Why you need a customer list (a lesson from a restaurant!)

[Dien Rice]

I thought some Sowpubbers might find this experience interesting...

A friend of mine owns a restaurant. His is a pretty small operation, and he recently had to go overseas for a few months. He had to drastically reduce the restaurant's hours while he was away (during that time, only his wife was there to run it, and she couldn't be there in the evenings or weekends).

He came back, and he found his regular clientele had disappeared...

They had gotten out of the "habit" of coming to his restaurant. They'd come, and he'd be closed. So they got out of the habit of coming.

Now that he's back, he has to rebuild his customers again.

Of course, once some of them know he's open again, they'll come again. However, this shows the importance of a customer list!

That is, a customer list where you can contact them!

He doesn't have this. So he has no way of easily contacting all his old customers.

However, if he had a customer list - such as an email list, or even a list of real mailing addresses he could physically mail a letter to - he could get all his old customers walking in the door in the next few days or week. As it is, it will take a lot longer for the old customers to know his doors are open again, and that he's back in business.

There's a lesson to be learned here, I think...!

Best wishes!

Dien