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One of our favorite restaurants is Hamersley's Bistro, located in the South End neighborhood of Boston. It's a beautiful, inviting space that combines France and New England, with wooden ceiling beams salvaged from a Connecticut barn and French tapestry florals. The open kitchen - one of Boston's first - creates a lively and fun touch. Chef Gordon Hamersley is known for straightforward dishes that creatively use seasonal and local ingredients.
Every time we dine at Hamersley's my wife studies the menu intently. Recently the menu has included such tempting dishes as Spicy Halibut and Clam Roast with Bacon Braised Greens or Vermont Quail with Black Mission Figs and Grilled Napa Cabbage. With so many wonderful dishes to choose from she inevitably orders the same thing every time - Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Parsley.
What's so special about roast chicken? Trust me; this is no ordinary roast chicken. Boston magazine recently wrote that on any given night 20 to 30 percent of the dinner orders are for this chicken. It's a signature dish that has defined Hamersley's since the restaurant opened in 1987. Ask anyone who has ever dined at Hamersley's what you should order and you can be almost assured the answer will be roast chicken.
To be a successful specialty retailer we too need to have a "signature dish." Something we're known for and a reason our customers recommend us to friends and family. Our "signature dish" can often be a product or a selection of products, much like a restaurant becomes known for a particular dish. Unfortunately that is getting harder and harder today due to Internet shopping as well as the willingness of many manufacturers to sell to big-box retailers.
For most specialty retailers the best "signature dish" is the customer's in-store experience. Like a good recipe, an in-store experience is a balance of the best ingredients mixed together for something special and memorable. For most specialty retailers it's a blend of the right products, smart merchandising, and a heavy dose of friendly, engaging, and knowledgeable salespeople. The right mix of ingredients, well-executed, will create that signature in-store experience.
Creating a signature in-store experience takes a lot of vision and an incredible commitment from the owners, executives, managers, and staff. Delivering the "dish" day in and day out is a challenge. The reward of doing so is a more loyal customer and less pressure on margins than experienced by retailers who don't stand out from the crowd.
Boston Market sells a roasted chicken dinner for $6.99. Hamersley's roast chicken goes for $26. One is selling a commodity, the other a signature dish. You could say that they aren't targeting the same customer. On the other hand, they're both selling chicken. You have the same choice in your store. Either create a signature in-store experience or compete against others as a commodity. One option is easier - but the other is a lot more profitable.
So let me ask, have you defined your signature dish and do you execute it daily? |
