TRC Minute Competition

Hey, Donald Burns with a restaurant coach minute. Do you have competition? You shouldn't, if you look at the first part of the word competition, basically compete. Okay? Now if your goal is to compete, then you need a better goal. It's easy to get sucked into the competition game. Here's a great example. A small locally owned burger concept been in town, has been doing great for years. Then a Mexican restaurant opens up next door. And of course, it takes some of their business as people want to check out, you know, the new place. The owners of the burger restaurant decide that they're going to kind of compete. And then they add breakfast burritos and then they add nachos, then they add tacos. Now, business gets a little bump every time they do one of these stunts. However, if you really look under the surface as a type of people coming in, there's an increase in maybe first time guests, yet there's a big drop in the regulars. And when you ask the regulars, they kind of say that the restaurant's really changed and they're not sure anymore about who they are. See, when you dilute your brand, you kind of send a mixed message and that will actually alienate the loyal guest for the short term fix of a new guest. One thing you never want to do is to confuse people about your brand identity. That's the last thing you want to do. You want to be confident in your brand and what you are great at. Market that. Preach that. Celebrate what makes you and your restaurant stand out in your market. Answer this question, why do I drive to your restaurant? The answer has to be more than food, has to be more than service, has to be more than price. When you find that answer, you will be on your path to becoming outstanding.