Comments on: Don’t give your customers what you want http://blog.bodellconsulting.com/2008/05/02/dont-give-your-customers-what-you-want/ This is a blog intended to help restaurant and food service owners and managers build better businesses. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:04:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Creating a manageable menu « O’Dell Restaurant Consulting’s Weblog http://blog.bodellconsulting.com/2008/05/02/dont-give-your-customers-what-you-want/#comment-146 Fri, 02 May 2008 09:14:42 +0000 http://bodellconsulting.wordpress.com/?p=41#comment-146 [...] Rates ← Don’t give your customers what you want [...]

]]> By: bodellconsulting http://blog.bodellconsulting.com/2008/05/02/dont-give-your-customers-what-you-want/#comment-145 Fri, 02 May 2008 08:15:41 +0000 http://bodellconsulting.wordpress.com/?p=41#comment-145 Great story Kevin. Exactly what I’m talking about. Thank you for helping me illustrate my point.

]]> By: Kevin http://blog.bodellconsulting.com/2008/05/02/dont-give-your-customers-what-you-want/#comment-144 Fri, 02 May 2008 07:01:16 +0000 http://bodellconsulting.wordpress.com/?p=41#comment-144 Hafa Adai Bandon,

I learned this from a customer about ten years ago.

To make the story short, I was running a quick service independent with a captured audience which means the same people every day buying breakfast and lunch.

Here on Guam, Spam is a bigger seller than in Hawaii per capita. One day a fairly attractive lady, a regular customer in her 30′s who is a judge, asked why I do not have spam on the menu and the conversation went like this:

Lady: “So. Kevin, why don’t you have spam on the menu, we love it!”

Me: “Oh I hate spam, won’t even feed it to my kids. If I won’t eat it I won’t serve it”

Lady: “Well, Kevin, I personally don’t give a F@#$ what you eat or even your kids for that matter. I want you to sell me some spam for breakfast.”

Me: “You’re absolutely right! I will buy your breakfast in the morning”

The next day I had Spam, bought her breakfast and spam went on to be the biggest seller on the menu.

I agree with you 100%. It’s not about you and your ego at all. It’s about being humble enough to sell your customers what they want. Whether you like it or not, does not matter.

Great article to remind us who we are really supposed to please.

Kevin Dietrichs
Guam Community College
Chef Instructor
Chef/Owner
Dinner for Two Catering

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