Back in the early 1980s, Sterling Price worked as a cook at a pizza restaurant in Springdale, Ar kansas, and this is before there were any national sandwich chains in town like Subways. As Sterling tells the story, “A lady came in one day and asked if we had meatball sand wiches. Well, when I told her I did not, she got very upset, like on the verge of tears. So, I told her that even though we did not have it on the menu, we did have sandwich rolls and meatballs, tomato sauce, and even mozzarella cheese. So, since we had all the ingredients, I told her I could make it for her and just ring it up as one of the other sandwiches on the menu. Well, she thanked me several times and then ex plained that her husband was really sick and had lost his ap petite and she was desperate to get him to eat something.” She had asked him if there was anything that he wanted to eat and he told her that he might be able to eat a meatball sandwich, and she’d been to several restaurants already but none could help her.
Sterling narrated that that they were the last stop before going home empty-handed. So, she took the sandwich home and Sterling had forgotten about it until a couple of days later when the lady called the restaurant and asked for him by his name. Then she said that her husband had eaten as much of the sandwich as he could and was very grateful that she was able to get it for him. She added that it was the most complete and enjoyable meal that he’d had in several days, and then she explained a bit more about her husband’s condition. It turns out he’d been diagnosed with stage four cancer a few months earlier, so his loss of appetite was heartbreaking for her but it was the meatball sandwich which could provide some comfort at last. It meant a lot to her that Sterling had been so flexible with the menu. She told him that he’d passed away during the night, and that meatball sandwich was his last meal. Well, as you can imagine, by that point she’s crying and Sterling’s crying on the phone.
This “Last Meal” story, untold for decades outside the restaurant, highlights a leadership failure common in many organizations. For a national pizza chain with global reach, it represent ed untapped gold: a tool for training frontline staff on exemplary service, fueling PR campaigns, or inspiring brand loyalty. Yet, because no one documented it, the narrative languished, squandering its potential as a “priceless company asset.”
Paul Smith, in his book Lead with a Story, first shared this tale to underscore a vital truth: Good leaders must capture these real-life gems—whether from custom er interactions or employee heroics—and deploy them strategically. In today’s competitive markets, especially in service-driven industries like hospitality and retail, such stories humanize brands and differentiate them from rule bound competitors.
Don’t let that happen where you work. As Smith advises, treat such stories like assets— document, refi ne, and amplify them to drive culture and growth. After all, the Last Meal can be a powerful lesson to all those who are responsible for delivering customer satisfaction and warmth. (Paul Smith’s” Lead with a Story” is referenced here for educational purposes to champion empathetic custom er service.)
The writer is a business consultant & start-up mentor.
