“Consistently, Consistent”
If you were to ask the people that know me best to describe me, I believe one of their descriptive words would be “honest.” And to keep with their sentiment, I have to be honest with you: I really did not have the drive to write this posting.
I mean, just coming off a really good culinary vacation and facing a nightmare of a blizzard, this post was the last thing I wanted to work on. But what would that say about me or the group I represent? Tara and I made a decision to post an original thought every two weeks, and if we are not consistent, what are we?
Consistent. What a powerful word. Maybe a word that is overlooked. Maybe it is what most of us are missing. Whether it is in our personal life, health, or in reaching our professional goals, we need to be consistent.
Now, I am not going to try to channel my inner Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz to get your personal or medical affairs in order, but I will put on my chef jacket and try to shed some light on why the lines out your door aren’t as long as they used to be.
To do this, I need you to do something for me. I need you to imagine a couple of things.
First, I would like for you to imagine the best meal you have ever had outside your house. Try to recall everything from the plating to the texture and, of course, the taste. If you are like me, a smile just came across your face. You may even be salivating. Okay, maybe that’s more of a me thing. How often do you go back there for that one special meal? For me, I go back more often in my mind than in person.
Now I want you to think about the restaurant you go to most. When you go there, do you usually have the same meal, or do you go out on a limb and try something different every time? I think most people go back for the same meal. There is just something about it that makes us feel comfortable. It always hits just right.
I bet this restaurant is also the one you recommend most. I also bet that this restaurant isn’t the one where you had your “best meal ever.”
Why is that?
It is because, no matter what the day is or how busy it is, it is always the same. The chicken is cooked just right. The fries are right out of the fryer and are crispy. No matter what the circumstance is, your go-to meal is always on point.
Our go-to restaurants might not serve us the greatest meal we ever had, but it always tastes and feels the same. We become accustomed to the consistency. It is like a warm blanket on a cold night; it makes us comfortable.
Now let’s think about that restaurant we used to go to, our regular spot that we dumped like my high school crush did to me (that’s a Dr. Phil episode).
Why don’t we go there anymore?
Simple things changed. The portions got smaller. Maybe we got a bad meal, or a couple of “this is not the same steak tips” thoughts crossed our mind. Or it could be that our go-to meal is only good on certain nights.
When circumstances change, we need to adapt, not change. Our customers expect one thing from us: for us (front and back of the house) to recreate what it is that brought them back in the first place. And if we cannot, for some reason, consistently recreate that experience, then WE MUST first evaluate why, then make the appropriate changes to get back to what our customers expect.
Most nights, when we go out for dinner, we go out for that familiar feeling of knowing what we are getting. Customers return to our restaurants again and again, not simply for the best meal they ever had, but for the most consistent meal they get. When customers are repeatedly disappointed, they simply stop coming back. In the restaurant business, consistency is essential to continued customer loyalty and to long term success.
If you would like to go into this topic a little deeper, or if you have anything on your mind, please reach out.
Until next time.
