Four Steps to Being Remarkable

Thu May 08 2025

#444 - Four Steps to Being Remarkable ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: CHOWLY The Chowly Platform unites powerful tools to transform your restaurant’s digital presence and grow profits ouside four walls. From Online Ordering and Third-Party Marketplace POS Integration to Smart Pricing and Digital Marketing, everything works together seamlessly—creating, capturing, and converting demand into meaningful growth. Your tools and data, all in one place, to save time, boost profits, and give you complete control. VISIT: https://chowly.com/chowly-platform/ ***** The National Restaurant Association Show happens May 17-20 in Chicago, IL. It is hands-down the BIGGEST trade show of the year, and I am thrilled to be able to take the stage on the final day of the show. If you're planning to be there, I want to connect. If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, use the link below and my promo code to get $25 off. REGISTER HERE: https://www.nationalrestaurantshow.com/home/PROMO COD...

Summary

Podcast Summary: Restaurant Strategy – Episode "Four Steps to Being Remarkable"

Title: Four Steps to Being Remarkable
Host: Chip Klose
Release Date: May 8, 2025

Introduction

In the episode "Four Steps to Being Remarkable" from Chip Klose's Restaurant Strategy podcast, Chip delves into the critical importance of differentiation for independent restaurant owners. He emphasizes that in a saturated market, standing out is not just beneficial but essential for survival and profitability. Drawing inspiration from Seth Godin's seminal work, "Purple Cow," Chip outlines a strategic framework to help restaurant owners transform their establishments into remarkable entities that attract and retain customers.

The Challenge of Differentiation in Restaurants

Chip opens the discussion by highlighting a common struggle among restaurant owners: creating a product that doesn't blend into the myriad of similar offerings in the market. He states:

"The reason I think most restaurants struggle... you are undifferentiated."
— Chip Klose [00:01]

This undifferentiation leads to stagnant growth and makes it challenging for restaurants to compete effectively.

The Concept of Being Remarkable

Drawing from Seth Godin's "Purple Cow," Chip underscores the necessity of being remarkable. He narrates the allegory from the book, where driving past an endless field of cows makes even a purple cow lose its uniqueness due to overexposure. The key takeaway is that to capture attention, a restaurant must offer something genuinely unique.

"The only way succeed is to stand out, right?"
— Chip Klose [08:00]

In the highly competitive restaurant industry, mere quality or standard offerings are no longer sufficient differentiators.

Step-by-Step Guide to Being Remarkable

Chip introduces a four-step framework designed to help restaurant owners achieve remarkable status:

Understanding Your Core

The foundational step involves identifying what the restaurant stands for—the non-negotiable values and principles that guide every decision.

"What do you care about most? What's the thing that you cannot let go of? That will be your North Star."
— Chip Klose [12:15]
Crafting Your Unique Story

Every restaurant has a story that's unique to its founders, location, or concept. Chip encourages owners to articulate this narrative clearly.

"What are the stories only you can tell?"
— Chip Klose [13:05]

Whether it's the restaurant's origin, the owners' journey, or a unique culinary twist, these stories differentiate the establishment in the eyes of consumers.
Going to the Edges: Claiming Unique Positions

Utilizing phrases like "first, last, best, most, only," Chip advises restaurants to carve out niche positions that set them apart.

"First, last, best, most, only"
— Chip Klose [14:20]

For example, being the only sushi restaurant in a particular shopping center or offering a unique fusion cuisine can serve as powerful differentiators.
Offering Unprecedented Experiences or Products

The final step is to provide offerings that customers cannot find elsewhere, ensuring that the restaurant becomes a destination for those seeking something special.

"You have to offer things that nobody has."
— Chip Klose [15:30]

Chip cites the example of a Vegas pizza place known for its unique Chicken Parm Detroit-style pizza—a dish that combines beloved elements of chicken parmesan with distinct pizza styles, creating a must-try item that draws customers willing to pay a premium.

Examples and Case Studies

Throughout the episode, Chip illustrates his points with real-world examples:

Sushi Restaurants: He points out the homogeneity among sushi establishments, where standard menus make it hard to attract customers based solely on common offerings.
August Gatherings in New York City: This restaurant stands out by infusing global culinary experiences into traditional Chinese cuisine, thanks to the chef's diverse background. While this approach may alienate some patrons, it attracts a dedicated clientele seeking innovative flavors.
Sandwich Concepts: Chip discusses a client struggling with similar issues, where his sandwiches looked and tasted like those from any other shop. By redefining their offerings to include unique variants, the client successfully differentiated his business.

