18 Ottobre - Let's Make A Deal

Morning phone call to my room before breakfast. The restaurant we use for lunch after touring Pompeii is out of commission for a few days due to a water main problem. It's closed for three or four days. I will need to make arrangements for another place for lunch tomorrow. The problem is that there aren't a whole lot of places in Herculaneum to eat. If we have a quick snack before heading back to Rome, I could arrange to have a late lunch if a place was willing to stay open. Just use the corporate card. I had the perfect idea, but would need to wait a few hours to call when a manager would be in at the location I am thinking of.

In the meantime, off to get ourselves coachsick on the Amalfi Coast!

I was able to get in contact with the owner of the restaurant in Rome that I wanted to bring my group to. This is where my Italian lessons paid off – I discussed business! He was very patient as I explained I wasn't fluent, but if we talked slowly I could understand everything. He laughed and said he would go slow for me even though that is difficult for a Roman, they are motormouths! I proposed bringing my group of 27, including Ettore and myself, in at 3PM tomorrow, just at the tail end of their lunch seatings. I could pay in cash at an agreed price. We would not have hot dishes that the chef would have to prepare on spec, but have their series of appetizers, wine and water. Could he accommodate us and give us a nice group rate? I would prefer to run the credit card, but know that proprietors get stuck with transaction fees, so if we agree on a flat rate I can get cash from a machine with the corporate card. We're also more likely to get a much better deal with cash if he went for it. The joys of cards with no limits – whoo!

He went for it. And this is how I brokered a deal with L'Orso 80 for lunch. I am so pleased with my skills; it is actually a better rate than the place in Herculaneum. Better food too, and a more unique experience. Called Frank and let him know of the changes, he congratulated me for my problem solving, and I made a mental note to send an email to the home office, to give them advance notice of the cash withdrawal on the card. There will be receipts following, but it's required to let them know of any changes (and why) when we don't eat at the contracted places where billing is already set up. I crossed my fingers that this would go off without a hitch tomorrow.