RICH ALEXANDER

i Joel, The YFM reunion sounds wonderful. Carnegie Hall! Wish I lived closer. A few stray memories come to mind... Beer came in 2 flavors – light or dark. $2.50 per pitcher. I could carry 2 pitchers in each hand. Drinks were 80 cents each, a price you set to encourage tips of 20 cents. I wasn’t a very good waiter, which disappointed me. At the time,  I didn’t realize Sales and Marketing required different skills. Later, I discovered while I’m lousy at sales, I’m good at marketing. You told me you’d learned (from me and others): Don’t hire HBS guys as waiters. One evening, business was slow and the band lacked spark. A guy at a table offered to sit in with the band. (He might have played banjo with you in SFO). He suited up, sat in the middle of the front row, and immediately the band turned from so-so to terrific. He was hired and stayed on. What I learned: One person can make a difference. After work, my clothes smelled of cigarettes. There was a girl who worked for you, I think as a sort-of business manager. She was very patient with all of us. Rich