In all honesty, my experience at Sonsie could have turned out much differently than it did....
Backstory: I lived in Boston for the past ten years, and just recently moved to California this past July (2018). I returned a few days ago, visiting only for a long weekend. Being that Sonsie was a favorite establishment for me and my former coworker/current friend, in the past, we decided to meet there for brunch while I was in town.
I had made us a 12pm reservation. When I got into my Uber pool at 11:15 (in Davis Square, Somerville, approx. 7mi away), it became immediately clear that I wasn't going to be on time. I immediately called Sonsie, and was extremely lucky that Reagan (Reegan? Spelling is unknown) answered the phone. I explained I would probably be about ten minutes late, to which she replied, genuinely, that she appreciated the call, and our reservation would be held.
Fast forward to ten after 12pm.... I am still in the Uber, still at least twenty minutes away (due to traffic resulting from an accident). I once again called Sonsie, and again was #blessed to get Reagan on the line. I explained that I was trapped in traffic, and inquired whether or not the res could be changed to 12:45pm. She was completely empathetic, and explained that though my party may have a short wait, she would move the time back and make sure we weren't skipped over, once we arrived.
My friend and I arrive, go to the host stand, and I asked the three employees who greeted us, if any of them were Reagan. One of them smiles, and says, "That's me!" I let her know that I am *that* Jill, the one who has been calling/updating her on my arrival..... and can I just say that her reaction/smile/welcome was so genuine and so unexpectedly sweet, that I had to check myself to make sure I was still in snowy, cold Boston. Reagan's reaction to my arrival was so just so unexpected--- I mean, I was 45 minutes late. The fact that she understood, and was sympathetic to the fact, that my tardiness was out of my control, was sort of shocking. She immediately sat my party, but even in the few moments we were face-to-face, she had already impressed me.
I hadn't seen my dining companion for months. So, as soon as we were seated, we fell into a focused conversation, which lulled only after we realized we hadn't been greeted in over fifteen minutes (read: we hadn't put in/received our booze yet). I hesitated, but figured I'd go let Reagan know, since she had already shown herself to be someone who actually gives a sh--
When I approached her, and let her know we hadn't seen our server, she exclaimed "Jill! No!" and zoomed towards the kitchen. I returned to my table, and the server was taking our order, less than a minute later. After our first round of drinks, the server informed us it had been comped. The rest of our meal was very nice, and overall, a nice experience.
That being said, I moonlight as a bartender, and have worked in restaurants for 20 years. Never would I have ever complained about my experience today.... but, it must be noted that I most likely wouldn't have left as satisfied if it had not been for Reagan. I know hostesses are an extremely underrated spoke in the wheel of the restaurant industry, but Reagan deserves to be recognized for going above and beyond. Because of her, I'll be back for brunch during next June's visit to Boston. read more