How a Nickel in Portugal Taught Me Everything About Customer Service

When I started Geared Up Youth, I had one mission: equip the next generation with the practical life skills schools rarely teach — communication, confidence, professionalism, and the kind of decision-making that shapes futures. What I didn’t expect was how often everyday life hands us perfect teachable moments. Sometimes they show up in boardrooms.

And sometimes… in a fast-food restaurant in Portugal.

Yes, really.

I just took a trip to Portugal. When I arrived, I found myself at a Burger King in Lisbon (hey, they have gluten-free buns in Europe, and I was hungry - don’t judge!) I ordered, waited for my number, and walked to the counter as my tray was set out neatly for dine-in.

Only problem? I needed it to go.

So I smiled and asked, “Could I get this to go instead?”

The employee didn’t blink. He simply replied, “That’ll be 5 cents for the bag.”

Five. Cents.

I was stunned. Not angry — just caught off guard. There was no context, no explanation, no “Sorry about that,” no attempt to problem-solve. Just a price tag on a bag. I dug a coin out of my pocket, slid it across the counter, and left with my meal and a lesson I didn’t expect to get from a fast-food register.

It wasn’t the nickel that mattered. It was the moment.

That’s when it hit me: in customer service, the smallest gestures — positive or negative — leave the deepest marks. And those marks linger long after the interaction ends.

Here’s what that 5-cent moment reminded me of:

Small Gestures Speak the Loudest

Great customer service rarely comes from grand gestures. It comes from the tiny ones — the smile, the empathy, the “let me fix that for you.” A simple, “Of course! Let me grab you a bag,” would have transformed the moment.

Instead, a transactional response made the entire experience feel colder than it needed to be.

Policies Don’t Build Loyalty — People Do

Every business has rules. Even global brands have structures and fees. But customers remember how policies are communicated far more than the policies themselves.

A 5-cent bag didn’t frustrate me.
An unthoughtful delivery did.

Empathy is free — and it pays better than any fee a company could charge.

Customer Service Is Part of Your Brand

At Geared Up Youth, we teach teens that your personal brand forms one interaction at a time. Companies are no different. A brand isn’t built in the marketing department; it’s built at the counter, over the phone, in the everyday moments no one plans but everyone remembers.

In Portugal that day, a global brand became a very human experience — for better or for worse.

One Moment Can Earn — or Lose — a Lifetime CUSTOMER

Think about the businesses you trust most. Often, there was a moment when they went above and beyond. And think about the ones you avoid. Usually, there was a moment there too.

Those moments matter.

Because in a world full of options, people don’t stay loyal to companies — they stay loyal to how companies make them feel.

The Takeaway: Treat Every Interaction Like It Matters

Because it does.
Whether you’re a teen entering the workforce, a manager training a team, or a company building your reputation, the principle holds true:

Serve first. Care always. And never underestimate the power of a small gesture.

Sometimes it’s not about the 5 cents.
Sometimes it’s about what the 5 cents represents.

Austin Walker
Founder of Geared Up Youth