Today is a gorgeous day! Today is a dog walking day! Especially since my dog, Frutiger, and I first became a family a mere month ago. These beautiful, warm and windy days are numbered and the odds of me getting out and enjoying the experience of walking my dog are are getting smaller. As a result, I'm trying to get out as much as possible.

Today is a gorgeous day, I should say, marred by one fat, grey cloud.

As a general rule of thumb businesses don't allow dogs inside their premises, especially food-based businesses, which is understandable. I really wanted to take Frutiger for a walk and still wanted to respect the businesses of Brady Street, so I called up Jimmy John's and asked if I could order a sandwich for pick up and, while I was at it, pay over the phone. A simple request. All they'd have to do is bring the sandwich out to me and any potential problems would be avoided. Or so I thought.

"Ummmm ... ummmmm ... uuuuuuummmmmmmm ... yeah, I guess."

Not the positive response I was expecting. I was only trying to make their lives easier, so to further comfort their minds I told them that they wouldn't have to hold on to the sandwich for too long as I'd be by in about five minutes.

"Can you make it 10?"

Hmmm ... I understand they're probably busy, but hey, so am I. A lunch break can only last so long and when I'm meeting friends, who also have a lunch break ticking away, that extra five minutes means a lot. Especially when delivered in the form of "can you make it 10."

When I reluctantly agreed they hung up without taking my plastic information, thus eliminating part two of my plan of convenience. I left my house with an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Now I had to some how get the sandwich and exchange money while holding onto a leash, all from outside the store.

I arrived on the scene the requisite 10 minutes later when I saw one of the Jimmy John's drivers pulling up. Aah, I thought, I can explain to this young man what's going on, he'll understand, and I can be on my way.

He walked within earshot so I began the story about how I ordered a sandwich and how I've got this dog when I was suddenly interrupted.

"That sucks," he says, as he walks inside and slams the door.

My blood instantly came to a boil. That sucks!?! THAT SUCKS!?!?! Even if I weren't a potential paying customer, just a passerby on the street, this man, bearing the official Jimmy John's insignia on his shirt (and possibly hat ... I don't remember), has the gall to ignore me, essentially tell me that I personally suck, and slam the door in my face? All this in front of other pedestrians who stopped to ask me, what just happened?

Minutes later I was on the phone with the branch manager, explaining my situation (as well as the fact that, two days before, I was met with a previous problem, it had taken almost an hour to deliver my sub). He re-assured me that somebody would get back to me as soon as possible to see if this problem could be righted.

The call came a few hours later, asking for my side of the story. I told them my stories. The hour long lunch wait, the disdainful telephone conversation, the rude delivery driver.

They can't guarantee the speed of delivery (understandable, though an hour seems a bit excessive), they don't take cards over the phone due to fraud (makes sense, but that should have been explained to me) and while they admitted that the driver was in the wrong for his sarcastic remarks they also claimed that I was wrong for bringing my dog into the mix and that dealing with dogs on one of the most dog-friendly streets in Milwaukee was "totally unusual." Furthermore he told me that they don't like to do curbside pick-up because they are too busy to spend 10 seconds, bringing the food out to me. Instead, I guess I should have had it delivered, a 10-minute drive.

I used to work in food service and I know how stressful it can be, especially around the lunch hour. I also know that all sorts of crazy orders come through, demands I could never imagine. I rarely ever hesitated to say "Yes, we can do that." A quick dog walk-by seems to be the least insane of these demands.

32 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Recent blogs/briefs by Jason McDowell

A symphony of style for the MSO Monday If there is an economic recession it was hard to notice at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra ...

If it's autumn, it must be Yeasayer Oct. 30, 2008 Yeasayer stopped in at Turner Hall Ballroom Wednesday night to warn us of the oncoming ...

Yeasayer's musical journey to Milwaukee Oct. 29, 2008 Yeasayer floated onto the scene in 2007 and quickly developed a cult following within ...

Dance and shout with Yelle Oct. 23, 2008 Yelle's energy bursts from an almond-eyed petite girl with a cute bob. She was dressed ...

ROMP needs input for area off-leash dog parks Oct. 20, 2008 A few months ago, I wrote about the lack of dog parks within Milwaukee's city limits and ...