Every week at Realwired, we share one of our core values internally. Last week’s value was: “Go the extra mile.” Here’s what came to mind for me.
A few years ago, I was at a restaurant in Charleston known for incredible service. My friends and I sat staring at the menu, unable to decide what to order. The waiter walked over, smiled and said:
“You guys are struggling to choose. I’m picking dinner for everyone tonight. Don’t worry. I won’t order the most expensive things. It’ll be amazing.”
And it was.
As the food started arriving, one of my friends mentioned he had a chicken allergy . A rare one. The waiter immediately grabbed the oysters sitting in front of him and said:
“Stop! These were made with chicken stock.”
He disappeared for about ten minutes, then returned with a fresh plate of raw oysters.
“These are safe. No chicken stock.”
We asked where he found oysters like that since they weren’t even on the menu. He told us he had run down the street to another restaurant to get them.
That’s going the extra mile.
The next night, we ate at a different restaurant. An appetizer arrived and my friend asked the waitress if it contained chicken.
“I don’t think so,” she said uncertainly.
Wanting to be safe, my friend asked to speak with the chef directly. The chef confidently assured him there was no chicken in the dish.
Ten minutes later, my friend got sick.
There was chicken in it and we left the restaurant.
Two restaurants. Same town. Very different outcomes.
One restaurant took ownership, paid attention to the details and went above and beyond to create a great experience.
The other gave assumptions instead of certainty.
The idea applies far beyond restaurants. In our industry, going the extra mile often shows up in smaller, less visible moments.
For fee appraisers, maybe it’s adding value beyond the minimum requirements, communicating proactively with clients, or maintaining professionalism during reviewer pushback.
For chief appraisers, it might mean coaching instead of simply correcting, protecting quality under pressure and being available when the stakes are high.
Regardless of role or title, the goal is the same: take ownership, pay attention to the details and care enough to go the extra mile.
We should all strive to be that first restaurant.