Mr. Carter Santiago reflected on his life and realized he hadn’t yet written a will. But who would inherit his estate, which includes several luxury restaurants in Chicago? So he decided to do a test and discovered something unexpected.
Contrary to what most Chicagoans would have you believe, Mr. Santiago did not come from a wealthy family. His mother raised him singlehandedly while working minimum wage, and he worked odd jobs in his hometown of Aurora, Illinois, to get by.
Mr. Santiago started washing dishes in a restaurant, then became a kitchen assistant. But he wanted to do more. So he began taking night classes in business management at the local university, before becoming his own boss.
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His first restaurant was small and offered a simple menu. But it was successful and popular. He then applied for his first bank loan to open a restaurant in Chicago, and his success took off from there. His restaurants have won awards.
The best chefs in the country wanted to work for him, and it all came together. He was the most respected restaurateur in the region.
But over time, Mr. Santiago was no longer able to run his restaurants, as he was almost unable to leave his home due to illness. His doctors explained to him that it might be time to get his affairs in order, and so he found himself faced with a dilemma.
Mr. Santiago no longer had a family. He never found the love of his life, despite receiving tons of female advances, and he didn’t have any children either. Who should I leave my assets to? he often wondered.
One of his lawyers suggested he leave it to a mentee or a charity. But he wanted to think things through before writing his will. He sat on his wide front porch with a notepad.
“The person I leave this money to will have to have struggled like I have to appreciate it. How can I know? Should I look at the resumes of managers and chefs? It seems so impersonal,” he wondered aloud.
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But inspiration came to him spontaneously, and he devised a plan. He dressed in his oldest clothes and bought a secondhand walking stick in poor condition. He grew a beard before visiting his restaurants.
“Sir, I’m sorry. You can’t come in here,” said the manager of the Mockingbird. And when Mr. Santiago tried to insist, she called the security guards. Okay, you’re not going to get anything , he thought as he headed to his other restaurant, Lueuer des Étoiles.
“Go away, old man! Homeless people are not allowed in this Michelin-starred restaurant. You can search the trash after closing time for leftovers,” the hostess said slyly.
I don’t have the best employees in the world , he told himself as he walked away. But then again, Mr. Santiago hadn’t been in charge of hiring for decades. He had a management company that handled all that.
Next, he showed up at Cinnamon , a Chicago celebrity-friendly restaurant and bar. But once again, he wasn’t allowed in. “Man, get out of here. This place has a dress code and it’s way too expensive. You could try the nearest soup kitchen,” another hostess told him.
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He was losing hope. I guess none of my employees think everyone deserves friendly treatment , he thought sadly. But Mr. Santiago still wanted to try one more place, Bambino. This restaurant looked fancy, but it was similar to his first establishment in Aurora. It served delicious, authentic Italian food, which he preferred.
This time, he decided to go to the back and test things out from there. He knocked on the back entrance, and the head chef came out. “Yes?” he asked.
“Can I have a meal here? I have money to pay,” Mr. Santiago said.
The boss replied, “Give me a second,” and closed the door. Mr. Santiago was convinced that the boss was going to summon the manager and possibly a security guard to drive him away. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. The boss opened the door and let him in.
“Thank you. What is your name?” Mr. Santiago asked.
“My name is Benjamin Flynn. I’m the head chef here,” Benjamin replied. He led Mr. Santiago to a table near the kitchen. It was a private part of the restaurant and could not be accessed. The old man thanked him as he sat down.
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They treated him like a king, and when Mr. Santiago asked for the bill, the chef said he had already paid. “Why do such a thing? I said I had money,” Mr. Santiago declared, pretending to be angry when, in fact, he was satisfied.
“Sir, I know you’ve probably been saving up for a long time to eat here. The food is fantastic, but some of the prices are a little too high in my opinion. You should save that money,” Chef Flynn explained.
“You know many other restaurants didn’t let me in. Why did you do that?” Mr. Santiago asked.
“Ah, that’s terrible. I mean, if you have money, you should be able to go anywhere. I let you in because I know what it’s like to be in your situation. I was homeless for a long time until a kind man offered me a job years ago. He trained me to be a chef,” Chef Flynn explained.
“And now you’re here. I heard this is one of the best places in town,” added Mr. Santiago, eager to know more.
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“Yes, that’s true. It’s also the ideal profession. I admire the restaurateur who created it. I intend to one day open my own establishment, which will welcome everyone, rich or poor. But for now, it’s very good,” affirmed Chef Flynn.
Mr. Santiago was surprised that Chief Flynn didn’t recognize him, but it must have been because of his homeless disguise. “Thank you, young man. You’ve given me a lot to think about,” he said to the chief. Then Mr. Santiago stood up, left several bills on the table, and walked away.
Meanwhile, Chef Flynn greeted the elderly man and continued working. “Chef, the man left $1,000 on the table,” said one of his waitresses, Wendy.
“What? That’s impossible,” Chief Flynn said, frowning. After Wendy gave him the money, he went out and tried to find the homeless man, to no avail. He then decided to divide the money among his employees.
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A few months later, he learned of Mr. Carter Santiago’s death and was surprised to see his photo on television. A week later, he received an even greater shock when Mr. Santiago’s lawyer contacted him.
The old man left him everything, including a short handwritten letter explaining his homeless disguise and why he chose Chief Flynn as his heir.
The letter ends with: “I hope you’re up to the challenge of being the city’s most important restaurateur. Your cooking is good, but now comes the hard part. Good luck!”
What can we learn from this story?
- Everyone deserves respect. While most restaurants retain the right to refuse service, there’s no need to treat people like they’re inferior.
- Good things come to those who deserve them. Mr. Santiago worked hard to become wealthy, and he saw that Chief Flynn had the same spirit, unlike some of his other employees.
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