The Lesson of the Moldy Bagel

Mmmm… an everything bagel with red pepper cream cheese. What a great way to start my Tuesday morning.

I had stopped by a local bagel shop on the way to my day job and was enjoying the hearty goodness as I worked. But when I got to the very last bite, my mouth was suddenly filled with the taste of, ugh, mold.

Trying to be helpful, I called the bagel shop and let them know that I had just ordered a bagel and noticed it was moldy, and that they might want to check their other bagels or the cream cheese.

A few minutes later, the owner calls me back and insists that they have no idea how that was possible, since they make their bagels fresh every morning, that maybe a stray blueberry had colored the bagel. I said I had no idea either, but that I had definitely tasted mold. She reiterated that she had no idea how that was possible, and that was that.

What I realized from my brief conversation with the shop owner was the importance of having a solution-oriented mindset in business.

What if, rather than simply trying to justify her product’s freshness, she had said, “I have no idea how that happened since we make our bagels fresh every day, but I will definitely look into it. Can I send you a card for a free bagel or cup of coffee?”  Notice the focus on finding a solution? Even if there was no free bagel or coffee out of it, if she had said she would look into it, as a customer I would have felt like my feedback had been received, (and who knows, maybe I tasted something else, I am willing to be wrong).

Now I’m not writing this to bring down the shop owner, but as a lesson and reminder to myself as a business owner of just how important a solution-oriented mindset is, both in operating a business and when interacting with customers.

What things are important to you when interacting with a business? Let me know by messaging or tagging @britschmitllc on Instagram or Brit Schmit LLC on Facebook!

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