Business Lessons from a Hot Dog Joint
Hot Doug’s is a hot dog joint in Chicago that closed on October 3rd. If you’re from Chicago or live in Chicago, you have to live under a rock to not have heard about the people camping out in front of the restaurant starting at 2:30 am, 8 hours prior to the restaurant opening to people charging $200 on Craigslist for spots in line. After reading about all of the hype and looking over the menu of hot dogs, I just had to get a taste.
On Friday, September 26th, I woke up at 7:15am, packed up my laptop, hotspot, book and drove on over to Hot Doug’s. I got there at 8:00 am, more than 2 hours before they opened thinking I would be pretty close to the front of the line. Boy, was I wrong. I was at least 150 people behind the first person in line and I ended up being in the middle of the line. I didn’t get served hot dogs until 2:30pm. Yes, I was in line for 6 hours but I don’t regret it one bit. The entire experience made me realize how a simple hot dog place can teach us one or two business lessons.
Determine what your purple cow is.
Often when I speak to aspirational entrepreneurs, I find that they all have one thing in common. They each want their companies to be the next big thing but their idea is usually similar to something that’s already in the marketplace. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel but you do need to determine what your purple cow is. What sets you apart and makes you better than your competitors? Hot Doug’s didn’t have shwanky decor, it wasn’t located in a prime location, nor did it serve booze. Hot Doug’s had a secret weapon that several other hot dog joints around the city didn’t. It’s purple cow was delicious unique hot dog’s accompanied by a great experience. Have you ever had a hot dog made with Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel or an andouille sausage hot dog named after Bo Derek and previously named after Madonna and Salma Hayek because it’s considered “mighty, mighty, mighty hot”? Unlike the Portillo’s of the world, Hot Doug’s positioned itself to do hot dogs the way its competitors couldn’t compete with.
Create an unforgettable experience.
The food in itself was unforgettable at Hot Doug’s but the moments leading up to eating were just as much. The employees were thoughtful and made sure to come out to express gratitude, tell everyone in each segment of the line how long they should expect to wait, pass out menus, and direct us to water and restrooms. I met a range of people willing to wait in line, each with a different story. From the regulars that wanted to stock up before the final days to the couple that were from Chicago but flew in from LA to get a final taste of a hometown staple. There was only one guy that took orders and that was Doug himself because he wanted to meet every single person that was willing to wait in line. Doug greeted me with a big smile and warm demeanor even though he had been working almost as long as I’d been standing in line. Then finally, taking that very first bite out of that first hot dog was like icing on the cake. How often can you recount an experience with a business down to every single detail? Make every experience your customer has with you unforgettable by determining what the ideal experience you’d want and giving that in return.
Build a brand that people want to talk about.
Many brands spend tons of money on creating buzz. I wouldn’t be surprised if Doug spent little to no money on marketing his business because he built a brand that people couldn’t resist talking about. From the excellent food to unforgettable experience, Hot Doug’s attracted the journalist needing a hot new story or the Yelp reviewer that wants to be known as adventurous. When you build a brand that’s unique and unforgettable, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on advertising because the best advertising you can ever get are the authentic experiences of individuals that touched your brand and are willing to share it.
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