While this is a touching story, the moral lesson from her grandpa fixing the restaurant table deserves some introspection.
I have been in engineering situations where it is tempting to fix the loose table leg. The problem is that unless I go in every month and fix it I might be making things worse. What we need instead is a process that solves the problem permanently.
Moreover, it is likely the sitaution is much worse than it appears on the surface. The loose leg is a symptom of deeper malaise. It is likely the kitchen is dirty as well. The leg might be the canary in the mine. In fact the whole organization might be rotten to the core.
The real solution is to buy out the restaurant, fire the management, institute better processes, and then to create a culture that values the longer-term view.
The other approach is to do nothing. Leave the table wobbly to signal to other patrons to take their business elsewhere. The restaurant is on its last legs as a viable enterprise. Best to let economic forces shut it down quickly and without ceremony. Then it can be replaced by something with more solid foundations and firmer legs.
I have been in engineering situations where it is tempting to fix the loose table leg. The problem is that unless I go in every month and fix it I might be making things worse. What we need instead is a process that solves the problem permanently.
Moreover, it is likely the sitaution is much worse than it appears on the surface. The loose leg is a symptom of deeper malaise. It is likely the kitchen is dirty as well. The leg might be the canary in the mine. In fact the whole organization might be rotten to the core.
The real solution is to buy out the restaurant, fire the management, institute better processes, and then to create a culture that values the longer-term view.
The other approach is to do nothing. Leave the table wobbly to signal to other patrons to take their business elsewhere. The restaurant is on its last legs as a viable enterprise. Best to let economic forces shut it down quickly and without ceremony. Then it can be replaced by something with more solid foundations and firmer legs.