210 years ago today, the world’s greatest author was born.

Here are 5 lessons any restaurant can learn from the greatest author of all time.

Lesson 1

Dickens grew up poor in Victorian England, and his uncompromising view of the countries underclass were allegorical social commentaries as much as stories.

He knew what he wrote about.

Designing your restaurants business model, it’s service model, pricing, menu design, must be grounded in your core competency, in what you know, what your key staff know, and what your customers understand.

Lesson 2

A Tale of Two cities was published more than 200 Million times.

Dickens used simple language and relatable stories that appealed to the general public more than any author before him.

He published in magazines, not expensive novels, so that poorer people could afford them.

He chose volume instead of exclusivity.

How broad is your restaurants target market? Are you skewed to tourists not locals? A special occasion restaurant versus regular diner? Is your offer consistent, understandable and affordable?

Lesson 3

Dickens wrote for his market, not his ego, and his stories were often criticized as simple.

Is your restaurant customer orientated or industry orientated? So often we are compelled by what peers and colleagues think, rather than what our customers want.

So often we seek acclaim, instead of the ultimate compliment, profitability.

Lesson 4

Dickens took stories, and changed how they were written, using components and techniques not used before.

How can your restaurant rearrange the core components of its offer to be more successful?

A service model can be altered, from order at the table to order by technology or at the counter, and COGs increased to compensate, with decreased labour a benefit.

Incentivise specific dishes, with lower pricing, that are fast to produce. Change the margins on simple beverages to turnover inventory more frequently, making more money through higher COGs.

Setting peak pricing for high demand times, and offering discounts or offers for the balance of the week.

Lesson 5

Contemporary authors study Dickens’ work, to inform their own.

Do you think about successful restaurants, and how they get it right? How every component meets the needs of the business and model?

Successful, as opposed to seemingly popular. Often the most successful food businesses are the ones who don’t spend big money of fitouts, whose service standard, and food seem sub-optimal, but actually exactly meet the balance between doing enough and not too much.

Dickens was frowned and looked down upon in his time. He received little acclaim to begin with.

But beyond any doubt and by any measure his consumers adored him. They understood and believed him.

How can your restaurant learn from the success and legacy of the world’s greatest author, 210 years after his birth?

#restaurantprofitability #restaurants #peiso

Ivan Brewer