Conclusion

Chip Klose reinforces the notion that being remarkable is a multifaceted endeavor requiring introspection, creativity, and strategic execution. By understanding their core values, crafting unique stories, claiming distinct market positions, and offering unparalleled products or experiences, restaurant owners can transform their establishments into standout successes.

"You have to create purple cows in your restaurant. If it's ordinary, no one's going to take a picture of it."
— Chip Klose [16:00]

Ultimately, the episode serves as a comprehensive guide for restaurant owners aiming to elevate their businesses from ordinary to extraordinary, ensuring sustained profitability and customer loyalty.

Key Takeaways:

Differentiation is Essential: In a crowded market, standing out is crucial for survival and growth.
Understand and Articulate Your Unique Story: Your restaurant's unique narrative is a powerful tool for differentiation.
Claim Unique Market Positions: Utilize the "first, last, best, most, only" framework to establish distinctiveness.
Offer Truly Unique Products or Experiences: Providing something that cannot be found elsewhere ensures customer loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.

For restaurant owners seeking actionable strategies to enhance their business's profitability and market presence, Chip Klose's insights offer a valuable roadmap towards achieving remarkable success.

Transcript

Chip Close (0:01)

The reason I think most restaurants struggle, and maybe the reason that you are struggling is because you have a product that seems very similar to someone else's product. You are undifferentiated. I've talked a lot about this, but today I want to talk about what it takes to be remarkable. I want to talk about other brands that are remarkable. And I would talk about giving you the action steps to be remarkable. You don't have to blend in. You can stand out. And in fact, you should stand out. It's the only way you will survive and thrive in the year 2025. And Bey, that's what we're going to talk about on today's episode of Restaurant Strategy. There's an old saying that goes something like this. You'll only find three kinds of people in the world. Those who see, those who will never see, and those who can see when shown. This is Restaurant Strategy, a podcast with answers for anyone who's looking. Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in. My name is Chip Close and this is Restaurant Strategy Podcast dedicated to helping you build a more profitable restaurant. Right now we've got over 400 episodes of this show. We got a YouTube channel, we're on TikTok, we're on Facebook, we're on Instagram. We are giving free content everywhere. But yes, we have a paid service, a mastermind program where we gather independent restaurant owners from all over the world together on a two hour call every single week. In fact, we've got four unique groups, four different groups of this program, over 150 restaurant owners spread across four groups. We have grown from one to two to three to four groups. Not because we swindle people, but because the program works. The community is incredible. Come be part of a network that's more than yourself. Learn from tons of other people who are dealing with the exact same thing you are, who have already solved the problems you may now be facing. The best way to start that conversation is to set up a call. You're going to ask questions of me. Learn more about the program. You're going to. You're going to figure out if it's the right fit and I'm going to ask questions of you to make sure that you are suffering from the problem that we've gotten really good at solving. RestaurantStrategyPodcast.com Schedule as always, that link is in the show notes. Okay, now, the National Restaurant association show is the biggest show of the year. I am thrilled to tell you that I am going to be on stage. So this show happens in Chicago every Spring this year, it happens May 17 through May 20. I am on stage the last day of the show on May 20th. And if you've never been there to this show before, you got to come. If you haven't been in a while, you've got to come back. Because this industry is facing incredible headwinds. It's never been harder than it is right now to make money in this industry. And what's going to happen is that operators, owners from all over the world are descending upon this show to try to get the answers they need to run a more successful, sustainable and profitable restaurant. Go to nationalrestaurantshow.com to register. There are still tickets available. You can use my promo code, CHIP25 to get $25 off your ticket. Again, National RestaurantShow.com you can use my promo code CHIP25. I look forward to seeing you in Chicago. Okay. One of my favorite books is written by Seth Godin. Seth Godin is a marketing guru, bestselling author, and an incredible public speaker. He wrote a book called Purple Cow. I talk about purple cow quite, quite a bit, not only on the show, but throughout normal everyday life. In the book, he basically says the only way succeed is to stand out, right? If you land in London, you get your car and you just start driving north, right? And you're going through the country and you see cows and you're like, oh, cows, that's amazing. This is the story he tells in the book. And you look out the other side of the window, say, look, another