Interlude: a brief review of pancake-place "forgot the name" ~ Sounds + Food 'n' Retail

pancake.jpgFirst of all, "forgot the name?" Indeed I did and that's already a bad sign for any place. I was brainstorming with my dad on business-ideas in a pancake-shop that had just opened. It still smelled of paint and the coffee stunk as well. The owners were stuck at the back, busy with making pancakes. But ok, I can blame plenty of this on lack of experience, growing pains, whatever you want to call it.

But here's a list of some good things, I think a pancake-place should possess.

Pictures of pancakes: these are wonderful creations, can be filled with sweet and savoury things. Why not advertise that. Instead they had this:


Pancakes (list of ingredients).............Small.....Large

1 ingredient.................................price X...price Y

2 ingredients................................price X...price Y

3 ingredients................................price X...price Y

Very organised, but so lifeless. How does this make me want to try one of their oh-so-delicious pancakes. It doesn't.

A take-out menu: I was a vegetarian for two years. One of the things I missed was that there are very few places catering to non-meat eaters. A savoury pancake can not only offer a great alternative to meat-dishes, it's also a great alternative to pizza. Why not grow your business a little?

Feedback-cards: as a new food-venue, i would consider this vital. How do you know that your formula works? Customers (e.g. me) can sometimes be much more creative than you can imagine.

Free internet and plugs: I already made this point before, and I know pigs will fly before it happens, but free internet = viral marketing!

Something to make me remember the name: a take-out menu, feedback-card, business-card, anything; don't be a commodity!

Finally, a better coffee would be nice. I understand that it's a pancake-place but they don't expect everyone to eat pancakes, do they?

And something I was brainstorming about with my dad: the importance and fallacy of personality in running a food-related venue. I'm sure I'll go into that another time.

The picture is courtesy of thisnylife.com


 

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