UFC 217 took place in Madison Square Gardens in early November 2017. The main event featured Canadian, Georges St. Pierre or GSP, competing against British MMA legend, Michael Bisping. It had been promoted as a contender for fight of the year. Even earmarked as fight of the decade by some pundits. Both fighters had been absent from the sport for a while. Bisping hadn’t fought in just over a year. For St. Pierre, it had been four years. St. Pierre was debuting at a higher weight class. Both were no longer young men and had decades of top-level fighting experience between them and several title belts. Five time zones to the West, we took in this event in an entirely different world.
Long before the lights lit up for the main event in New York, we had enjoyed watching the sun go down through the open-air windows of our family’s favorite sports bar. Kalapaki Joe’s bills itself as the Westernmost Sports Bar in the US. It’s located on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. It’s no Five Star, Michelin rated restaurant, but it has consistently served us first class memories over a number of family vacations. It was nothing more than a nice coincidence that our holiday brought us to Kauai while this fight was scheduled. Kalapaki Joe’s sits about 50 metres inland from the soft sandy shores of Kauai’s south known as the sunny side of the island. It, nonetheless, receives plenty of rain and the outside of the building shows the effects of weather wearing down the siding. The inside is typical sports bar; a series of TVs strung to the walls strategically set amongst several tables and chairs. Its magic is in the open windows surrounding two sides of the bar’s perimeter. The sounds of patrons cheering for their favorite team filters through the gardens outside and can be heard by those walking to and from the beach. The sounds, like the smells from the kitchen, draw passersby to come be part of the fun. It doesn’t hurt that Happy Hour starts at 3pm.
Where we know that we’re planning on enjoying an evening catching a sport event at Kalapaki Joe’s our day is planned around it. Particularly, from a meal planning perspective. We will work to minimize our food intake during the day as we recognize we’ll be eating to excess later. We’ve also been around the block enough to realize that if we aren’t at our table early in the afternoon it will be tough to get one as the evening picks up. Pay Per Views like the UFC are a big draw for bars like Kalapaki Joe’s. Arriving around 4pm, we were prepared to put in a four-to-five-hour shift. As we settle into our table, we survey the menu strategically. A consensus is sought where we gravitate towards being grazers. We eschew entrees and migrate to appetizers. A plan is developed where we commit to a series of courses. Our goal isn’t to sit at the table and hold it for the evening. We will do our part to consume and “earn” our seats. We pace our consumption of food and drink so that we can both sustain and enjoy it. We’ve been to the restaurant enough times that we know a few of the servers. On this evening, Cecilia was kind enough to take care of us.
What are some of your memorable moments in life to date? Do you remember some of these based on where and how you celebrated an event? Are restaurants part of your recollection? Many of our memorable moments are observed over a meal. The meals may be more meaningful based on where they occur. Restaurants are a big part of our lives. There’s even a chain named after the value they offer. Milestones may be a place where you’ve celebrated a milestone event in your life. Significant accomplishments like high school graduations, University convocations, church confirmations, birthdays, anniversaries, and more are reinforced at restaurants. We break bread with the people we care most about in a restaurant that we’re excited to enjoy. The meal is an accent on our achievement.
Consider the answer to the question “Where were you when __(insert big event in your life)__?” For birthdays, graduations, church confirmations, anniversaries, new jobs, vacations, sporting events, and more, a bit part of our memory of them often involves a restaurant of some kind. In many instances, they are serving memories more so than meals. Restaurants are a formative part of our life experiences. We remember events in the context of where we were and with whom we celebrated.
Last week’s note revisited the number one rule of business which is to create value for customers. In a past article we wrote about the three variables of golf courses: setting, layout, and service. These three variables offer areas of focus for golf courses to address to add value to their customer experiences.
Restaurants, too, are in the service business. They exist to feed and entertain customers. Their product consists of four variables: setting, chef (culinary capability), service, and circumstance. These components will mean different things to different people. The beauty is that all business decisions revolve around these areas. They afford focus.
Operations in a restaurant involve these core areas: setting, chef, and service. These are the essential elements of a dining experience. One of these may appeal more to one group of customers than another. The setting includes where the restaurant is located. Is it in a fancy part of town? What does the building look like? How is the interior laid out? Is there good lighting? Is the furniture high end? Has it recently been renovated? What is the character inside? Are there views? How spaced apart are the tables? Is there music? Can people hear themselves talk with their own guests? The setting involves many things, again, some which will appeal more to one type of customer than another. The chef would involve the menu as well as food and drink quality. Are we at a truck stop or a five-star Michelin rated restaurant in downtown New York? Finally, we have service. This covers most of the contact customers have with staff of a restaurant. From valet parking, should it be available, to hostess, to server, to bus boys, service covers the full range. Each area is very detailed and important. Each is appealing to a different customer set. The combination of these three operational variables is the heart of a restaurant’s success. Can they mesh in a way that appeals to the target market? It is a constant and delicate dance between these three areas to focus outwards on customers as opposed to bickering between each group arguing about who is contributing more.
An orchestra at its best is a seamless integration of different groups of instruments. So, too, with restaurants. The best restaurants conduct a beautiful balance between kitchen, service, and setting. These three elements when woven together present a tapestry of taste that both appeases the appetite and deepens the delight of diners.
Reflecting on personal experiences, of the three restaurant elements, setting would be the most memorable, followed by food, then service. Perhaps, the combination is different for you? It’s certainly not universal, but on balance, the setting seems to set the tone for the experience. We ground our memories in where, who, and why. The why and the who are foremost what we remember. We’re celebrating something with someone somewhere.
It’s true that circumstance is what guests are bringing to the table. However, restaurants may position themselves to be more welcoming for specific circumstances. Some may specialize to accommodate diners keen on celebrating formal occasions. Some may set up for casual diners. Some may do so to bring in fans for a sporting event. Others may do so for convenience or to accommodate seekers of a cultural experience. By considering the circumstances for which diners may be showing up at a restaurant, the restaurant is thinking about who they are trying to target and which appetites to attract.
A restaurant’s trifecta of value for customers are its setting, chef, and service. Just like golf courses can develop strategy around setting, layout, and service, restaurants can use its trifecta for developing their own appeal and developing business strategy.
Consider applying the idea of a talent trifecta from restaurants and golf courses to insurance? Can you craft a triple threat or talent trifecta for your insurance brokerage? What are three core pieces of your product that can drive your focus to deliver value to your insureds?
Choice. Coverage. Cost. As an example?
How about: Personalized. Protection. Prioritized.
Or, Personalized. Protection. Price.
Trying the tactic of developing a talent trifecta for your business is a great way to develop an external focus looking to create value for your customers.
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