…one of the currently hot restaurants in Sydney.
I was in the City yesterday to catch up with clients. After that I had some time on my hands and as it was early evening I decided to grab dinner at the “Din Tai Fung”.
This Taiwanese based restaurant chain has become quite trendy in Sydney lately. It’s famed for…
…its steamed dumplings and has gathered praise and plaudits around the world (the New York Times reckoned it one of the world’s “Top 10 Restaurants” a few years back).
Now, this isn’t a restaurant review, as such. I will say, the food was great (I sampled the Pork Dumplings and a couple of other dishes) and I’ll be back (didn’t have time for the very tempting desserts).
As a marketer and copywriter, of course I’m always interested to see how the business runs and how they treat their customers. Particularly when the business is as successful as “Din Tai Fung”.
The place was busy when I arrived so I had to wait a few minutes. While waiting, I was given a menu plus an order form where I could make my selection if I wished. Might sound odd and a little “takeaway” style but it struck me as a good idea.
After a few minutes I was taken to my place. The atmosphere could best be described as “bustling”. Tables are shared with other diners if there isn’t a separate table available.
When I sat down, a waitress quickly brought up a folding stand where I could place my bag and promptly placed a covering over the top. Similarly when I took off my jacket and hung it over the back of my chair, a cover was quickly placed over the jacket. Very thoughful.
After placing my order (simply tick off what you want on the menu) I took time to look around the restaurant. The clients were predominantly Chinese and I felt like I was back in Hong Kong where I once lived. The staff were very attentive but it was a little bizarre that most of them had earpieces which created something of a “Secret Service” appearance!
Once the waiter has taken the order, they leave the form on the table (much as when you have Yum Cha) and I noticed they have a feedback form plus an invitation to leave a business card. “Ah ha!” I thought. A restaurant that knows how to build a list. Unfortunately, they blew it when I asked for the bill because the form disappeared when the bill returned. Oh well.
Service was great. Speedy and attentive without being intrusive. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed my visit and I’ll be sure to return.
I took the time to look at the “Din Tai Fung” website to find out a little more about the company. I think a clue to their success might be in this principle of the founder…
“Focusing on the taste of food is far more valuable than the profit and one needs to be persistent in one’s business because a fine reputation does not come by itself.”
One closing thought. The company’s success seems to have come largely from word-of-mouth recommendations. As a maketer, I’m appalled that they do not seem to place too much emphasis on marketing!
However, they have carved out a very clear niche for themselves as the place for steamed dumplings. They are very serious about their dumplings (“Creating steamed dumpling is not just a technique, but an art”) and it shows.
So, they do have a very clear USP and it strikes me that this is a large part of their success.