You, too, can make a difference

I'm so happy today. Besides the fact that it's Friday, I met my good friend Lecia for lunch at our favorite place in Tampa, Lee Roy Selmon's. For those unfamiliar with Mr. Selmon, he was a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, and the first from this team inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is a legend and a staple in this community. Mr. Selmon owns a restaurant specializing in BBQ, being that his home state is Oklahoma. (http://www.leeroyselmons.com/)

Anyhow, because there is no decent Tex-Mex in the city of Tampa (by my standards), the next best thing, other than Chili's, is Lee Roy's. Lecia introduced me to this fabulous place, and every time we visit, I order the garden salad with their creamy homemade Ranch dressing (delish!) and the infamous BBQ pulled pork nachos. It is quite the delectable meal.

The last time we dined at Lee Roy's was for happy hour about 6 weeks ago. Lecia and I were so excited because we typically only go for lunch, and had made it a dream, if you will, to have happy hour there. We naturally ordered the nachos, and were immediately told by our server that they had "changed" the nachos.

Changed? What do you mean "changed"?

Basically, the server described to us that the nachos no longer consisted of a collapsing tower of freshly baked tortilla chips dripping with cheese and drizzled with the unbelievable pulled pork, and fresh okra and tomatoes, rather, the format had changed. They were now serving the nachos as separate chips and each chip had a healthy amount of the ingredients. Fine, we thought, can't be much of a difference, right?

Alas, we were wronged. The new format was certainly not as satisfying or appealing as the nacho mountain. Our nachos arrived cold, however, the chips were burned! As well, there was merely a dollop of pulled pork spread throughout 12 or so nacho chips - not nearly the amount of pork we were accustomed to with the old nachos. They were still good, but not out of this world, and we were truly disappointed.

I strongly believe in providing feedback, so the next day, I promptly visited the Lee Roy Selmon's website to inform the management or nobody of my experience via the web form. I merely suggested that the nachos were not up to par, and as a faithful nacho fan, I was thoroughly disappointed. I suggested that if they were going to serve in the new format, the nachos should arrive fresh, not burned, and with more pork than a teaspoon sized serving. I was very positive and complimentary, but I did feel they had a right to know a loyal customer was disappointed.

About 2 weeks later, the manager called to thank me for submitting the feedback. He said that nobody ever provides feedback, positive or negative, thus, he appreciated my efforts and my time in letting them become aware of my experience. He also said that my experience was unacceptable and proceeded to tell me that he would send me a dining certificate for a dinner and he insisted I introduce myself the next time I visited. I didn't even have to "pull the DCC card"! (As Amy would say, I never do this, but she always teases me that I should, and I'm like - who cares?!?!)

I never did receive the certificate, which is fine, no harm done. However, when I dined with Lecia today, and (somewhat reluctantly) ordered the pulled pork nachos, lo and behold, they had returned to the original format. You can make a difference!

Now, here are some real causes where you can truly make a difference...

Posted by my good friend, Jany Collaco - http://www.bhope2her.org/ - a site that brings awareness to the trials and tragedies faced by women and children daily in Africa. This site publishes real life photos and stories of the less fortunate which whom they serve. Please check it out and lend your support!

Posted by a few friends on Facebook - http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-april/ - the ASPCA launched a campaign for the month of April to be designated as awareness month for the cruelty of animals. The theme is "Go orange for animals" in which supporters sport their most fashionable orange pieces in honor of animals. Being that I have two little kitties, I now better understand the cause and have developed a passion for preventing animal cruelty.

Recently, I read a memoir titled "The Butterfly Garden" by Chip St. Clair. This book recounted a horrifying tale of the violence and abuse this person experienced from childhood through adulthood. He was raised by convicted felons on the run, and the shocking tales of such abuse brought out emotions in me of sadness, frustration, and anger. http://stclairbutterflyfoundation.org/index.htm - The St. Clair Butterfly Foundation gives children who have endured comparatively frightening experiences the opportunities to overcome their abuse and grow through art, music, and other programs.

Have a safe and happy Easter - and please remember why we celebrate Easter in the first place!