????14歲時我在鄉村高爾夫俱樂部當球童。在沙粒遍地的夏日，為有錢人扛了一天的高爾夫球包后，騎車回家的我總是又累又餓。在路上，我經常在鎮中心停下來吃點東西。

????“Little Louie”是個簡單到不能再簡單的熱狗攤，其實就是我們鎮公園對面一幢簡陋木質建筑中的一小間。走過吱嘎作響的紗門，你就會發現自己進了一間讓人憋悶的屋子。那里擁擠而吵鬧，而且很熱，還有點兒讓人不知所措。讓人憋悶是因為這間屋子太小，就算只有兩個人，也沒辦法腳對腳躺下；擁擠和吵鬧是因為無論到了極點，總有人在等吃的；很熱是因為嗡嗡作響的空調通常只吹熱風；讓人不知所措是因為人們并不會真的按次序排成一隊來點餐。老舊的木頭柜臺前面就像一個競技場。

????墻上，照片和簽名組成了奇怪的圖案，還有不知什么原因寫在紙盤子上的菜名，幾十年來一直用釘子定在那里。如果你初來乍到又點了魯賓三明治，那就等著老天爺來幫你吧，這種東西他們一年到頭可能也只賣過兩個。

????第一次叫東西吃的人會感到緊張。就像我說的那樣，人們不排隊。相反，饑腸轆轆的顧客都擠作一團，充滿期待地抬著頭，就像嗷嗷待哺的幼鳥那樣看著柜臺后面的兩個大個子——盧和埃迪。他們穿著有些褪色的白圍裙，都興高采烈，不過也都有點兒脾氣。他們好像樂于讓給人找別扭。他們背后是用來炸東西的大桶以及幾個受苦受難的高中生，他們的暑假就這樣淹沒在了滾滾熱浪和蒸汽之中。

????埃迪或者盧會隨手指向某位顧客。當他們中的一個指著你的時候，你必須想好要吃什么。只要遲疑一、兩秒鐘，他們的手指就會迅速移向另一位更有準備的顧客，這種做法讓很多人都覺得“很受傷”。

????輪到我的時候，我會大喊“熱狗，不要香芹粉，薯條，還有一杯可樂。”要想吃東西，你就得說簡單一點兒，而且聲音要大。這樣，我就會拿到自己的晚餐——一包油糊糊的薯條，油漬能一直滲到棕色紙袋的最底層；一個草草包起來的熱狗，毫無章法地放在薯條上；還有一杯可樂，裝可樂的杯子上隨隨便便印著某家快餐店的名字和標識，但絕不會是Little Louie。他們覺得自己不需要建立什么品牌，所以就買了其他快餐店的多余紙杯。

????拿到吃的以后，我就會帶著油漬四溢的紙袋走到街對面，坐在鎮公園的大橡樹下享受我的晚餐。

????可能會有人覺得奇怪，他們的生意為什么會這么好，從早到晚顧客都川流不息，而且天天如此。他們有什么秘訣呢？嗯，東西很好吃，這肯定是個有利因素。就餐環境顯然不好，服務也不怎么樣。

????我相信，他們的秘訣就在于真實，不裝模作樣。他們根本不打算弄出一個高大的形象。對許多公司來說，這樣做可能行不通，但對盧和埃迪來說這樣做生意很奏效。

????所有的企業都可以從中汲取經驗。無論你對外界展現什么樣的面貌——無論是麗思卡爾頓酒店（Ritz-Carlton）高度個性化的服務和優雅的格調，蘋果公司（Apple）以用戶為中心的產品，還是Little Louie快捷而又實實在在的熱狗和薯條——只要你展示的是真正的自我，你就有可能變得與眾不同。

????想愚弄員工和顧客，假扮成另外一副模樣，你的公司終有一天會自食其果。（財富中文網）

????譯者：Charlie??

????When I was 14, I worked as a caddy at the local country club. After carrying the golf bags of some rich folks through a gritty summer day, I’d bike home tired and hungry. On the way, I’d often stop at a place in the middle of my hometown to grab a bite.

????Little Louie’s was a “hole in the wall” hotdog place. It was, in essence, a small room within a rundown wooden building across from the town park. When you walked in through the creaky screen door, you found yourself in a claustrophobic, crowded space that was noisy, too hot and a little confusing. Claustrophobic because the room would be too small for two people to lay end-to-end.Crowded and noisy because, well there were always customers waiting to grab a bite, regardless of the hour of day. Too hot because the rattling air conditioning unit was usually blowing out hot air. And confusing since people didn’t really line up in an orderly fashion to order their food. Instead it was almost a little mosh pit in front of the old wooden counter.

????On the walls were a strange mix of photos and signs, along with an array of menu items written for some reason, on paper plates that had been stapled up sometime in the last couple decades. God help you if you were a newcomer and ordered a Rueben sandwich; they probably sold two a year.

????The ordering process instilled fear in first-timers. For as I said, there was no line. Instead, it was a small mass of hungry people, who would look up expectantly, like baby birds, at one of the two big guys behind the counter in the white, slightly stained aprons – Lou or Eddie. Both were happy enough. But each had an edge to his personality. They seemed to delight in making people uncomfortable. Behind them were the deep-fry vats and several harried high-school kids who slaved their summers away in the heat and steam.

????When either Eddie or Lou would point at you, in no particular order, you needed to have your request ready. If, as many found out to their detriment, you were to hesitate for a second or two, the pointed finger would quickly move to another, more prepared patron.

????For my part, I’d yell out “hot dog, no celery salt, fries and a coke.” Keep it simple and project your voice if you wanted your food. With that, a scoop of French fries, dripping grease, would be flung into the bottom of a plain brown paper bag, a quickly wrapped hot dog would be unceremoniously flung directly on top. The coke would be dispensed into a cup bearing the name and logo of any of a number of fast-food restaurants, but not Little Louie’s. They didn’t see much need in branding themselves, and would purchase overruns from other establishments.

????With that, I would stroll with my grease-stained bag across the street, sit under the large oaks in the park and enjoy my meal.

????One might wonder why this place was so successful, a constant flow of customers throughout each and every day. What was the secret? Well, the food was good; that always helps. And it clearly wasn’t the ambience of the place, or the high-touch, caring service.

????The secret, I believe, is that it was real. There was no pretense. They didn’t try to project an image that they were anything more than what they were. It’s not a reality that would work for many businesses, but it worked for Louie and Eddie.

????The lesson applies to every business. Whatever face you present to the world – the ultra-personal service and elegance at a Ritz-Carlton, user-focused products of Apple, or the quick, honest hot dog and fries of a Little Louie’s – if it’s part of who you really are, you have a chance to become something special.

????Try to fool your employees and customers that you are something you’re not, and your business will suffer the consequences.