I was running behind schedule to go to a meeting. On the way there, I saw a local ramen place on the right side of the road so I pulled over and walked in.
I asked the hostess if they could get me out in 25 minutes.
She paused, looked at the packed place, and apologized. Even though there was a seat at the bar, she didn’t think she could squeeze me in.
Perfect. She gave me exactly what I needed to know. I thanked her profusely, hit the road, grabbed some fast food, and made it to the meeting just barely on time.
I wasn’t going to be a good customer that day, and she did the right thing.