Mixing it Up vs Mixed Up: Alta Restaurant, Philadelphia Truffle Surprise, and Stupid Marketing
OK, time to admit it: I’m a food fan. I love good food.
And “good” doesn’t mean “overpriced” or “requires a suit to eat” – I’ve admittedly been thrilled by private lunches at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City, but have arguably been equally happy (or more) dining on a hot dog, fries, and a superlative mocha milkshake at the (original) Peninsula Creamery in downtown Palo Alto.
I’m even a regular viewer and fan of the television show, Top Chef.
It’s thus disappointing to me when a restaurant I love commits an act of bad marketing.
The case in point today is a wonderful establishment in lower Manhattan, called Alta. (http://altarestaurant.com/)
I have two favorite dishes at Alta: the Brussels sprouts (really. No-where else in the world. Including my mother’s dinner table.) and the Philadelphia Truffle Surprise (PHT).
Imagine my shock and horror when I was told that the chef had removed PHT from the menu.
“All the customers are asking about it”, say the staff. “Everyone misses it. But the Chef said that we go though hundreds of different dishes, and it was time to change up the menu a bit”.
Ah. Classic marketing error.
Your customers love you. You deliver a consistent experience. Your business (shoes, tires, internet service, food) can be counted on to perform, to never disappoint.
What’s more, your business is exciting to customers. There’s always the special, the sale, the chance for them to try something a bit new… but there’s always the old reliable, the thing that keeps them coming back.
But –you- are bored. It has nothing to do with your customers’ satisfaction. So you tamper with the core value, not the extras. You introduce “New Coke”, or the cheaper Harley Davidson, or extra foodstuff in your Starbucks.
You deprive your brand of the key thing that made it your brand.
Oh chef at Alta, I sing your praises. I love your meatballs, your nut mix, your other dishes… but when I fly 3000 miles and end up in NY, I come for two things. You just removed one. Oh owners (chefs?) at Alta, Christopher Chesnutt and Ewa Olsen, please reconsider?
If you want to “mix things up”, tinker with your marginal dishes. But speaking as a marketer, spare the core, ok? Please? Or openly admit that your experiment is for your own satisfaction, and not the benefit of the business – don’t call it “mixing things up” for marketing. It’s just mixed up.
And “good” doesn’t mean “overpriced” or “requires a suit to eat” – I’ve admittedly been thrilled by private lunches at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City, but have arguably been equally happy (or more) dining on a hot dog, fries, and a superlative mocha milkshake at the (original) Peninsula Creamery in downtown Palo Alto.
I’m even a regular viewer and fan of the television show, Top Chef.
It’s thus disappointing to me when a restaurant I love commits an act of bad marketing.
The case in point today is a wonderful establishment in lower Manhattan, called Alta. (http://altarestaurant.com/)
I have two favorite dishes at Alta: the Brussels sprouts (really. No-where else in the world. Including my mother’s dinner table.) and the Philadelphia Truffle Surprise (PHT).
Imagine my shock and horror when I was told that the chef had removed PHT from the menu.
“All the customers are asking about it”, say the staff. “Everyone misses it. But the Chef said that we go though hundreds of different dishes, and it was time to change up the menu a bit”.
Ah. Classic marketing error.
Your customers love you. You deliver a consistent experience. Your business (shoes, tires, internet service, food) can be counted on to perform, to never disappoint.
What’s more, your business is exciting to customers. There’s always the special, the sale, the chance for them to try something a bit new… but there’s always the old reliable, the thing that keeps them coming back.
But –you- are bored. It has nothing to do with your customers’ satisfaction. So you tamper with the core value, not the extras. You introduce “New Coke”, or the cheaper Harley Davidson, or extra foodstuff in your Starbucks.
You deprive your brand of the key thing that made it your brand.
Oh chef at Alta, I sing your praises. I love your meatballs, your nut mix, your other dishes… but when I fly 3000 miles and end up in NY, I come for two things. You just removed one. Oh owners (chefs?) at Alta, Christopher Chesnutt and Ewa Olsen, please reconsider?
If you want to “mix things up”, tinker with your marginal dishes. But speaking as a marketer, spare the core, ok? Please? Or openly admit that your experiment is for your own satisfaction, and not the benefit of the business – don’t call it “mixing things up” for marketing. It’s just mixed up.
It is really disappointing. What's funny is that everyone else there gets it and has told the chef, so he's had the opportunity to reconsider. He just won't.
Perhaps we should bring protest signs next time. We can raise them after we've had our brussels sprouts fix.
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