What the Consumer Does and Doesn't See

Looking back on the previous blog, I can say that how an establishment presents them self and how they act can greatly impact how much business they will get from consumers. This seems obvious, but there are many factors that can influence a consumers decision to give a company their business. For instance, location is a huge factor that will determine if a company will be successful, but it can go even further than that. If you offer a distinct service or have little competitors, your location will not be as important.

For instance, many steakhouses in Montana are far out of the way. The Broad Ax is a prime example. This steakhouse is located near Sula, MT (Which is barely a town on it's own). The nearest town with a grocer is about an hour away. How do they stay in business? Not only do they offer great meals, but they also provide an extraordinary atmosphere. They are located in a canyon surrounded by nothing but mountains, trees, and wildlife with the exception of a few homes. They embrace this and, in my opinion, made their surroundings a part of their business. Not only do they provide food to their consumers, but they also provide their customers with a pair of binoculars to allow them to get a better view of the deer, big-horn sheep, and other animals that make frequent appearances.

For locations that have immediate competition, there are far more factors that can influence how much business you will get. For instance, the way you upkeep your establishment can greatly impact whether or not a customer will walk through the front door. An eatery with a clean parking lot, facade, and neat landscaping will gather far more customers than an eatery with just a few pieces napkins in the parking lot and finger-print covered windows (the finger-prints may not have an immediate impact, but could hinder one to be a repeat-customer as they may have a subconscious feeling that they would be returning to a dirty facility).

By expanding on the facade, I will provide another example. Materials, colors and logos will also greatly impact an establishment with many competitors. Certain colors evoke certain feelings and are a more important factor to the success of a business than one might think. For instance, imagine if Subways colors were red and yellow instead of green and yellow. You may not think it, but it's not far fetched to say that you would eat there less often. The colors green and yellow symbolize a clean and fresh feeling while red and yellow symbolize something more along the lines of a classic feeling. Fast food establishments such as McDonald's and Burger King can capitalize on using the red and yellow color scheme because they provide more classic fast food entrees and have had those colors since their beginnings. In terms of materials, it is important that establishments refresh their look occasionally to keep up with the times. A face lift is a great way to signify innovation and success within a company to the consumer. For instance, Taco Bell has used stucco siding on their buildings to express their Mexican nature, but more recently have started to use new materials and colors on their buildings. They are starting to go for a clean, modern look by using more metal on the exteriors of their buildings.

Those are just a few examples of the endless factors that will both consciously and subconsciously impact how consumers view an establishment. This is a very interesting area of study that is really starting to reveal ways to capitalize on consumers, especially in the food industry.