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#1
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Canada is becoming a lonely place
An article in 'Halifax Today' titled 'Canada is becoming a lonely place, and that’s good news for the food industry' says, "More than 28 per cent of Canadian households are home to one person only," and talks about how this is good news for the food industry. Not so much for restaurants, of course. A lot of people don't want to take themselves out to dinner. In the last paragraph of the article, it says:
But what could get overlooked is the power of food to bring people together. Whatever happens, this should never be forgotten. You can read the article here, but I'm not suggesting you put on planned dinners for singles, although you could if you wanted to. There's money in capitalizing on trends. I might suggest that a similar trend exists in the United States as well. So if you had a product or service that caters to this market, you have a very large target market. Think about it! How could you capitalize on this trend? Regards, Steve |
#2
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Two restaurants I went to regularly - that got customers chatting with each other...
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Very interesting! At most restaurants, the waiters, waitresses, and business owner all leave you alone... And that's what a lot of people want. However, there's a restaurant I knew where the owner and chef (it was the same guy) would come out and chat with people. And not only that... He'd chat with one customer, then chat with another customer, and before too long, the customers were chatting with each other! I used to love going there, and got to know a lot of people I'd otherwise not get to know. (I even went into business with a couple separate customers I met there...) Unfortunately, the restaurant closed about 3 years ago, as the owner had to deal with some business overseas in his country of origin... About 10 years ago, I spent about 4 months in South Korea. In an area of Seoul, called Itaewon, there used to be an Australian cafe, that served Australian food. The owner was an Australian - Tony - he used to be the drummer of a band called the Choirboys (from 1996–1997). The Choirboys had one huge hit that's still played on Australian radio. Tony came to South Korea to do a music gig... and ended up staying. (Though he moved back to Australia around 3 years ago I think.) This restaurant/cafe was the same. Tony would talk with all the customers, and before too long, the customers were all talking with each other. (Tony hired a chef, but he would tend bar himself.) He told me that his philosophy was that the restaurant was like his living room, and the customers were his guests. These are the only two places I've had this experience... My point is - these two restaurants were great for single people. The actions of the owner in each case - by chatting with all the customrs - got people talking with each other. I'd love to find another place like these! They're not only good for singles, but also for generally making friends, and finding people you could even work together with... (My opportunity as a band manager came from one of the customers of the first restaurant I mentioned, as he was a drummer. Another opportunity in the money transfer business came from a different customer of the same restaurant!) Best wishes, Dien
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#3
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Re: Canada is becoming a lonely place
Hi, Steve and Dien - well, just goes to show that we had a magic formula all those years ago when we ran our coffee shop - we often chatted to the customers and, because it was a small, intimate space, the whole room often got involved in the conversations.
Why didn't I see the trend/connections at that time??? Hidden gold .... Margaret
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#4
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Sounds like it was the place to be!
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It sounds like when you ran your coffee shop, it was the place to be! I'm sure if I'd have lived near there, I'd have been there on a regular basis! These kinds of places (in my experience), where customers can easily get to know one another (thanks to a friendly owner or staff, facilitating the conversation), are not so common... Best wishes! Dien
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