Five Guys

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I Don’t Want A Negative Opinion

Yesterday I started to form a negative opinion of a restaurant I actually like.

My opinion is based on an experience – if fact, my last experience at this chain of restaurants.

My wife, Lily, and I were traveling and needed to stop for gas and something to eat. I noticed a “Five Guys” burger place close to where we were gassing up, so when the tank was filled we made our way over.

When you have eaten in a restaurant before – maybe many times before – you kind of have an expectation of how things will go … especially in a chain restaurant where they try to create the same eating experience in every franchise they establish.

When we entered, there were several people in the order line ahead of us. It seemed like the two guys ordering at the counter either didn’t know what they wanted or were ordering for an army.

Turns out they didn’t know what to order. It’s a burger joint; they make burgers – no chicken, no fish, just burgers.

How hard is it to order a burger? I’m sure it wasn’t their first burger.

… But that wasn’t the issue. After the cashier finished with that marathon two-burger order, she disappeared.

I couldn’t remember what she looked like because she wasn’t quite as tall as the cash register so I never got a good look at her from my position fourth in line.

Close to five minutes went by before she returned to the cash and started to serve the next guest in line.

By the time we placed our order, we had been in line close to fifteen minutes.

Now if we were eating at the Keg, and waited fifteen minutes to order, I wouldn’t think anything of it. But this was a burger place … did I mention they only make burgers?

Then we waited for our food.

We had to clear our own table because obviously the paid staff weren’t doing the job. I picked the cleanest table and then wiped it down with some napkins.

When we finally got our food and started to eat, Lily and I began to reminisce about some of our other restaurant experiences.

We had a doozy a few years ago at a Burger King that has been etched in my mind forever.

That experience was almost matched at another Burger King, so now I can’t go into a Burger King without thinking something is going to go wrong.

I know Five Guys is a good restaurant and their food tastes great; I just don’t want my latest experience to taint this opinion.

They say it takes seven compliments to undue one negative one. I’m wondering if the same is true with an eating experience.

If so, I need to get back to “Five Guys” seven more times so that what happened yesterday doesn’t jade my opinion of a restaurant I actually really like.

Here’s the thing: You may have had an experience in your life where you blamed God or felt God didn’t treat you the way He should. Be careful not to let your view of that experience taint your opinion of God who is holy, good and all powerful. He’s God and He loves you and has a plan for you. Remember who He is and keep going back to Him. Don’t let one experience taint your opinion and keep you from seeking Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What experience with God in the past has given you confidence in Him? Leave your comments below.

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I Got All Greased Up

Friday night after a very long day, my wife and I went out for dinner.  I’m not sure I consider getting fast food as going out for dinner, but, we didn’t eat at home. Normally, Friday nights is leftovers night, but this night I needed a treat.

We went to “Five Guys”, a restaurant that just opened in our neighbourhood. The burgers are good there and yes, I know it’s not healthy – you can tell by the grease soaking through the brown paper bag that the food comes in.

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I figure I can handle a little grease in my system every once in a while because I’m taking medication for that.

I don’t know the technical term for what it does, but in my understanding I picture the medication puts something like a teflon coating on your arteries so that all the crud, (triglycerides, cholesterol) or sludge, just keeps on sliding through.

That’s the way I picture it anyway … so that my conscience is clear. If you know something different, don’t tell me. I like the picture I have in my mind.

When we went into the restaurant I noticed a few things. First, there were a lot of employees. They were young; they all looked like teenagers, except for the big guy who I figured was the manager, or two of the five guys!

Second, though they call it fast food, it really wasn’t all that fast. McDonalds is fast. Wendy’s is pretty fast. But at Five Guys, they give you a number and say they will call you up when the food is ready.

With the shear volume of little people scurrying around in the kitchen, you’d think you would have your order by the time you paid for it.

Not so! We found a table and waited. I’ll admit though, the waiting was pretty enjoyable … they have free peanuts in the shell, which we availed ourselves of.

I noticed Lily was being uncharacteristically messy with the peanuts. I was putting the shells back in the tray with the unopened ones, just to keep the table neat. Lily was throwing them on the floor!

Once I figured out that everyone did that – there were peanut shells everywhere – I got right into it. By the time our food came, I think I had the most shells around my chair.

Along with the free peanuts to bide our time, were the signs all around the restaurant inviting you to read them. They were endorsements in big writing so they were easily read anywhere you sat.

They all had a similar theme. They told you how great Five Guys was. It wasn’t like they were tooting their own horn, but at the same time they were because they were using these accolades as decoration.

The only disconcerting thing about these ego-pumping posters was that most of the dates on them were from 5 or 6 years ago. As you read them, you just hoped the food wasn’t that old.

The food finally came, the burgers were delicious, and the fries were well worth the extra grease running through my veins.

Here’s the thing: We went to the restaurant for a burger and fries but we experienced a lot more. When you first come to Christ, it’s often because you have a particular need, desire, or concern. But what you find is your experience with Him is so much more.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How has your experience with God expanded from what drew you to him in the first place?  Leave a comment below.