“She’s a bucket of sunshine”
My wife Natalie exclaimed after our waitress rolled her eyes when we said we need a minute or two to read the menu after just sitting down.
“Right Grumps” the sister in Law Caitlin exclaimed.
“Maybe she’s hungover” I helpfully stated.
She served us breakfast and her attitude didn’t change.
It was a dark cloud over our meal.
24 hours later we went back for the sea view and evening meal.
“Take your time” the waiter exclaimed “I’ll be back when you’re ready.”
Same restaurant.
Different server.
Much different experience.
That was one of the best dinners we have had so far” I told Natalie as we left.
We will be back before we fly out to Dubai.
So why relate this simple story?
Because the restaurant was the same building, same chefs, same view…but it was two radically different experiences.
Makes for a good story but it’s a terrible way to run a business.
And it will mess up the value of the company if these owners ever look to sell.
After all, who wants to buy a Jekyl and Hyde?
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P.S. Want to make your business more attractive to run…and that investors would love to own?
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George Sotiropoulos uses a story of two contrasting dining experiences at the same restaurant on consecutive days to illustrate how inconsistency in customer experience damages business value. He argues that a business delivering wildly different experiences depending on who is working signals risk to potential buyers and gets discounted at sale.