5 Most Important Things I Learned about Business, Working in my Korean Family's Restaurant (during Thanksgiving)

The city of Daegu lies about 275km south of Seoul in South Korea, with a population of around 2.5m it's the fourth largest city in the country.

It has a long history of textile industries, but the most famous things to come out of Daegu are foods. It seems whenever you mention Daegu, the instant association for most Koreans is Daegu Mak-chang (beef intestines).

But for 40 years there has been a street in one of the traditional neighbourhoods that has been specialising in one particular dish. The so-called ????? (Spicy Squid Salad Street) and that is where my parents-in-law run their restaurant called ????? (Pureun Raw Fish Restaurant).

The restaurant has over 999+ blog reviews, 4.46pts Naver rating, nominated as a "100-year Long Lasting Small Business" and recognised by the Republic of Korea Masters Association (??????).

If you know Korea, then you will know that shops/restaurants/cafes that last more than 3 years are rare. The turnover is enormous, so to have lasted since 1987 is a massive achievement.

Whenever there is a holiday and everyone wants to eat out, the restaurant is at its most busy. Like every Chuseok Holiday (Korean Thanksgiving) I spent the last few days in Daegu helping out. Seeing the restaurant operations behind-the-scenes gave me some insights, which I have collected here.

• 1. Do One Thing Incredibly Well

The restaurant does one main dish and 2-3 slight variations of the same dish. This has not changed in over 30 years. The unique handmade sauce has been crafted to perfection. The quality control is constant. The signature dish has become the thing that people travel hours to enjoy. This translates into our professional lives - get known for doing something (anything) incredibly well, be the go-to person for that thing and you will reap the benefits.

• 2. The Customer is King

It is inevitable that things cannot be perfect 100% of the time, so customer service should aim for the best and ensure that any deviation is corrected swiftly and in a positive way for the customer. I have seen my brother-in-law and mother-in-law go out of their way to resolve issues. Such as personally hand delivering by car to the customer when one item was left out. Or despite being closed, serving another customer who arrived late. The customer is not always right but should always be treated as well as possible. Remember customer is not only "paying customer" it can be your manager or anyone else you are doing work for.

• 3. Don't Delegate the Core Business - Do It Yourself

Since the restaurant my parents-in-law run employs more than 20 people they could easily sit back, take it easy and let others handle everything. But they do not, they still work 30 days out of 31! They still get up at the crack of dawn every single day to make sure everything goes well, this isn't micro-managing this is ownership. They are still involved in the core business and ensure everyone can do their own part. It's too easy to grow your business and then try to offload everything, you alone are the most experienced and competent in your business.

• 4. Speed Is Everything

If you don't do it quickly, then someone else will. The project you deliver first, or the response you give. The feedback ahead of others, that makes that candidate choose your company. No one complained about something being done too early, but being late is very commonly the factor to miss out on something. If you provide the solution or answer ahead of time you will surprise and delight them - win.

• 5. The Original can't be Copied

The original is special and highly valued because it can't be copied, nothing is as good as the original. The family restaurant had an opportunity to expand into Korean Department Stores last year but since the conditions of preparation were out of their control it deviated from the original and was not good enough. They soon stopped, and proudly claim "No franchise branches, only the original".

McDonalds adopted a different business model to make every Big Mac the same, by comprising on flavour and quality - we all know it's not the best ever burger, it's consistently the same which is what people looking for fast food want and accept for a low price and convenience. Size is not everything, quality and profitability generate sustainability for long term success.

Although I don't know anything about the restaurant business (my waiter experience as a teenager in a pub doesn't quite count) I can still keenly observe the operations, the customer service, the management and there's much to take-away (pun intended!).

My business is currently seven years old and I truly hope to keep doing it for as long as I can, bearing each of the above 5 factors in mind in everything we do.

I shall end with a summary quote by a titan Aldo Gucci, founder of one of the most recognisable brands ever:

"Quality is remembered long after Price is forgotten"

Thank you for reading my article!

If you are looking to hire talents:

https://jobs.rdiuk.com

Interested in your next career move, check out our jobs board:

https://jobs.rdiuk.com/job-openings

Follow for regular updates and insightful content on jobs, talent management and employer branding AND weekly Walk and Talk videos!