I don’t spend much time at McDonald’s anymore. But there’s a new one near the house with free wifi, and a killer playground I like to frequent.

The playground has its own room – with more seating than the regular dining room. It has an amazing ambiance of white noise (plenty of noise, but none of it distinguishable and distracting). It’s excellent for reading or writing or musing.

I was reading there today, when the manager (the MANAGER) suddenly appeared near my table with a ladder. He said he noticed I was reading, and the bulb above my table was out. Frankly, I hadn’t noticed, but it did make a difference when he climbed the ladder and inspired the bulb to brilliance.

Later I noticed that manager going from table to table, bantering with the moms and dads whose kids scurried around the playground.

I expect to see meandering managers at some restaurants, but McDonald’s? And I’ve never seen a MANAGER self-tend to a light bulb he noticed that might be bothering a customer.

Think that McDonald’s will do well? Me, too. At least as long as that manager’s there. If he gets promoted to something regional or national… well, we can just say he served me well while he climbed the ladder of success.