My favorite Panera interaction

To break of the monotony of a home office, I work from a Panera (coffee shop and restaurant) most days and take advantage of the Unlimited Sip Club. A couple years ago, I had an interaction that I still think about all the time so I finally decided to write it down.

I was waiting at the coffee stand and the guy ahead of me had a rough and tough Ron Swanson vibe about him. After he put the lid on his cup, I saw him take out a pocket knife and carve an opening slot on the side of the lid opposite the spout for air to go through when he drinks.

I said something stupid like “hey, that’s a cool trick.” He turned around and looked me square in the eye for a second like he was sizing me up. Then he said, “I control the flow, the flow doesn’t control me” and he turned and walked out of my life.