I was perusing the wine list at a local restaurant on a rainy Monday night. A woman working on the floor saw me and came over. “What are we thinking for tonight?” she asked.

I told her I was looking for a sparkling wine, so she recommended a few options. We went with one of the cavas she suggested, and it was an excellent choice.

The employee who opened the bottle—a trainee shadowing our server for the night—asked what we were celebrating. I never need a special occasion to enjoy some sparkling wine, but I explained that it was our anniversary.

Soon after, our server stopped by to wish us a happy anniversary and told us to save some room because the kitchen was preparing a special, complimentary dessert for us. As we were finishing our entrees, the manager came over to the table and said that she had heard it was our anniversary and that the cava was on the house.

I should note that we are not regulars at this restaurant, we hadn’t made a reservation that night, and no one there had any idea that I work for Cheers—they still don’t. They also didn’t know, until I told them at the end of the night, that we we had met at the restaurant’s original location years ago.

The entire team just went out of their way to provide exceptional service and ensure that two guests had a special night. That’s a great way to foster customer loyalty, encourage repeat visits and generate word-of-mouth recommendations. Cheers!