What To Do When Your Business Is Struggling

Think outside the box... 

Over the weekend, I was driving through a small town in northern Washington. My wife and were on our way to the coast, and we stopped at this little cafe to get some lunch.

We walked in the door and were greeted by a bubbly and professional waitress who wasted no time getting us a table, serving our water and coffee, and getting us a menu. 

We had a great experience at this little restaurant, and their customer service was right on target, but the biggest thing that caught my attention was a note on the front of their menu that read, “Kids Under 10 Eat FREE!”

My wife and I both had to read that again. What?! Kids under ten eat free? How does that work?

It got me to thinking… I’d never really seen that advertised in a small-town diner, and I wondered how they could make ends meet if they gave away food to kids for free?

But I think it makes sense for them. Most little diners charge low prices… it’s part of the draw for families and regular patrons. But these folks charged medium to high prices for their food and no one seemed to mind.

My guess is that the restaurant owner just worked out the math. He/she probably figured out what they would have to charge for every dish in order to afford giving all kids under ten a free meal. The adults probably figure that they can spend a little more since the kids are getting their meal free, so they might end up ordering more food. It probably all works out in the end and the owner gets more traffic with a very attractive offer for tired parents who just want to take their kids out to eat.

If you’re in a hard spot right now with your business, or you’re struggling for new ideas, maybe it’s time to think outside of the box. Can you re-work the math and come up with an attractive offer that catches people’s attention? Thinking out of the box is what can set you apart from other businesses, and this little restaurant proved that you can change your positioning without changing the bottom line.