Opportunity Knocks
Great opportunities are rare in business and life. When they present themselves, they must be capitalized on — swiftly, strategically and successfully.
As the foodservice industry evolves, operators are forced to alter the way they do business. For example, in these health-conscious days many new consumers gravitate to healthier food items, compelling operators to develop new product lines, eliminate high-fat ingredients and introduce smaller portions.
This has enabled the industry to become increasingly diverse, more relevant to today’s consumers and, as a result, infinitely more dynamic. And that’s a good thing. But on the flipside, too many operators seem to be paying lip service to trends by jumping on bandwagons and introducing menu items — often without doing the requisite homework. Marketing mavens, take note: there are products that should never make it to the menu boards of major chains.
That reality recently surfaced while I was taking care of a few errands at the mall. Feeling hungry, and with little time on my hands, I dropped into a fast-food restaurant to see what was available. Rather than buying the usual burger and fries, I wanted to eat lighter, so I opted for a veggie burger. In addition to satisfying my hunger, I assumed it would also let me see how this particular chain handled vegetarian options
Unfortunately, after just a few bites I had to throw it out. Not only was the veggie burger tasteless, it was spongy and gummy. And in these days of customized gourmet toppings, the leafless chunk of iceberg that came with it was disgraceful.
Putting aside my perspective as editor and publisher of a national foodservice magazine, and looking at it purely from the eyes of a consumer, I left the restaurant frustrated at wasting my time and money (the veggie burger was just as expensive as the meat burger) on a product that should never have made it on to the menu.
Even more troubling, I walked away pondering how a company with a large product-development budget and significant quality-assurance programs could have promoted such an underwhelming product. Did it truly believe in its quality or was it pressured to jump on the nutrition bandwagon, afraid to lose an opportunity to appeal to the health conscious? Did it blithely think consumers opting for vegetarian fare wouldn’t be as demanding as those buying regular burgers? Or maybe the most important question is: Are today’s consumers so anesthetized by lacklustre and mediocre offerings that they put up with substandard fare, thereby keeping such products alive?
Some might suggest this particular location was just having an off day. But consumers don’t really care about that. Nor will they always give a restaurant a second chance to succeed. Sometimes the opportunity to wow your customer comes along just once.