Introducing the Polite Pass, a Little Something for People Who Aren’t Jerks

Restaurant owners, managers, and chefs are fortunate people, indeed.

How many other professions produce as much immediate and constant gratification from so many people on a daily basis? To the restaurant community, a smiling, sated, satisfied restaurant customer is as good as it gets. But it’s the complainers that garner all the attention and cause all the stress, to say nothing of comped drinks, entire meals, and gift cards, regardless of where the fault lies.

But what about customers who go out of their way to be extra nice, diners who are a downright pleasure to wait on, positive energy radiating off them like spring sunshine? They receive no recognition, no attaboys, no rewards for being genuinely nice people.

That dichotomy occurred to Jason Bockman, co-founder and current owner of Strange Donuts, after dealing with an upset customer followed by a succession of happy ones. Why isn’t there a method to reward someone for being nice, he thought, a commendation for people who go above and beyond what is expected as a customer?

So he created one… and called it the Polite Pass.

Bockman printed hundreds of them and distributed them to a variety of establishments where people sometimes aren’t that nice—like the DMVs and banks. Beginning today, cashiers, clerks and tellers around town are handing out Polite Passes to customers at their discretion.

The message is simple, as is the reward. On the front side, the words “You’re nice.” The payoff comes when he puzzled recipient turns the card over and sees this:

The most interesting aspect of the program may be how it’s marketed. Bockman says Strange Donuts will not promote the program, nor will the businesses that have received the cards. “I thought it appropriate that the recipients take care of that,” he said, downplaying the entire program.

Although Bockman had considered initiating such a program for some time, the impetus came recently while dining out with his entire family—including his small child—at Pastaria. “In the busiest part of the evening, right at 7:30, my son gets up and decides to pull the fire alarm,” he explains. “Everyone realized what had happened almost immediately and dealt with it…all except the table next to us who screamed at the server demanding that something be done. I wanted to jump up and say, ‘hey, it wasn’t the server’s fault, it was my kid,’ but I let it go. To keep the peace, Pastaria ended up comping their meal and giving them a gift card. At that point I thought if anyone deserved something special, it was all the people who didn’t complain.”