It happens here: Consumer-centric Innovation in Charlotte and beyond » retail and restaurants

2-minute mindmap – My love/hate relationship with Starbucks

Nheeda Enriquez — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:03:16 +0000

It’s been a while since I posted a mindmap, and although this doesn’t really count as one, I did take a little coffee break today and documented it. Starbucks is one of those places we all love to hate, yet hate to admit we love.

click for larger version

A quick visit to a recent past: Part 2

Nheeda Enriquez — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:44:03 +0000

I’m off traveling for a week, so I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit three “timeless” posts on broader innovation topics. The second is about recognizing clever “delighters” and why something so little can actually mean quite a lot.

Enjoy!
Nheeda

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Lunchtime delighter!
May 29, 2009

I’m always on the lookout for delighters, which are unexpected little features you find in products and service that can really make your day. They’re generally not widely advertised (ie “fastest processor in this price range of laptops!”) but are left to be discovered by a user who then goes on to spread the love and create buzz around the product (hence this blog post.)

I visited Lowes Foods for the first time to grab a quick sandwich, and I was delightfully surprised to find this handy bag, saving the typical deciphering of a deli counter that’s new to you: understanding the protocols, what’s available and at what price. I checked off the boxes for the different ingredients I wanted. Contrast this with the self-serve touchscreen at Jason’s Deli (or Wawa, for those from the northern part of the country.) It reminds us that sometimes a good solution for 80% of the population can be simple, low-tech, and inexpensive. AND it can help you carry your lunch.

Reverse Engineering a Fantasy Football draft party

Nheeda Enriquez — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:33:19 +0000

In honor of the NFL season kicking off this week, I highlight Scott Graf’s amusing story on WFAE about local bars that host groups who conduct their fantasy football drafts. Though I’m not an active fantasy sports fan myself, I know plenty of people who are, and I’ve always found this market and the tons of products that target them fascinating.

I do, however, like to fantasize about the conversations that marketing and development groups have when they’re trying to decide whether or not to try something a little more innovative and counter to what’s commonly done. Can you imagine what that Jetblue meeting was like when they were deciding if they should try its “All-you-can-Jet ” unlimited travel pass?

It probably wasn’t quite as hard to convince the management of Midtown Sundries or Hickory Tavern to create special packages for fantasy football leagues, it’s still fun to reverse engineer what they might have been thinking, and then use that to inspire other ideas.

Boy, what would the package for a celebrity funeral at an amusement park look like?

Microsoft Surface, but for food.

Nheeda Enriquez — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:49:14 +0000

The other day I had lunch at T1 Tapas, the restaurant affiliate of Charlotte-based T1 Visions, a runner-up of UNCC’s Five Ventures Competition earlier this year. The company uses the restaurant as a showcase for their display technology, which lives on a dining table in a booth and allows patrons to browse the menu, share images, listen to music, and watch TV, among other things.

In an era of the iPhone’s rich graphics and content, the simplified interface leaves a bit to be desired, but the display itself and its application in a restaurant are still pretty neat. You can spill a whole pitcher of iced tea on the glass surface and not feel too bad. Perhaps the next generation will look to ways that more strongly engage users with the technology, beyond the lounge atmosphere…I see extended applications with sports bars, kids birthdays, or scrapbooking parties.

Renting as a business model

Nheeda Enriquez — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:59:55 +0000

As a relatively new homeowner, I’ve spent some time thinking about the personal economics of renting vs. buying. Yesterday, during one of our weekly pilgrimages to Home Depot or Lowes, we were in the market for a 20′ ladder, but not so much the $250 price tag. I briefly considered alternative solutions, including renting. Here’s a Monday 2-Minute-Mindmap capturing the mental scan at the time. Lots of companies may be having a go at the rental business model, especially in a tough economy.

My favorite idea from this: a neighborhoood Spring Cleaning Olympics!

Lunchtime delighter!

Nheeda Enriquez — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:37:00 +0000

New needs in the air: Charlotte’s smoking ban

Nheeda Enriquez — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:35:14 +0000

To the delight of many and the chagrin of others, the state approved a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants yesterday. In January of 2010, I’ll have witnessed the ban go into effect into 3 different cities, including New York and Chicago. At a high level, establishments worry about losing smoking patrons (or for some, winning back their non-smoking ones.) On a more detailed level, new needs will arise when smokers must step outside to have a cigarette. I went ahead and defined a few of those needs from prior observations and discussions with bartenders and their regulars. Breaking it down into pieces helps answer the bar owner’s larger question: “How do I keep customers happy?”

One amusing solution comes from a friend from NYC, who places this sign on his glass when he steps out. And for those who think the market should determine how much smoking should be allowed, here’s a proposal for a pollution cap and trade plan per bar.

Innovating restaurant menus

Nheeda Enriquez — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:20:58 +0000

photo via cleveland.com

Contrary to popular belief, innovation actually loves extreme constraint. This economic downturn is an example of one, and many new companies were borne out of a recession. New business owners find compelling needs to fill, and they recognize that they must survive or die in challenging times. Starutps learn to fail and adjust quickly, adapting in ways that may not have been considered before.

New regulations are another type of constraint that force companies to innovate (whether or not they agree with it.) I’m in NYC this week, and I am reminded of a law instituted last year mandating restaurants to post the number of calories of each of their menu items. I’ve heard anecdotes of some restaurants changing recipes in order to keep the interest of customers with their newfound awareness of caloric content.

It also reminds me of a story I heard about Charlotte’s own Ratcliffe on the Green delivering more value to attract customers that now carry lighter wallets. Instead of sacrificing on the quality of their local ingredients, they’ve switched to a Brasserie-style menu, an interesting paradigm-shift that I hope to taste soon.