Area businesses are doing the best they can to serve their customers

After reading the past two weeks’ letters about the poor or lacking service in Cook County businesses I feel compelled to write back in defense of our county’s businesses. With that said I also want to say that I do agree that customer service is very important…if not half the battle of pleasing customers. I too want to be acknowledged when entering a business. I too want to know that my business counts, wherever I am.

The written complaints have been about businesses not being open long enough, or that the people have not been acknowledged or thanked, or that the customer has to wait too long for service. Aside from the complaint about construction workers, which I cannot comment because, I know nothing about that. I will say that for all other businesses my opinion and or defense is this:

Our county is small. We invite people here and they come in droves, which I understand. Thirty-four years ago I too was a tourist here. Back then Grand Marais was a ghost town most of the time but not anymore…. People flock here because there aren’t many people here unlike the places they are coming from. Then when they get here some cannot believe that they might have to stand in line for things, or they cannot find parking or cannot eat at certain businesses because of their limited hours etc. Part of that is for the very reason they are here. THERE ARE NOT MANY PEOPLE HERE which means our work force is limited, our housing is limited and so on. I for one (Hughie’s Taco House) am lucky.

I work 75 hours a week, my employees work 40-50 and I am only open five days a week. Why? Because we cannot do any more and I choose not to have someone else run my business, it’s the way I roll. Am I missing out on business only being open five days a week? Sure I am but money isn’t everything. Being rested and pleasant for the rest of the week is. We live in a manic county… going from few customers to thousands…. I ask that guests be patient with this gem of a town, we really appreciate your business but we are not the cities, far from it and we are doing the best we can. Thank you.

Anna Hamilton
Grand Marais