Our restaurant is located right outside of a flourishing mall. There are hundreds of popular retail stores around us in every direction as well. Suffice it to say, we were expecting a very busy Black Friday.
During the week prior to Thanksgiving, we spent hours planning for this day…it was surely going to be like a second grand opening! We carefully planned every detail, coached the team, and prepared for almost every possible scenario. ALMOST every scenario. Unfortunately, one of the only things we failed to plan for was the second slowest Friday since our store opened! The area around us was actually TOO busy. All of the roads, including the mall access road that our entrance is located off of, were complete gridlock. Nobody was even considering entering our parking lot because it was sure to add 20-30 minutes to their drive.
What made Black Friday such a great day is how the leaders and the team responded to the initial disappointment. We decided that with all of the resources at our disposal, we were going to bring our delicious food to all of the people! We put sandwiches in TMS bags and handed them out to all of the cars stuck in traffic!
The response was incredible. Roughly 75% of the people we gave sandwiches to had never had Chick-fil-A, and a large number did not even know where we were located! (this was literally 100 feet from our building) Rather than being complacent and let down, we made the most of what we had. I am proud of the way we handled our disappointing day – the attitude our team showed was admirable and productive.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Taking a Step Back
This was a week of reflection.
All of the leaders were able to take a day off this week…for three of us, it was our first off day since the store opened (not counting Sundays of course)! That was 54 days without an off day! (quick side note: this stretch showed me the value of Truett's decision to make Sunday a day of rest for Chick-fil-A...those built in off days improved our performance dramatically.)
I really learned the value of intentionally taking time off. We were able to recharge, refocus, reflect on our experiences, and make improvements. It was fascinating to see each of us come back after we had a day to regroup. We each had new ideas, new perspectives, and a new approach to the business!
We also had a team meeting this week with the entire Front of House team. This meeting served two main purposes: to reflect back on what we had accomplished together and to refine ourselves to focus on what we are capable of accomplishing in the near future. It was so encouraging to see the energy that the team had during the meeting. Our team already possesses a cohesion that often takes other groups YEARS to attain.
I believe that there is incredible value in intentionally and strategically stepping back and reflecting on the business.
All of the leaders were able to take a day off this week…for three of us, it was our first off day since the store opened (not counting Sundays of course)! That was 54 days without an off day! (quick side note: this stretch showed me the value of Truett's decision to make Sunday a day of rest for Chick-fil-A...those built in off days improved our performance dramatically.)
I really learned the value of intentionally taking time off. We were able to recharge, refocus, reflect on our experiences, and make improvements. It was fascinating to see each of us come back after we had a day to regroup. We each had new ideas, new perspectives, and a new approach to the business!
We also had a team meeting this week with the entire Front of House team. This meeting served two main purposes: to reflect back on what we had accomplished together and to refine ourselves to focus on what we are capable of accomplishing in the near future. It was so encouraging to see the energy that the team had during the meeting. Our team already possesses a cohesion that often takes other groups YEARS to attain.
I believe that there is incredible value in intentionally and strategically stepping back and reflecting on the business.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Fear and The Jeweler (A Tale of Failure and Missed Opportunities)
So as you may have gathered already from my previous posts, we have been extremely busy the past couple of months. Naturally, the traffic at our restaurant has been heavy, especially during our peak lunch and dinner rushes. As a result of this, our neighbor next door (a jewelry store) has become increasingly difficult to deal with, prompting us to go under construction yet again to resolve some of the traffic issues that he believes are threatening his business. It has become clear that he would be happier had we never opened.
Now think about that last sentence for a moment. This “businessman” would prefer to have an abandoned Smoky Bones restaurant next door than a flourishing Chick-fil-A. This caused me to wonder the obvious question….why?
The answer, I believe, is fear. With the 4th quarter approaching, the Jeweler is fearful that our business is going to have a negative impact on his. He is afraid because something different is taking place. Fear has caused this man to go into survival mode. He is determined to get things back to the way they have always been.
As a businessman he should be looking for a way to turn this into an opportunity. There are hundreds of ways that a Jeweler could partner with a restaurant so that both parties win. I mean, he has a captive audience (our guests waiting in line) right outside of his door! There are hundreds of ways he could use this as an incredible marketing opportunity. He could use this as an opportunity to capture an entirely new customer base! Just think of the possibilities…his business could double!
Unfortunately for all parties involved, the Jeweler has decided to let his fear get the best of him. His lack of ingenuity or creativity coupled with his crippling fear has eliminated his chance to build off of our positive momentum.
It is a sad lesson, but an important one: A leader driven by fear will not take risks, will miss opportunities, and will focus too much on self preservation. In other words, fear leads to failure.
Now think about that last sentence for a moment. This “businessman” would prefer to have an abandoned Smoky Bones restaurant next door than a flourishing Chick-fil-A. This caused me to wonder the obvious question….why?
The answer, I believe, is fear. With the 4th quarter approaching, the Jeweler is fearful that our business is going to have a negative impact on his. He is afraid because something different is taking place. Fear has caused this man to go into survival mode. He is determined to get things back to the way they have always been.
As a businessman he should be looking for a way to turn this into an opportunity. There are hundreds of ways that a Jeweler could partner with a restaurant so that both parties win. I mean, he has a captive audience (our guests waiting in line) right outside of his door! There are hundreds of ways he could use this as an incredible marketing opportunity. He could use this as an opportunity to capture an entirely new customer base! Just think of the possibilities…his business could double!
Unfortunately for all parties involved, the Jeweler has decided to let his fear get the best of him. His lack of ingenuity or creativity coupled with his crippling fear has eliminated his chance to build off of our positive momentum.
It is a sad lesson, but an important one: A leader driven by fear will not take risks, will miss opportunities, and will focus too much on self preservation. In other words, fear leads to failure.
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