The Day a Denny's employee called me rich

 Hello, this is Daisy, Dr. Omofolarin Osibodu’s personal assistant.

Dr. Osibodu asked me to revise and polish the story he shared about his recent visit to Denny’s, keeping his voice intact while refining the grammar and structure. Below is his account, organized and slightly rephrased to ensure clarity and flow:

Folarin Osibodu speaking/ writing

The other day, I went to meet a client, and on my way, I decided to stop at Denny’s. Now, Denny’s, for those who don’t know, is an iconic American breakfast restaurant that makes some of the fluffiest pancakes and the best breakfast around. They know the quality of what they offer—it’s fair pricing, but definitely not cheap.

It was around 4:30 in the morning, and wanting to be efficient with my time, I called ahead to place my order. I greeted the person on the phone politely, as I usually do, and explained that I was only 10 minutes away (thank you, Google Maps). I might’ve even mentioned my Tesla map, but honestly, I don’t remember every detail of that conversation. The person on the line, a young lady, said my voice was cracking. Now, I could hear myself clearly, but maybe it was because it was so early, or maybe my Tesla microphone was acting up. I’ve actually reported this issue to the Tesla service center because I think my voice commands aren’t being properly transcribed, so it could have been my mic. Or, it’s possible it was her phone.

Another possibility is that my accent played a role. People often need a few seconds to adjust when hearing a new accent, whether it’s African, Greek, South Asian, or Latino. I’ve studied the brain enough to know that processing a new accent can cause a slight delay in understanding. Whatever the case, there was a minor miscommunication.

When I arrived at Denny’s, I saw the young lady through the door. She looked about 22 or 23—friendly and approachable. I explained that I only had 10–15 minutes and asked which menu items could be prepared quickly. We settled on mozzarella sticks, which was fine for the time I had.

At some point during our interaction, Tesla came up. I think I mentioned it while describing my map earlier, and later, I pointed out my car parked outside. I didn’t bring it up to brag; it was just part of the conversation. I even clarified to her, “I’m not rich or anything; I just have the car.”

She smiled and responded, “If you have a Tesla, you are rich.”

I’ll never forget those words. It gave me a sense of comfort—a reminder that, at 40/41 years old, I’ve reached a certain milestone. While I wouldn’t yet call myself wealthy (wealth is a step beyond richness), it felt reassuring to hear someone acknowledge this.

I think we, as a society, should normalize praising others when they’ve achieved something. I come from a demographic where criticism happens 90% of the time, and praise maybe 5%. That’s a math problem we need to fix. Encouragement is important, and words like hers that day stuck with me.

That’s my story. I appreciate moments like these that remind me of the progress I’ve made.

Thank you for taking the time to read this account. I hope this captures Dr. Osibodu’s voice while presenting his thoughts in a polished and engaging way.

Warm regards,

Daisy