In today’s market, consumers are looking for more than just a product or a service; they want an experience. While some companies offer a great product or service, they may be lacking in going that extra mile that truly sets them apart from their competitors. For example, while retail and fast-food giants Wal-Mart and McDonalds dominate the market in their respective industries, they could learn a little something from the mom-and-pop stores and restaurants that they occasionally help put out of business—the factors that give people that peak experience.
During this past Spring Break, my buddy, Sean, and I took a road trip to several major cities in the South and visited several successful restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and music venues to determine how and why they had become so lauded. For this entry, we’ll be looking at a couple examples of businesses that provide an unrivaled experience to accompany their product and service. Our first stop takes us to Charleston, SC and Bowen’s Island Restaurant.
(Click on the photos to enlarge)
Bowen’s has been a family-owned and operated restaurant since its creation over fifty years ago. It sits on the edge of Folly Creek and offers fantastic seafood, a family atmosphere, and picturesque views. We had a chance to speak with the restaurant’s owner, Robert Barber and his daughter, Hope McIntosh, about what sets Bowen’s apart. After a few hours, a tour, a few drinks, tens of questions asked by us, a cooking demonstration, and a cornucopia of seafood and sides, it was plain to see what set Bowen’s apart—tradition and love. It is so rare in today’s consumer market that one finds a company that genuinely cares for the consumers and their needs; well Bowen’s Island Restaurant does that to the umpteenth power. For example, they harvest their famous oysters from oyster beds in Folly Creek only a few minutes boat ride from the restaurant, as they have been since 1946. Also, they prepare them on a large sheet of steel cooking apparatus (that has been in the family for decades) and cover them with wet burlap sacks to steam the oysters and cook them in their own juices. Furthermore, the entire restaurant, inside and out, is covered with signatures and messages written by patrons from the last several decades (don’t think I passed up the opportunity to sign myself into history).
(Bowen's featured on Travel Channel's Man vs Food: From 6:21 on 1st clip to 0:20 on the 2nd clip)
Bowen’s continues to differentiate themselves and woo customers by providing a warm atmosphere that all feel comfortable in. The service, care, and dedication that is shown by everyone, from the hostess to the owner and his daughter, is incredible. I truly felt like I had come home from school and had my mother waiting on me hand and foot and genuinely cared about my satisfaction. Ask any customer or consumer of any product or service from any company, big or small, if they prefer to be treated like a person or a number. I guarantee that 99.9% of the time people prefer to be treated or known as Sara, Jim, or Miguel instead of a revenue source or Reference #KW4972849. At Bowen’s they’ve got that by the boatload (pun fully intended). It is truly an experience that goes above and beyond. Believe me when I tell you that if you want to see how to build a strong customer base, unwavering loyalty, and success, check out Bowen’s Island Restaurant.
Next, we jump on over to Nashville, TN, affectionately known as the Music City, Nashvegas, or Smashville. There, we were lucky enough to be able to score an interview with Erica Nichols, COO of the Nashville Songwriters Association and President of the critically acclaimed and world famous Bluebird Café. For those of you who don’t know, the Bluebird Café is a listening room and restaurant that hosts shows for songwriters and artists in the country music community. The concept of a listening room is basically exactly what it sounds like, you don’t yell or scream at the band, you are there to listen to the music and lyrics and immerse yourself into them. They are well known for being the discovery point and launching pad of many prominent country music superstars, such as: Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks (he actually signed his record contract in the Bluebird Café kitchen), Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, and the list goes on and on. It is rich with tradition and is a landmark in Nashville and for country music in general. Despite all of its notoriety and fame for launching country music careers, I believe its success can be attributed to two key components: sense of community and intimacy.
The way Erica explained what she thought set the Bluebird apart from other places was that it had “a unique feeling of family; that everyone knows everyone and is always happy to welcome in newcomers.” That factor is evident the moment you walk into the door; as we walked in for our interview, we were met by some staff, who were setting up for the show that night, and they asked us how we were doing and how they could be of assistance. We told him the nature of our visit and he led us over to a table and told us he’d let Erica know we were here. Before we could even get situated at the table, a lady brought us each a beer (they knew us too well) and asked us if we’d like any snacks. Beer AND snacks? Heaven to a college student. We never felt out of place, nervous, uneasy, or anything like that; I was as if I was at home. When Sean and I returned to the Bluebird Café that night for the show, we were again greeted and taken to our table. One of the staff who was there during the day recognized us and waved us over to meet some of his friends and the artists who had performed the night before, just like friends or family would. Throughout the night we saw artists who perform at the Bluebird conversing with guests and staff interacting with patrons like friends would. Even before you step foot into the café, you’re already part of the community.
The other aspect that truly sets the Bluebird Café apart from others, and allows its patrons and visitors to have a peak experience, is the intimacy between the artists and customers. The layout of the Bluebird is unlike most other music venues I have been to; while the majority of venues have a stage at one end of the room, the Bluebird places their stage in the middle of the room. According to Erica, they do this so that “patrons can feel and feed off the artists’ energy and make it seem like this show is only for them. That’s why we placed the stage in the middle, so that everyone has a great view and can almost reach out and literally touch the artists.” It’s an experience unlike I had ever had before at a music venue. You actually feel closer to the artists, not just in a geographic sense, but in that cheesy connection way as well. The fact that the Bluebird is a listening room and the unique floor layout both factor into an exclusive experience that differs from all others.
While there are various ways to gain a competitive advantage and differentiate a business from competitors, one of the best ways is to accompany the core product or service with a unique and special experience for the consumer. In this instance, the consumer is receiving more than just a product, more than just a service, they feel as though they are part of a community, an insider, and for that there is no substituion. As illustrated from the two cases above, extraordinary service and staff, special traditions, emotional investment, and an exclusive atmosphere can help to create a unique experience for consumers that result in brand loyalty, word-of-mouth marketing, and overall success. So for those companies out there who are content with their main product or service the way it is, I suggest you reevaluate your offering and see if you can create an experience to pair with it; you might just be surprised at the amount of success that follows.
