Excellence Is Not Luck: What a Perfect Omelet Taught Me About Systems
I placed my order this morning with mild dread. It was a simple enough request at Café Serie in Bugolobi: a small portion of yogurt with muesli, a Spanish omelet made with egg whites only — no salt, no cheese — and a double espresso. Simple, but it was a modification to the standard breakfast menu, and I had history here. On one previous visit, my yogurt and muesli arrived as two separate items, deconstructed, for me to assemble "the way you want it." On another, the Spanish omelet came out golden with yolk. When I asked for it to be taken back, the waitress' eyes welled up. "Who is going to pay for this?" she asked. In that moment, I understood that my modified order was not just an inconvenience — it was a risk she personally carried. So when Catherine, the waitress who took my order this morning, delivered every element exactly as I had asked — effortlessly, without a single correction needed — I was genuinely surprised. And then I got curious. The Questi...