Brand Lessons Learned From Tabitha’s Take Over
This past Saturday I was watching Tabitha’s Take Over on Bravo TV and before I knew it realized that this reality show had sucked me in big time! Why? If you haven’t seen the show before here’s the premise: Tabitha Coffey, a successful hair salon owner from Australia, is requested by a failing business owner to come for a visit to help the business rebound.
Today’s episode, a rerun, was about a failing cafe in Sherman Oaks, CA called Cafe Treats. Without recapping the entire episode I want to share with you some key observations that I think many businesses can benefit from:
1) You must be deeply involved in your business if you want it to be successful.
This seems like a very “duh!” statement, but from what I’ve observed in the businesses around me it’s not that evident. The business owner, Veronica De Messina, had two additional successful businesses so the fact that she had one that wasn’t working was a challenging surprise.
2) You need a clear brand offering
When Tabitha arrived at Cafe Treats the menu had nearly 100 items. The specialty was fish tacos but customers complained about the menu having too many other types of cuisine available. The restaurant was open for breakfast and lunch, but not dinner. By taking a visit to a successful local restaurant in town and getting some advice from its owner Veronica was able to scale down her menu, offer cuisine authentic to her skills and Mexican culture and realized profit opportunities that she didn’t have with the old model.
3) You need a supportive brand name
This one was my favorite, because you know how much I like naming. Cafe Treats would lead you to believe you’re going to walk into a restaurant full of treats right? Well, right… when Veronica founded the cafe it was mostly for quick and easy eats. As the business evolved and customers gave their input she realized they wanted more. The business changed, but the name didn’t, so there was a disconnect. It was Tabitha (love this lady) who suggested that she change the name. The name Cafe De Mexico became the new name, along with an entire redesign of the restaurant’s interior as well.
What can you do this week to benefit from this insight? Monitor how deeply involved in your business you actually are, examine how clearly you are communicating your core offering and examine if you name sets you up to achieve your goals.
Leave a comment below and let me know how it goes, ok?
-Beatrice
