18/07/2026
They Don’t Really Want To Speak To Me.
They Just Want A Different Answer. ♥️♥️♥️
One thing seems to happen in every business.
The phone rings.
One of the team answers it.
“Can I speak to Lucy, please?”
A minute later someone sticks their head round the office door.
“They want to speak to you.”
I’m usually buried in paperwork.
“What do they want?”
“I’ve told them we’re fully booked, but they want to ask you.”
It’s not really me they want.
They just want a different answer.
They think I’ve got a secret bedroom or a magic table hidden somewhere.
One that only appears if you know the owner.
I wish I had.
But I haven’t.
Twelve bedrooms are still twelve bedrooms.
Seventy-five restaurant covers are still seventy-five restaurant covers.
Even I can’t squeeze eighty people into seventy-five seats.
The funny bit is, the person who answered the phone has worked here for six years.
She already knows what I’m going to say.
“I’m sorry, we’re full.”
Sometimes they still don’t believe her.
They think if I answer the phone, somehow I’ll find them a table.
I won’t.
If I’ve employed someone to answer the phone, I trust them.
If my team tell you we’re full,
We’re full.
I reckon this must happen in pubs, hotels, restaurants, hairdressers, garages, dentists… probably every independently owned business in the country.
“I know the owner.”
Actually, so do I.
And she can’t magic up another table either.
The bit I like most has nothing to do with people asking for me.
It’s that my team already know the answer before I even pick up the phone.
That’s exactly how it should be.
It means they know I’ve got their back. ♥️♥️♥️
