Editor,

As my friend and I enjoyed a leisurely coffee today outside the Backhaus bakery on Third Avenue, we noticed an older gentleman scrutinizing the parking pay station for quite some time. A woman with a toddler on her arm came out of the bakery and started to cross the street when she stopped to ask if he needed help. He said that his credit card was stuck in the slot. She checked the machine for the help number. When he said he didn't have a phone with him, she pulled out her phone and reported that someone would be there in five minutes. She gestured to the table next to us and offered to get him a cup of coffee while he waited. The woman then explained that she was the owner of the bakery and repeated the offer of coffee. Her genuine kindness made us proud that she chose San Mateo for her bakery. The irresistible breads are another story.

Recommended for you

(4) comments

Eaadams

Need to go spend some money there asap.

Tafhdyd

Eaadams,

I agree, I have stopped by on occasion for a cup. I will try to get by more often. BTW, I also have had issues with the new parking pay machines and have made my complaints known to the city.

Terence Y

Ms. Hays – thank you for taking the time to write and submit your letter. A welcome change of pace to the usual fare we see on the Opinion page.

Tommy Tee

Great LTE. Backhaus also has the greatest bread around!

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.

Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal.

Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!

Want to join the discussion?

Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.

Already a subscriber? Login Here