flock of cows. And then look over there, an even bigger flock of cows. And you do that for two hours driving north. And after a while, trust me, you get sick of cows long before the two hour mark. After a while you're like, ah, another look, more cows, more cows. And then they get to be just every day because they become normalized. And Seth Godin in his book asked the question, he says, at what point would it be special again? And he said he imagines his son face pressed to the glasses. Whoa, look, a purple cow that. Two hours into the trip, after looking at hundreds and hundreds of cows, a purple cow is just about the only thing that's going to get anyone to turn their heads at the end of the day. That is what's happening in just about every major market, every major industry, but especially in restaurants. When somebody tries to talk to me about the quality ingredients or the skills of the chef or this, I just tune out. And I've been in this industry long enough to respect it all, but I still Tune out. It needs to be a real, clear differentiator, and quality is no longer a differentiator. Right. Farm to table. Great. All food comes from a farm. You're talking about a small farm. A small farm within an hour of the city. Fine, I got you. But that's not unique anymore. There are hundreds of restaurants that do just that. So the question is, what is your differentiator? Right. So I always talk about sushi. If I go to a sushi restaurant, just about any town in any state in this country, I can walk in and without even looking at the menu. And you know this is true. Without even looking at the menu, I can order a spicy tuna roll, a rainbow roll, a California roll, and a spider roll. My w. Sit down and have dinner. I know they're gonna have them. I can walk into five different sushi restaurants in any town in America and order the exact same thing and get a meal that is fairly similar. On the one hand, that's nice. That's soothing. But when you are trying to convince people to come to you as opposed to somewhere else, how do you convince them? By saying, well, we've got spicy tuna rolls, We've got rainbow rolls. And somebody says, yeah, so does that place. And that place is actually closer to my house. Oh, so does that place. And you know what? It's right near the dance studio where I pick up my daughter. Oh, yep. So does that place. That place is cheaper. You fill in the blank. The end of the day, you need a very clear differentiator. Differentiators can come in all kinds of different forms. We'll talk more about it, but really it has to do with the stories you tell. Now, your location could be a story, right? Your people, the owners, the people who work there, the guests that you take care of. That can be a story, right? If you're at the sushi restaurant. Restaurant right next to the dance studio, you have a relationship with that dance studio. That is a story. Question is, are you telling that story, and are you leveraging that story to be more successful? At the end of the day, you've got to come up with some way that you stand out, some way to set yourself aside. I was just talking to a client about just today. He's got, like, a lunch concept, a sandwich concept. And what happened is that, like, all the sandwiches, while great, look like sandwiches you could get just about anywhere else. And I said, where's the sandwich? I can't get anywhere else? Or where's the version of a BLT that is so unique that I'M like, oh, man, this is better than any other blt. I want to go there. I'm willing to pay a little bit extra, wait in line, and go out of my way to get it. That was the question I asked him. And now he's changing his entire structure. Right. They're still going to be at their core, that sandwich shop with really quality ingredients and all of that, but now they're gonna add something else. They're gonna be unique and differentiate it. And that's the challenge now that they're faced with over the Next, let's say 30 or 60 days, you face the same challenge. Chinese restaurants are just like every other Chinese restaurants, unless you tell me why they're different. I did some work for a company in New York City a couple years ago. It was called August Gatherings. And what was interesting is that they were right outside of Chinatown, and the chef had actually traveled all over the world and so had, you know, had worked in French kitchens and dr, German kitchens, had worked in all different kinds of Asian cuisine in the Philippines, in Thailand. Right. And so there was all these different flavors and techniques he brought back to help influence his version of Chinese cuisine. It wasn't just a typical Chinatown Chinese place. It was different. It was shaped by his travel. Right? And some people loved it and some people hated it. And he said, that's fine. If you don't like it, you're allowed to hate it. There are plenty of other places that have the regular kind of like you're used to the people who come to him to that place. August Gatherings are looking for something different, and that, I think, is a good thing. I want to talk about how we operationalize it, actually, how you put that into play in just a second after a word from another one of our sponsors. Now, Sterling Douglas is the co founder and CEO of a company called Chowley. Chowley does so much for this industry. And I want you to hear a little bit from Sterling.