Saturday's Passage Of The Week

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk.

Enjoy this brief segment from the second chapter.

My bell captain Vinny taught me about Lincoln Loads. This is when you call a particular cab driver for an airport fare, and they give you a five-dollar bill in return. President Lincoln is on the five-dollar bill, hence the name.

The general manager hated when we would call in a Lincoln Load because he had his own under-the-table arrangement with another cab company and none of their drivers ever kicked us back for airport fairs, which back then could be a $40.00 or $50.00 ride.

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One particular driver I would call for a Lincoln Load was Dean, the Jazz Man. Like a lot of cab drivers, he was also an artist – in this case a musician. As I’m sure you can imagine, many drivers were artists or performers who supplemented their income by driving a cab. The money was usually enough to get by and the hours amenable to an artist’s schedule.

And Dean came with a bonus: He would take out his clarinet and serenade the guests while I put their luggage in the back of the cab. And if they were not in a hurry, I would drag my feet a little so they could enjoy this short free impromptu performance.

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