Excuses, Excuses

There’s a great Phở restaurant that opened up about a year ago that I frequent about once a month.  Every time I go to this place, and it doesn’t matter what time of day I go, the place is packed.  You know the type of restaurant I’m talking about.  You have at least two or three yourself that you frequently visit.  About 8 months ago, another new restaurant opens up right next door.  The space is larger, the decor nicer, and the menu more expensive. 

Again, since I visit my Vietnamese Noodle house around once a month, I always peek inside the window next door to see how things are going.  Noodle house is packed, the new neighbor completely empty.  Well on my last visit, I see that the new restaurant has closed down and there’s a sign on the door: “Due to Economic Conditions, we have closed the restaurant.”  My family has been in the restaurant business many years.  We’ve had both successful ones as well as failed ones.  One thing is for certain, there are no excuses in the restaurant business.  Either people like your food and come back, or they don’t.  Economic conditions weren’t a factor for the Phở  place.  They just found the right combination of price, service, and product that customers were demanding.

I wonder what would have happened if the new restaurant had a different marketing strategy, a new menu, cheaper prices, something!  Instead, they chose the alternative . . . to wait and see. 

So, which restaurant are you?  The one that’s found a niche, or the one that’s just going to wait and see?