Reminds me of this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17378673
Too much success too quick is always bad I guess.
I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
31–40 of 410 posts
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#32I wonder if raising prices quite a bit would have helped.
Not likely. The issues were far deeper than cash flow. The new business was primarily one and done visitors anyway. By the time you've made the trip to the foodie Mecca of Portland and traveled across town to try the "country's best burger" would you really be deterred by a $15 price tag vs $10? How much would you have to raise the price to make that work? How do you do this without forever alienating your loyal loca…
There is a fancy burger place near me that only serves a fixed number of customers per day. It is famous for the chef kicking people out for bringing children, dressing disrespectfully, and being offended for other random reasons. They gave out a membership card that allowed regulars to be seated immediately and avoid the daily limit.
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#33I wonder if raising prices quite a bit would have helped.
Not likely. The issues were far deeper than cash flow. The new business was primarily one and done visitors anyway. By the time you've made the trip to the foodie Mecca of Portland and traveled across town to try the "country's best burger" would you really be deterred by a $15 price tag vs $10? How much would you have to raise the price to make that work? How do you do this without forever alienating your loyal loca…
I think it would be interesting to try surge pricing with a twist: Keep menu prices the same, but when a line forms, require people eating at the restaurant to donate to a worthy charity. The price mechanism continues to function, but people feel good about paying more instead of feeling ripped off.
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not likely. The issues were far deeper than cash flow. The new business was primarily one and done visitors anyway. By the time you've made the trip to the foodie Mecca of Portland and traveled across town to try the "country's best burger" would you really be deterred by a $15 price tag vs $10? How much would you have to raise the price to make that work? How do you do this without forever alienating your loyal loca…
There is a fancy burger place near me that only serves a fixed number of customers per day. It is famous for the chef kicking people out for bringing children, dressing disrespectfully, and being offended for other random reasons. They gave out a membership card that allowed regulars to be seated immediately and avoid the daily limit.
[deleted]
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#35People are lemmings. Franklin's BBQ in Austin has hours long lines. It's very good brisket. The hill country of Texas is FILLED with equally good brisket joints that don't have lines. People who wait in line for 4 hours won't admit this. Cognitive dissonance kicks in, and Franklin's is unique and better than everyone else in their minds. Try telling a person that their Bose headphones are overpriced and overrated, an…
The most confusing thing about the line at Franklin's is you can just order it to go and skip the line entirely. Granted, you have to plan ahead a bit, but who's deciding at the spur of the moment to go eat lunch at Franklin's anyway?
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#36Sorry, my engineering my mind craves a solution. Wouldn't forcing people into an asynchronous online/mobile queue be the best solution? You can favour verified locals if you want there, control exactly how many orders you take in, and nip any potential disappointments (leading to bad Yelp reviews) right in the bud.
I've trekked to enough "Best in " places and been the "outsider" grumbling waiting outside in a giant lineup (or being at the front of the line at 9am), to know that it is a cherished experience while travelling, giving you a piece of local flare, and like many problems a focussed effort could help it scale properly.
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#37People are lemmings. Franklin's BBQ in Austin has hours long lines. It's very good brisket. The hill country of Texas is FILLED with equally good brisket joints that don't have lines. People who wait in line for 4 hours won't admit this. Cognitive dissonance kicks in, and Franklin's is unique and better than everyone else in their minds. Try telling a person that their Bose headphones are overpriced and overrated, an…
do you know of a pair of better/cheaper over the ear noise cancelling headphones?
Came to say the same thing. I'm not exactly an audiophile, but being able to listen to an audio book at less than 110% volume while walking next to a busy road is fantastic.
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#38I wonder if raising prices quite a bit would have helped.
Not likely. The issues were far deeper than cash flow. The new business was primarily one and done visitors anyway. By the time you've made the trip to the foodie Mecca of Portland and traveled across town to try the "country's best burger" would you really be deterred by a $15 price tag vs $10? How much would you have to raise the price to make that work? How do you do this without forever alienating your loyal loca…
Charge normal prices for anyone who shows an ID with an address in the state, double or triple it for anyone else.
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#39People are lemmings. Franklin's BBQ in Austin has hours long lines. It's very good brisket. The hill country of Texas is FILLED with equally good brisket joints that don't have lines. People who wait in line for 4 hours won't admit this. Cognitive dissonance kicks in, and Franklin's is unique and better than everyone else in their minds. Try telling a person that their Bose headphones are overpriced and overrated, an…
Holy crap, Salt Lick BBQ was a let down when I was in Austin.
We would have been better served going anywhere else, and will be sure to do so the next time I'm down there!
Re: I Found the Best Burger Place in America, Then I Killed It
#40Reminds me of a Nathan For You episode that lampoons the idea of ranking something as subjective as a burger.
Nathan convinces the owner of a burger joint in LA to go on a popular local radio station and promise that he has the best burger in LA, and offer $100 to anyone who eats there and disagrees. The comedy in this is apparent to pretty much anyone, but people will still refer to different restaurants as 'the best'.