Mar 15 2008
The Business of Delicious
I recently had a fun night out with my wife. Our children were at a much anticipated sleep over at my sister in-laws and we went to the Borgata in Atlantic City. Our evening began with dinner at Bobby Flay Steak, and continued with the fine stand-up comedy of Lewis Black. We were both really looking forward to this long overdue time together. The weekend was fun and we had a great time with Lewis Black, but our dining experience at Bobby Flays was outstanding, and that got me thinking.
Bobby Flay has a marketing machine with his multiple food network shows, and he does not disappoint. Everything from the quality, preparation, and presentation of the food to the service and the décor combines for a world class experience. Bobby’s unique cooking style was prominent and the staff did a good job explaining the menu helping us make perfect selections. There really is a recipe to success and every business can apply it if you take these principles to heart.
The marketing. Yes, I understand not everyone is going to have multiple network TV shows, but your business plan must include a way to reach your target market. In Bobby’s case the food network is perfect to attract Bobby’s target market. It worked like a charm on me… As business owners we should look to identify inexpensive ways to reach our target market. Ads, newspapers and magazines in most cases are overpriced and less effective. A good marketing plan contains high ROI advertising opportunities that enable us to track results. From the results you can make small adjustments in plan along the way to refine and improve it.
The experience. My expectation for Bobby’s restaurant was very high. What made this meal special was that my already high expectation was exceeded. This is where many businesses go wrong. Client experience should not be taken for granted and must be paid attention to. All of our clients have a minimum set of standards they accept from businesses they are patrons of. Complaints and lack of repeat business occur when expectations are not met. When client expectations are exceeded good will, referrals, and people will talk (or blog) about you. This blog post is the direct result of exceeding my expectations. Can you think of a better ad? I wanted to share my fantastic experience with you. Now that is powerful marketing.
As business owners we need to think about our ingredients for success. Are we reaching our target market with our business message? Is our product or service unique? What makes doing business with us special? How do we service clients to create an exceptional experience? Think about the places you like to do business with. Where do you like to shop? Apply the lessons learned to your business and the sky is the limit.
Now if Bobby Flays Steak only served breakfast….
Best wishes.
ourmonmouth.com offers a local list of steak houses.
