The BA Amex card is a great deal. The mile per penny spent reward is normal, but the 'two flights for one set of miles' voucher issued for every 20 grand spent is an unusually valuable perk. This is especially true for those in the corporate world, who spend lots in expenses on their cards, and also have lots of airmiles.
For example, the spoils of my two months working in San Francisco could have bought me two free first class trips for two back to the city again. That's about 40 thousand pounds worth of tickets.
The problem? BA have recently started surcharging for the use of some credit cards on their site. And yeup, you guessed it. The BA Amex card is one of those surcharged. I'm having a day of travel planing and have used the BA Amex card on every site I visited - except ba.com
Brighton yesterday was a shock. So many nice and interesting little cafes and shops. I moved to the West End to be in the centre of things, but sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by nothing other than cheap sandwich bars for wage slave.
My fav yesterday was Nia - near to the perfect cafe. A cooked breakfast was very good - from thick toast and bacon to a very tasty sausage and tasty mushrooms and tomato. Ashok reported good things about the vegetarian breakfast, but was less impressed with the coffee. We were back for a very late lunch, when I had an unusually lean piece of pork belly. Atmosphere was people working and meeting in a relaxed way, with untreated tables, interesting music and free wifi, with candles in the evening. So many good points. I can think of only a few places that live up to these standards in the west end of London, and none that feel so lived in and relaxed.
Never thought I'd say it, but maybe I need to move.
Image found here
It makes such a difference when a business really cares. Sitting in the cafe at La Fromagerie today reminded me of this. Everyone is passionate about the food they make and sell. One shop assistant explains to a customer how to make a better confit de canard, another explains to a new staff member why their veg really is the best. When my simple boiled eggs come the waitress smiles as my eyes light up. The cafe manager is just as pleased today to hear that his cappuccino is perfect as the first time I told him. And I tell him every time.
These people are exceptional. But more exceptional is the inspiration behind the place. I do not know Patricia Michelson well, but I have seen what she does to shape her business. The original branch of La Fromagerie was round the corner from me when I lived in Highbury. With a much smaller staff, Patricia showed how it should be done. She trod a careful line between giving great service to customers and making sure her fabulous food got a good home - no mean feat with some who frequent Highbury! Her book is a joy. It absolutly exudes passion for the topic. You can still see that passion first-hand if Patricia is in, or otherwise on many of the food labels, which she hand-writes.
How far can such passion stretch? Not far, in my opinion. For example, I'm sitting in a Caffè Nero. Their website boasts that they are "the largest independent coffee retailer in the UK, with over 290 Caffè Nero stores from Brighton to Glasgow". In their early years the places felt very much alive. By the time I discovered them they already had 4 or 5 stores, and I imagine the early customers were already complaining. Now I'm only here only because they are slightly better than Starbucks, and have a good deal on Wifi.
Anyone got an example of a big business that manages to keep the passion alive?
