In the foodservice industry in Ireland, many independent food businesses are surviving, and even prospering in the face of challenges from the ‘Goliaths’ that are the chains and the big corporate brands. In the first in the series, see how successful independent food business owners share many common traits:
They are more ‘tuned in’ to their customers
Independent food business owners work in their businesses on a day-to-day basis. That usually means taking orders, preparing food, and serving customers, as well as all the many operational tasks of running a food business.
Much of this time in the business is spent dealing directly with their customers, getting to know them personally, watching for and listening to their feedback on the food they are ordering and the service they are getting.
Hearing customers comments and feedback ‘directly from the horse’s mouth’ and ‘in the moment’ is infinitely more insightful and powerful than the sanitised corporate ‘reporting up the line’ process, and is the creative spark for the independent food business owner to innovate, tweak, and fine tune their business to focus on their customer’s needs and grow sales.
So listen to and watch carefully what your customers are saying and doing, it’s priceless information in uniquely positioning your business with your target market.
