you next time.

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