Culture of the Restaurant #5

I was left wondering when someone asked “What is the Culture of your Restaurant”.

Culture? 

I can explain taste, hygiene, service, ambience, location, USP, but ..... culture?

Over the next couple of months, with that word at the back of my mind, it slowly dawned on to me the actual meaning. 

When a customer enters the Restaurant does he feel a positive vibration around him? 

How is the staff behaving. Is there an air of artificiality in their expressions or are they really feeling peaceful within. 

Are the customers all around in a vibrant mood or you feel like anyone will pick up a fight with you any moment. 

.... and how is the right culture ensured? 

Well it’s quite easy. 

They say, ‘ as you sow so shall you reap’. 

As a leader, are you ethical? 

Is the staff salary paid in time? 

The vendor payments? 

The Government taxes? 

The raw material that is used for cooking, is it genuine or are you opting for a cheaper option which can harm the customer’s health? 

If the answer to each and every question above is a big ‘YES’, then rest assured that the culture in your Restaurant is also right. 

No force in this world can dethrone you from your citadel. 

Honesty, humbleness and all such values are going to add on your strength. 

All said and done, 

having the right location, 

providing the top service, Hygiene, service,

a top USP, 

and a beautiful ambience, 

will still not ensure your super success in this field. 

The only anchor is ‘Culture’. 

Be Ethical, be Human!

What is your Unique Selling Point. #3

The heart of a Restaurant is its Unique Selling Point .... USP. 

Have you identified your USP? 

Is it an item? 

Is it your Location?

..... your interiors, music you play, or anything else? 

Recently, in Pune, a Tea vendor has been making waves with his simple tea, costing ₹10/-. He sells nothing else, only and only hot and fresh Tea. 

A Wada-Pav seller has the same experience at a Garden in Pune. 

A Hill-Top Restaurant can be the attraction for many........ it’s location matters. 

Another might be situated amidst a lake with water all around. 

Somebody had this unique idea of a Restaurant inside a Bus.

A USP of a special dish for every month.... can very well be the reason for customers to come to you every month. 

I know of a Bar where people flock in only because the Restaurant specialises in playing Kishore Kumar songs! Getting drunk and Kishore’s sad songs have an unbreakable tie. 

I had once visited a Resort in Velavadar,  Gujarat, which is famous for the animal ‘Blackbuck’. Naturally this Restaurant situated in the jungles has ‘Blackbuck’ as it’s USP. Each and every item inside this resort had  the theme of Blackbuck in it. Even the towel holder inside its Washroom had the shape of a Blackbuck with the hooks designed in the form of the horns of a Blackbuck.

Once your USP is set it becomes easy for deciding a lot of things. Theme of the Restaurant becomes clear. 

The Menu options decisions are driven by this factor. 

The Marketing of the Restaurant now revolves around the USP. 

Hence, ...... the heart of a Restaurant.... it’s USP!