Elusive goals and the ‘Tantalus Complex’
Some restaurants need to go out of business. This one will.
My stuffed pork chop was a bad choice, a classic capitulation to an overly friendly waitress.
My home is several miles from the downtown or “old town” of my city. After puzzling parking tickets and an unfortunate tow-truck incident, during my first month in town I avoid the area, preferring to spend my cash at the brave establishments on the edge of town where I live.
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Legend has it that a certain King Tantalus had offended the gods and was condemned to spend eternity in Hades. We’d call it Hell today. This king of classical mythology was in a bind. The branches above him were filled with ripe fruit, but each time the king reached, a strong wind blew the fruit out of reach. He stood in water up to his chest but each time he bent to quench a hellish thirst, the water receded. Hence the word “tantalizing.”
Expanding the king’s predicament into a useful business-and-life metaphor, I offer the Tantalus Complex. This is where we consciously move forward toward a specific goal and unconsciously move backward at the same time. In the process of working feverishly to improve our lives and businesses (and restaurants), we do it in such a way that takes us backward without us actually knowing it.
The teenage girl seeks a summer job by hand delivering job applications to boutique store owners. She gets no calls because she delivered them in cut-off jeans and bare feet.
The man works out hard at the gym to get buffed and lose weight. On the drive home, he can’t resist picking up another 12-pack of light beer.
The single woman or man joins social clubs and attends weekly events to meet a romantic partner. They wear a favorite ring on the “wedding ring” finger.
The dry, day-old special didn’t succeed at turning my stomach, until the owner started bellowing. The waitress and musicians did little to salvage my impression. All were there on a Mother’s Day Sunday afternoon to help the restaurant reach its goals of survival, popularity and profit. Blind to the impact of their actions on customers; the owner, waitress and musicians took the restaurant backward, away from their goal — the Tantalus Complex in action.
The owner sat at the four-stooled bar table directly in front of me. He received a “test” dessert from the kitchen chef and instantly barked, “It should be open-faced” and “This looks terrible. Take it back and fix it.”
My lunch seemed even drier. Two minutes passed and the red-faced chef limped back for round two. “Great,” the owner said, adding, “Now, why didn’t you think of this?” and in full voice, “That’s why I pay you.”
The chef shot me a guilty glance and couldn’t disappear fast enough. The owner stood, walked behind the bar and refilled his own drink.
Cocktail in hand back at his table, another waitress walked up and chatted with the owner. She abruptly inhaled deeply and let out a vicious sneeze into her two cupped hands. I’m not against a few tattoos or an interesting nose ring but, a hygiene-challenged waitress gets my Tantalus squirming.
The musicians, hired to play and attract patrons, began setting up within three feet of my table. One knocked over a chair with a crash, prompting an “Oh, s—,” followed by bumped guitar case and bulky, dragging amplifier noises.
This establishment was trying to hit its goals. My guess is that it never will as more patrons cringe at abusive behavior, slimy hands and musicians waiting to impress the “real” clients.
Seeing the future of heavy branches and receding water, I held up my card and asked for the bill.
Rick Griggs is the inventor of the rolestorming creativity tool and founder of the Quid Novi Innovation conference. Contact him at rick@griggsachieve.com or 970.690.7327.
