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The Best Tortilla in the World Wasn't Enough — What a Café Taught Me About Energy in Business
A small café on the Costa del Sol taught me that people aren't just buying food, skincare, or coaching, they're buying the feeling that comes with it.
7/21/20263 min read
The Best Tortilla in the World Wasn't Enough
A simple café reminded me of one of life's greatest lessons.
There used to be a small café on the Costa del Sol that I loved recommending to everyone.
It wasn't on a charming square with breathtaking sea views. In fact, it sat beside a busy road. By all accounts, it shouldn't have been anything extraordinary.
Yet every time I went there, I left feeling happy.
They served what I genuinely believed was the best tortilla on the Costa del Sol. But if I'm honest, it wasn't just the food that kept bringing me back.
It was the people.
The Café That Felt Like an Experience
The owners welcomed everyone with genuine smiles. Their staff seemed equally warm, cheerful, and attentive. Whether you ordered a coffee or stayed for lunch, you felt seen. You felt welcome.
Going there wasn't simply about eating. It became an experience.
I recommended this little café to countless friends, not only because the tortilla was incredible, but because I wanted them to feel what I felt there too.
When the Warmth Quietly Disappeared
Then, little by little, something changed.
The owners were there less often, and the familiar faces disappeared. New employees took over, and at first I thought maybe I'd simply visited on an off day. But after several visits, I noticed the same pattern.
The staff rarely smiled. The warm atmosphere that had once made the café so special had quietly gone.
Instead of feeling welcomed, I often felt as though my presence was an inconvenience, an unspoken why are you here? Every time I tried to be extra friendly, I somehow ended up feeling awkward instead. I left feeling like I shouldn't have been there at all.
The Visit That Confirmed It
Recently, I went back with my mother, because I wanted her to taste what I had once called the best tortilla on the Costa del Sol.
Instead, something surprised me.
The tortilla wasn't nearly as memorable as I remembered. My coffee arrived cold. My mother's sangria was so strong she couldn't drink it and we politely asked for more lemonade, and it still wasn't enjoyable. The prices felt high for what we received.
But more than anything, something else was missing.
The warmth. The feeling that someone genuinely cared.
As we walked away, I quietly realised I probably wouldn't come back. Not because of the tortilla. Not because of the coffee. Because the experience no longer felt the same.
Energy Is Invisible, But It Shapes Everything
People often think they're buying food, skincare, coaching, or a product.
In reality, they're buying the experience that comes with it.
Quality matters, of course. But quality alone isn't always enough, the best product in the world can lose its magic when the atmosphere around it changes. A good product combined with genuine warmth becomes something people want to return to, again and again.
This isn't only true for cafés. It's true for businesses, relationships, friendships, families. Every interaction leaves behind a feeling, and that feeling quietly decides whether someone comes back.
The Real Lesson
The best tortilla in the world wasn't enough.
What disappeared wasn't just my excitement for the food, it was the feeling that had made me want to go there in the first place.
Maybe that's the part worth remembering: whatever we create, a meal, a business, a skincare product, or simply a conversation, our energy becomes part of it. And sometimes, that's the part people remember most.
It's the same principle behind everything I make at Chilani, the products, the workshops, the words in The Language of Manifestation. The formula matters, but so does the intention behind it. If that idea resonates, THE LANGUAGE OF MANIFESTATION goes deeper into how the energy we bring into our daily life shapes everything we create around us.