Build an Experience Like a Play

by Richard K. Hendrie

"Theater is not an art of separate elements arithmetically cumulative, but an art which might be seen to form a single organism."

— Harold Clurman, On Directing

"Build an experience like a play!" My Uncle Fritz would say, "Whadda ya mean, this ain't Shakespeare." No, but it's something the guest will have whether you decide its content or they do.

Pretend we're talking about building a pizza. The guest knows what they like but they don't understand that too much sauce or meat ruins it. You have to guide them, encouraging them at every turn that the experience they hope for is what you're delivering. Then you'd better deliver it.

Define (or refine) the experience so that it is the perfect combination of your guest's expectations, your values, the physical plant and the capabilities of your cast of actors. And think 'memorable'. 'Memorable' is what is unique to you and special to your guest.

"The story creates an emotional franchise... with the customers. It allows them to take part in the experience. Everything should have an origin and a story to it. Everything ties into what the restaurant is about."

— Kevin Cronin, founding partner of Tre Vigne

Document the Current Story

Create a 'Zone by Zone' map. Take the floor plan of your restaurant. Outline areas that are discrete sections. Name them (Lobby, Food Display, Host Desk, etc.). Take your key staff and slowly walk your restaurant. Start outside in the parking lot or at the entrance to your establishment. Pretend you are a new customer. As you move from space to space, ask this question: "What are they trying to tell me in this space?" Do not criticize or judge what you see, even as you realize the 'they' is you. Simply write it down. Take each section separately. In some instances, you'll see mistakes. Document. Other times, you won't see anything. Document. You'll see stuff you will love or hate. Document. What is this restaurant telling the guest, with this decor, this section, this marketing and these details? You are a sleuth on a mission to piece together the current story, whatever the heck it is. No judgments, recriminations or tantrums. Just write it down, 'zone' by discrete 'zone'.

Review Your Story: What to Keep, What to Add, and What to '86'

You have what you have. Right. Now, sit down with your key staff or associates. Ask this question: "What do you want the guest to say is the one thing that they really love about our restaurant? What do we want it to be?" Get veerrrry specific. No "Our service". That's way too general. Make them give the details of the guest experience they think 'makes the difference'. Give everybody a chance to input. Next, ask: "What are our most important operational values for every staff member to embody?" Again, specificity is required. No "We care about quality". You're outlining your play and creating a set of 'cast characteristics'.

Mobilize All Five Senses

Phil Romano, King of experiential restaurants, created Fuddruckers with a single idea. Segregate all the elements in the preparation of a world class burger and put the guest in the middle of it. Simple, exactly to the point and brilliant. That it happened in 1979 doesn't diminish its genius. He took the guest on an epic journey through the story of "The World's Greatest Hamburger". Bakers made buns from scratch and baked them as guests lined up to order. The air was redolent of the sweet aroma of fresh bread. Four quarters hung in the butcher shop, viewed in all their primal beauty (or whatever) by those in the queue. Phil Romano did not just say "fresh, from scratch". He put on the Ziegfield Follies of "From Scratch". Burgers were grilled to order on buns that had been grilled as well. And the finale, the veritable cherry on this masterpiece, was allowing the guest to finish it off any way they chose from the most abundantly stocked fresh produce and condiment bar ever produced. Not every detail worked. Subsequent guest research revealed that hanging carcasses were too much reality for many. There were other ways to say, "Butchered here". Yet, Phil got it. Subsequent difficulties were never about the brilliance of the central story. The company exists today, and it continues to grow.

"At Krispy Kreme, donut making is part of the magic, part of the draw. It's a sensory experience."

— Stan Parker, SVP of Krispy Kreme

Provide the guest memorable sights. Create appropriate sounds. Provide wonderful cooking aromas. Give them things to feel (e.g., warm crusty bread). Prepare flavorful, tasty food. These five have their dark opposites. Every ungainly sight is part of the show. Every jarring sound, voice or inappropriate remark heard is part of the show. Stinky is no good. Creepy, tacky, dirty and seedy, may be good names for dwarfs, but these are not the qualities we want guests to think of as they 'touch' various parts of the restaurant. Lousy food = Bankruptcy Court.

Your guests define value by the quality of the restaurant experience and the memory it creates. That 'value' is, in fact, your brand. Brand memories of great value last and are shared with others.

Quality experiences don't 'just happen'. They get orchestrated like a play or piece of music, scene by scene, note by note. It requires a process.

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Richard K. Hendrie is the Chief Experience Officer of Link Inc., a restaurant consulting and coaching firm. He does extensive speaking to industry groups and associations, offering keynote, workshop and seminar presentations.

Link Inc. © 2005