Why I “Drink Local”
As regular readers know, I’m all about think/buy/give/shop/vacation/eat/grow local. And, not just because “it’s the right thing to do.” It’s also more fun.
Yesterday, I met a friend for margaritas at Cervantes here in the quirky burque. Cervantes is a family-owned biz that also makes and distributes its salsa products. The “bar bar” appeals to my sense of retro whimsy (dark, dark with my fav design element being the crushed velvet backs on the booth. You wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see Dino or Ol’ Blue Eyes walk in, cig in hand…)
The margaritas are terrific; the chips are crisp; the guac freshly made. But, here’s why I’ll go back.
Friendly, down-home service. If they don’t know your name when you arrive, they will when you leave. And, it’s not the “faux friendly” of the chain waiters pushing mass-produced corporate dreck. The nephew of one of the owners was our server and he obviously cares about being good at his job – he’s not coasting ‘cuz Aunt Arian gave him the spot.
The Fun Little Extra. As we were talking (and – ahem – working on our second margarita) – I noticed a couple of little paper balls flying over the partition into our booth from the actual bar (We were right next to it). The bartender wanted to get our attention so she could give us the remainder of the drink in her shaker. Now, this ain’t exactly “class” but it was fun and fit the tone of the place.
Last, but not least – I know one of the owners (we both serve on the AIBA board). However, that alone would not be enough to get me to Cervantes…or to go back. As noted, they also have wonderful food, great margaritas and caring service.
One of the biggest competitive advantage a small biz can have is being known – as people, not products. Yet, often the owners get so busy running the business – nobody ever actually sees or talks to them (unless there’s a problem. Uh-oh! Now they’re dealing with an unhappy stranger.) People are far more likely to spend whatever dollars they have with people they know.
Related Post: I Don’t Know (Or Care) About P. F. Chang
Tags: marketing, marketing troubleshooting, customer experience, customer service, Cervantes, AIBA, Buy Local, Albuquerque, Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance.
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[...] Words of wisdom from Mary Schmidt yesterday: One of the biggest competitive advantage a small biz can have is being known – as people, not products. Yet, often the owners get so busy running the business – nobody ever actually sees or talks to them (unless there’s a problem. Uh-oh! Now they’re dealing with an unhappy stranger.) People are far more likely to spend whatever dollars they have with people they know. [...]