Tag Archives: business thinking

July 5, 2013 · 8:51 am

Low & Slow On The Fifth

It’s Friday and so time for Foodie Friday Fun.  However, it’s also one of those weird days which follow a holiday and precede a weekend.  Most folks I know aren’t working – they’re by the pool or at the beach and cooking is something that happens outdoors – on a grill or in a smoker.  Because I’m as lazy as the next guy continuing to celebrate our nation’s birth, I thought I’d repost a food piece centered around another summer holiday.  It was called “Low And Slow” and was written way back in May of 2008.  I think it’s relevant – hopefully you do as well.  Enjoy the weekend and see you Monday.

English: Image of a propane smoker in use. Dia...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This weekend is sees the celebration of the Memorial Day holiday here is the US. Traditionally, this weekend marks the start of Summer (OK, maybe that’s July 4th but I love Summer, so…) and that means it’s time to fire up the smoker. While one can achieve great BBQ on everything from a Weber kettle to rigs costing thousands, my preferred weapon of choice is the Bandera, which used to be made by The New Braunfels Company.

We had a bunch of folks over to enjoy ribs, smoked turkey, beer can chicken, the odd bit of smoked bratwurst (I couldn’t find a Hebrew National baloney to smoke which, as an aside, is the closest thing I know of to meat candy when spiced and smoked). The thing they all were wondering about was why does good “Q” take so long. Those of you with a love of smoked meat know that “low and slow is the way to go” and that getting the temperature in the smoker above 225 F is a formula for shoe leather.

Which, of course, got me thinking about how many people seem to do business today. Just as one cannot make BBQ in the microwave, fixing problems via the proverbial microwave for a quick fix is, in my mind, not getting you where you need to go. Now, some folks insist on cooking ribs for 8 hours; I think I’ve proven you can have damn good results in 3.5 – 4. However, I am talking about using the right tools, taking the right amount of time, and, if you can, using the guidance of someone who has been there before (I ruined a lot of racks and quite a few briskets in my day until I got it figured out).

There is a Slow food Movement of which you may be aware and I love what they have to say. However, sometimes you’re late for work and DO need to toast that Pop-Tart (eeew) and go. Sometimes problems won’t wait. But I think many operations would be a lot better off if they made the quick fix the exception rather than the rule.

And now I’m off to enjoy some leftovers!

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July 1, 2013 · 9:41 am

Driving For Show

There is something really extraordinary going on right now in the sports world and I’m not sure you’re paying attention to it. As it turns out (big shock) I also see a business point in it and that’s our topic today.

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 10: Inbee Park (KOR)...

(Photo by Keith Allison) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If the name “Inbee Park” is unfamiliar to you, it probably won’t be for long. She’s just won the U.S. Women’s Open, the third major golf championship she’s won this year. In context, the last time a pro – male or female – won the first three majors of the year was 60 years ago.  That’s amazing but what makes it even more so is how she’s managed to win them all.  It’s not because she hits the ball a long way – she doesn’t.  In fact, she’s usually using harder to hit clubs from the same distances as other pros because she doesn’t hit it as far.  She’s not a lot more accurate either.  She ranks 55th in fairways hit off the tee and 17th in green’s hit in regulation.  Where she excels is putting.  As a golfer I can tell you that I have never seen any pro on any tour putt the way she is putting.  She’s making everything of any length – 25, 30, 40 feet.  It doesn’t matter.  And that’s the business point.

There is an old golf expression – drive for show, putt for dough.  A big drive counts just the same as a perfect putt and great putting – as Inbee Park shows – can make a good golfer into a great one.  It’s the same for business.  Many businesses focus on the “big drive” – flashy new products, for example – instead of excellent putting – the stuff that really matters.  When was the last time you and your team thought about not what makes a huge impression but about what makes the cash register ring?

Golfers forget that putting is usually 40%-50% of the shots yet many spend hours practicing their driving which they might do 14 times a round.  Businesses need to focus on the little things that happen every day and constantly.  That’s how they win.  Your business doesn’t have to excel at everything as long as the focus and performance is there on the things that matter and the rest of the performance is solid if not exceptional.

Hitting a booming drive it satisfying but sinking a long putt wins – in golf as well as in business.  You agree?

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June 28, 2013 · 9:52 am

Mixed Messages

Today we’re going to have a little Fast Food Friday Fun.

 

FATBURGER

(Photo credit: roboppy)

 

I hardly ever eat it any more (strange how my waistline seems not to miss it) but there is one outlet that I hit up every time I’m near one – Fatburger.  For those of you who live East of the Mississippi, this chain is located mostly in California, Nevada, Washington, and Arizona but there are outlets in a few other places.  Unfortunately for me, New York City just became one (but it’s in an area in which I rarely go so I hope to stay away…mostly…).

 

Why I love their burgers is pretty simple and is right there on their website:

 

Fresh, lean beef.  Never frozen patties, Cooked-to-order.

 

And they’re topped with a selection of the usual stuff – cheese, bacon, chili, a fried egg – as well as other things – grilled onions, jalapeños  yellow peppers – that one doesn’t generally find readily available but which make it possible to get the burger tuned perfectly.  Have it your way indeed!  It’s a fantastic brand promise – one to which the food adheres.

 

So you ‘re wondering why the love note on a business-blog (even if it is Foodie Friday)?  Because of the Fatburger truck tour and that:

 

The national food truck tour coincides with the introduction of Fatburger frozen beef patties in more than 3,100 Walmart stores, which will be arriving in stores by the end of June.

 

I understand why they’re looking to sell patties through the biggest retailer in the country.  What I don’t understand is instructive for any brand.  I love this place because it’s not “fast food.”  The beef is not some iced over hockey puck slapped on a grill.  What they’re selling at Walmart is a Fatburger in name only.  As an aside, I wonder if it really is the same product that goes to the restaurants or if it’s just a licensing deal with a supplier that has no connection   Be that as it may, while  they’re expanding sales they’re cheapening the brand, at least in my mind.  It’s an inferior experience.

 

Fatburger isn’t alone in making this mistake.  Starbucks instant coffee, for example, is the antithesis of the heady, fresh brew that one gets from a barista.  Luxury brands doing GroupOns has the same effect.  While driving revenues is always a goal for any brand and every business, that can’t come at the expense of the brand image or experience.

 

Let me hear your thoughts.  Maybe it will distract me from wanting a Fatburger in the worst way right now…

 

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