Matthew Fey,
VP, Creative Director
To truly stand out in today’s marketplace, you must do more than offer a product or service. You must create an experience, one that will resonate with customers. Don’t just serve, impress. Don’t just deliver, elevate. Make their time interacting with you something they cannot forget.
What can your brand do to craft an experience that will resonate? Here in Kansas City, barbecue is king. And no two establishments are exactly alike. These differences lead to distinct experiences, each as carefully crafted and cultivated as the barbecue recipes themselves.
Let’s take a look at three of KC’s most notable meateries – Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que and Gates Bar-B-Q – and explore how each delivers its own unique take on what barbecue means.
Bring a napkin…
1. Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue
White linens are not something you would normally associate with barbecue. Paper towels or napkins often spring to mind when you think of nabbing the sauce dripping off your chin. Not at Jack Stack Barbecue. No, this restaurant, with five Kansas City-area locations, the origins of which date all the way back to 1957, takes a different approach. What if you combined elegant dining with classic barbecue favorites? Jack Stack melds those two disparate concepts beautifully.
Instead of down-and-dirty, Jack Stack transforms barbecue into a sit-down affair, a true dining experience in an impressive atmosphere. Dark, heavy hardwood tables, rustic chandeliers, and, yes, nice linen napkins. Oh, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that Jack Stack serves incredibly high quality hickory smoked meats.
The wait staff, decked head-to-toe in black, do more than just bring a plate of meat to your table. They’re trained not just to know what’s on the menu, but how it gets from the pit to the plate. A wine recommendation from your server might seem out of place at other “BBQ joints,” but not here.
Jack Stack ignites a gourmet barbecue experience delivered at each and every moment, from the time you hit the door and smell that hickory smoke to your slow, stuffed, satisfied saunter on the way out. This attention to “white linen barbecue” has earned a congregation of devout worshippers of this impressive experience.
2. Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que
Before you cry accusations of barbecue snobbery, understand that there’s no intent to disparage “BBQ joints.” Some of the best spots proclaim their status proudly. They relish it! That’s the beauty of the Kansas City barbecue experience. Take Joe’s Kansas City (formerly Oklahoma Joe’s) for example. The polar opposite of Jack Stack. Instead of elegant restaurants, Joe’s opened its original KC location in 1996 within a fully operational gas station.
Yes, a gas station. Banks of gas pumps outside. Convenience store inside, sharing space with one of the best and most unique barbecue spots in town.
Forget the relaxed sit-down meal. Be prepared to stand in line and hover amongst cramped tables holding your brown tray of barbecue waiting to snag an open table. It’s all part of the experience of Joe’s. And it’s all worth it for the incredible food. The lunch rush guarantees you a decent wait in line, one that regularly snakes around the compact dining room, past the aisles of candy and chips by the gas station checkout counter and right out the front door. The wait? Worth it.
Joe’s offers no apologies for its line, makes no attempt to cram in more seating. The place celebrates its intimate vibe and rewards visitors from all across the country with barbecue that can stand against (or above) any in the city. Delicately smoked tender ribs, sublime sandwiches and the overflowing heavily seasoned bags of fries make the wait worth every salivating second.
Even though Joe’s opened two more locations in the suburbs of the greater Kansas City area, demand accelerates. Those slightly more traditional establishments still have lines for lunch, dinner and most any other time. However, they do not compare to the charm and unexpectedness of the gas station-occupied original. Joe’s cultivates this unique experience that literally has people lining up for more.
3. Gates Bar-B-Q
Like both Joe’s and Jack Stack, when you go to Gates Barbecue, be prepared for something completely different. First, be prepared to order…immediately. The boisterous attendants behind the counter will greet you with Gates signature greeting, “HI, MAY I HELP YOU?” And they mean it. If you’re not ready to order, they will jump past you and shout it at the next person.
If you go to Gates and haven’t had time to peruse the menu and are concerned about performance anxiety under the pressure of such aggressive friendliness, just shout back, “BEEF ON BUN!” This brisket sandwich slathered in Gate’s savory (with just a hint of spicy) sauce does not disappoint. Neither does the atmosphere.
One city. One food category. Three distinct experiences. Each of these barbecue restaurants garner acclaim not just for the food they serve but what happens inside the walls. The environment. The service. The uniqueness. The uncommon experience makes each a desired destination for entirely different reasons. Each has its fans, and in many cases advocates who swear by one for different reasons.
That loyalty transcends food.
In each of these scenarios, the experience reflects the brand. Not one of these fine establishments merely puts food on a plate and slings it to your table. They each craft a unique experience that resonates with customers, memorable moments that linger long after the food is gone.
Want help crafting your own delicious brand experience? Or would you rather argue about which is the best barbecue? Matt Fey is here for both. Call 913-236-8988 or email mattf@jschmid.com to talk brands and BBQ.
Tags: brand experience, branding, Customer Experience, kc bbq, Matthew Fey, Strategy