Put Another Prawn on the Dish
How customer focused are you?
One of my favorite places to eat in London is Dishoom, an Indian restaurant inspired by the Irani cafés of Bombay from long past. It also happens to be one of my favorite brands, which I’ve written about before. (If you’re in London or Edinburgh, seek it out!)
Why is it a favorite brand? Because the founders, cousins Kavi and Shamil Thakrar, just get it and do things right.
There are so many lessons entrepreneurs and brand builders can learn from their success. They know that to build a great business and brand you have to tell a story, create a great customer experience, be committed to quality and offering value, focus on creating a great company culture, and build a great team. That growing fast doesn’t equal success. That steady, stable growth—while holding true to their values—is more likely to lead to the outcomes they desire.
One great story they share in this Monocle podcast is around their commitment to customer experience and quality.
While they talk about being smart about business fundamentals and controlling for costs, costs don’t control them. Upon realizing a cost savings on prawns, instead of taking the savings to the bottom line, “we put another prawn on the dish… because for us it was about making sure the guest is delighted….” That’s what I’m talking about! Doing the right thing for their customer. Not being stupid about managing one’s P&L but understanding that reinvesting in a great customer experience would pay dividends more so than pocketing the savings.
When have you “put another prawn on the dish” for your customer?
When have you reinvested in customers having a fabulous experience with your brand? When have you made your customer the focus vs. your bottom line?
It’s worth asking the question. And answering honestly.
You might be sadly or positively surprised by the answer. Investing in providing a great experience and delivering great value for your customer can have a more positive impact on ROI than simply dropping the savings to the bottom line.
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Photo Credit: Marco Verch License