Love Thy Neighbour...Even if they are your Competitor

It is getting more and more apparent that the hospitality industry is going to be responsible for its own survival. I'm not going to get into whether I agree with the restrictions or whether we should be wearing masks. There is enough on Facebook and Instagram to keep us all going for years. What I am talking about is, despite your opinion on these things, the reality is they are here and if we do not try and do something about them, then who will.

I continue to look for stories that show organizations in our industry doing this very thing, and to my delight, they are not that hard to find. They just don't get the same sort of media play that the negative stories do. A testament to what sells these days. And don't get me wrong, I know there are A LOT of sad and heartbreaking stories to tell. There are 10 000(so far) in Canada and countless more in the US and around the world.

But what if we took the approach of sharing some of the good things that are going on. The restaurants that are finding ways to survive because they refuse to give up and are fighting to stay alive. And it is a fight, every hour of every day. But, they are doing it. What if talking about these hard fighting restaurants gave others the will to fight and the ideas they needed to survive? Maybe, just maybe we wouldn't have as many sad stories to tell.

Now, I have said before that we are a community and as a community we need to support each other to survive. And it can be the simple things that help us do that. They do not always have to be big money ideas.

I was recently reading a story and ad from 5 restaurants who have taken the concept of community to heart. These are competing businesses that are fighting for every dollar they get, but who realize that they are stronger together than they are on their own. It was a very simple idea and in this time of giving, a pretty good one. They developed a program where offered a "Local Bundle of Gift Cards" and each restaurant would sell them, a value of $120 for $100.

With the social distancing we are all dealing with, gift cards are an easy git to pick up and share with our friends and family. This way you can give that loved one the gift of leaving the house, even if just for curbside pickup, and the experience of some great local cuisine. Everybody wins!

Even large International brands are getting into this. Say what you want about Burger King but their recent plea to go visit McDonalds or Wendy's and then the announcement last week about lending their instagram page for BK France to independant restaurants..awesome!! They understand that we need these independant and competing restaurants to survive. Good competition keeps us stronger, hungrier and focused. When there is competition, the Guest wins. Will BK get some financial wins by doing this, probably. But, that does not take away from the fact that they did it in the first place. I say Kudos BK!

I want to hear more of these types of ideas so that I can share them out. That is why I developed Great Minds Sessions. Hospitality leaders from around the world getting together to share ideas and best practices in the hopes of helping someone else survive. This is open to everyone. Join us on January 26th, 5pm CST, by visiting the events tab on my LinkedIn page or by emailing me at dadair@a-chospitality and I will send you the link. Let's continue to work together as a community and make 2021 an amazing year!!