The 80-20 rule is one of those general principles that applies across industries and organizations. The objective here was to identify a local business entrepreneur to examine his or her conception of the 80-20 phenomenon so I decided to speak to Marco, who owns a great local Italian restaurant in Brandon, FL called More Italian Bistro & Pizzeria.
Notice that this restaurant is located right next to one of the main theaters in the eastern Tampa suburbs. Therefore going into the interview, I thought that Marco would talk about the strategic location as a strength allowing him to focus on a more younger movie going clientele.
What I discovered is that Marco actually considered the strategic location somewhat of a disadvantage because his bistro is somewhere between a fast food chain and a formal sit down restaurant. He pointed out that the movie going crowd prefers fast food and Italian food takes more time to prepare. Instead, Marco focused on how he has striven to build a restaurant focused on the quality of ingredients that are local, organic, GMO free, etc. He feels that it took some time for the restaurant to communicate this message and build a strong and loyal following. It certainly has that now. I can personally attest to that.
Entrepreneur Interview - Marco
As you saw in the interview, Marco's main focus is delivering excellent food, prepared with the best ingredients, and of course with friendly service. He believes that this is what brings his target customers through word of mouth. He also has a website and a Facebook page to communicate the message.
I spoke to 3 customers and asked them if the location or the quality of the ingredients were their primary driving force for choosing More Italian. I felt that perhaps Marco underestimated the strategic location of his restaurant because he does offer food such as delicious burgers (my favorite), chicken wings, and pizza that fall within the fast food bucket and comprise the type of food that younger movie going audiences tend to gravitate towards.
Customer Interviews
The interviews clearly show that organic and ingredient quality are clearly the reasons for people choosing to eat at More Italian Bistro & Pizzeria. Even the younger patron felt the same way. It goes to show that Marco has it down pat. The main problem for his customers is the quality of ingredients and he has focused on it and solved it from day one.
Probably the best interviews I have seen so far! You seemed very attentive and your blog looks great! I too would think that the location plays a huge role in the customers that they receive. Here is a link to my blog if you are interested. http://ufstudentpost.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteFarrukh, I liked your post a lot. I enjoyed your interviews with both Marco and all the customers. I think Marco meets his customers needs very well by using only quality ingredients and that seemed to be a big factor for his customers. It's interesting that Marco doesn't find his location to be a good thing for his business because like you said his other food options are fast food like for those movie goers. Overall, great job on your interviews and I really enjoyed your post. Check out my blog! http://carolinemurray4343.blogspot.com/2016/02/twenty-percent.html
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