The Best Chili In Town

There were two brothers: Jared and Joshua. They owned a restaurant in the town of Squire's Pond called J and J Chili Shack. Their main dish was, you guessed it, chili. They dubbed it "the best chili in town." For a while, it seemed true. There was always a huge line of people every day, hankering for a bowl of chili. The two brothers had so many customers that they had to hire a staff. Even with the staff, Jared and Joshua profited a sum that was large enough to make them well-off.

Things were going very well for the brothers until one day. Joshua noticed that they were losing money by each week and could not imagine why. The prices for the products remained the same, and the workers only made minimum wage with a 4% raise each year. One day, it dawned on him; some of the regular customers stopped coming. Joshua talked about it with his brother.

"Why do you think they have stopped coming?" he asked. "The economy is the same as it was when we opened, and I know they still have their jobs."

"I'll handle it," Jared said smugly.

"What are you going to do?" asked Joshua.

"Just trust me," said Jared.

The next day, after work, Jared decided to drop in on the missing regulars. First, he went to Carl's house.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Carl," said Jared as Carl opened the door. "Why haven't you come over for some chili lately? We miss you."

"Sorry I haven't been by," answered Carl. "I have been trying out this new place across town called Chili Heaven, and they are really good! I'm sorry, but THEIRS is the best chili in town. But you and Josh have so many customers already. You shouldn't miss me." Suddenly, Jared's face turned red with anger.

"So, you went to another chili place, huh? How could you? I thought you were loyal!"

"But Jared..."

"Drop dead, traitor!" yelled Jared, turning to leave.

Jared then went to other regulars who stopped coming in for chili. They all told him that they have been going to Chili Heaven across town, and Jared responded by yelling and cursing at them. He even pulled out one of Mariah's begonias.

After he visited all of the regulars, Jared was so angry that he felt he needed to teach the owners of Chili Heaven a lesson. He went back to his restaurant (Joshua and the workers already went home) and grabbed two crates of rotten tomatoes that were meant to be thrown out. He then drove to Chili Heaven (they were closed), brought the crates from his car, and walked around the restaurant, throwing the tomatoes at the windows. He made a tragically gigantic mess. Someone saw him and called the police. Like clockwork, the police came and saw him in action. He was promptly arrested.

In the morning, Joshua went to bail out his brother. When he learned how Jared treated the customers, he took the list from him and told him to go home and think about what he had done. He went to all of the regulars, apologized for what his brother had done, and paid to replace Mariah's begonia. He then asked WHY they stopped coming to J and J Chili Shack. These were the responses:

"I'm a vegetarian now, and all of your chili has meat."

"Frankly, your chili has too many beans. It was fine when your's was the only chili place in town, but when Chili Heaven opened, I got curious. Chili Heaven has an even blend of meat and beans."

"I like chili, but I don't like beans, and all of your chili has beans in it. Before Chili Heaven opened, I always had to strain out the beans."

"While your three-alarm chili is supposed to be the hottest one you have, it is not hot enough for me. I like to feel as if I ate a red coal or something."

"I had no problem until you started that rule where there is a thirty minute seating limit at your tables. I like to enjoy my meal and talk to my friends and family without feeling rushed."

Joshua thanked them for their input and went away with many ideas. With Jared's guilt-driven cooperation, the two brothers made some great changes for J and J Chili Shack. The first thing they did was add tables and chairs to the outside of the restaurant and eliminate the thirty minute limit. They then added more variety to their menu. Not only did they add a vegetarian option, but they also added fewer beans to each chili dish,  a bean-less option, and a four alarm chili, which included the hottest chili peppers in the world. For added oomph, they started serving chili cheese dogs, chili burgers, and turkey chili. As a result, J and J Chili Shack offered more variety than Chili Heaven. Most of the regular customers came back, and those who did not were quickly replaced by new customers who became regulars.

So, children, what is the moral of the story?