God is in the details

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is famous for the quote, "God is in the details". As an architect, he was simply referring to the need for planning of all small details in order to build the structure appropriately.

There are big picture thinkers and there are detail oriented individuals. There are tests out there that can assess into which you belong. I fall in the middle of the range, which means I don't like detail but I can do it if I feel it has to be done.

The restaurant business is not unlike any other business in that the details are extremely important for a clients' positive experience. You've all walked to the back of a restaurant to check the bathroom for a validation of the cleanliness of the kitchen. You don't have to waste that much energy. You can look for clues in the dining room. If a restaurant manager isn't paying attention to these details in the dining room, she isn't paying attention to the cleanliness of her kitchen.

The same holds true for any business. If the owner or manager isn't paying attention to simple cues, then chances are they aren't taking care of their customers in the best way possible.

A hotel that hasn't removed an old TV Guide may not be changing the sheets since the last customer did who knows what in your bed.

A dental office with ripped upholstery in the waiting area may mean the dentist doesn't have enough customers to pay for new chairs. If he doesn't have enough money for chairs it could mean he isn't that good. Are you sure you want a bad dentist treating that toothache?

A restaurant with burnt out light bulbs, beeping odour protectors in the bathroom, dusty shelves, cigarette butts at the front door, gum stuck under the table, ripped menus, walls needing paint, ripped bench seats could all point to the manager not paying attention to the cleanliness of her kitchen or the safety of the food being prepared. Just look for burnt out light bulbs. A good manager will have a system to change them daily if need be. Cleaning schedules, refrigerator temperature checks are based on the same type of systems.

The details are not just for businesses. They can used in life.

What important details in our lives are we not paying attention to that could indicate a more severe issue? The details have to be taken care of, God is in them.

I'm not good at detail. That's why I surround myself with people who are. And by luck I married a woman of detail. And yes, God is in her too.