By design

At an unfamiliar restaurant with a crowded bar, we had to ask a server, “Excuse me. Where’s the restroom?” (We hadn’t found it on our own.)

“Oh, it’s easy to miss. Go around the corner and you’ll see kind of a secret hallway. It’s there.”

We later learned: the facilities are unmarked and difficult to locate. The servers had even asked the owner, “Can we please install a sign so that people can find the bathroom?”

The answer: “No. This gives customers more opportunities to interact with the staff.”

Understandably, especially on busy nights, neither staff nor customer appreciate the exchange.

* * *

Sometimes what we find to be annoying and frustrating — is actually what someone else had thought would be a good idea.

“By design” is not guaranteed to be a positive outcome for all.