Making Better Fries - A Story of Social Media and Small Business

Charlie owns a few things, a wholesale bakery, a few burger joints, some other odds and ends.  And he checks regularly for mentions of his businesses on the web.  Yelp, blogs, google reviews, where ever.

Charlie replies to every review, every mention of his companies.  He understands that social media is a conversation and not an invasion.

But he also understands that it's not just a conversation to be grudgingly participated in.  He knows that real market research, real customer feedback, is coming out of these reviews.

So, when Yelper John C. of Pemberton, BC reviewed Charlie's Blue Moon Burgers in Seattle's South Lake Union neigborhood and said this:

The fries at first were great, but they got a bit soggy and mushy as I dug into the heaping portion.

Charlie knew he needed to do something.

Blue Moon Burgers uses all organic ingredients, which means that the fries they are making for you are hand cut from organic potatoes.  They aren't bred in a lab or reconstituted for perfect fryability.  They are actual potatoes actually being fried in actual organic and natural oil.

The reason that products like oil and potatoes are so engineered today is to make them have the consistency and taste people want at the expense of health.

But, Charlie wanted real food and he wanted it to taste good.

So Charlie gets on the horn and calls his various suppliers and starts experimenting.  Different oils, different temperatures, different cooking times.  What combination would give people the best real french fries while not making the fries cost $30 a plate? 

Good oils have short shelf lives and have short lifecycles.  If you have to change out the oil too much, fries become expensive fast.

After a bunch of experimenting, Blue Moon ends up with a combination that allows everyone to be happy.  Good fries, good prices.  Good outcome.

While it only takes up a few minutes to type or read this, consider that a fairly random review on Yelp caused a man to rethink a major element of his menu, gather people to brainstorm options, test those options and then arrive at a new and better product. 

And consider this from both sides.  Business owners should note that it didn't take a long look for Charlie to verify that this reviewer was correct and that action was warranted.  The reviewer gets confirmation that their opinion mattered, the community knows that they're not just Yelping to each other - they're Yelping for change.  And that the change can be positive.

Technorati Tags: yelp,blue moon burgers,social media,social networking,restaurants,restaurant management

Comments

[Jay Fienberg]

It's a good story, but I wonder about the dynamic where a restaurant patron doesn't report their dissatisfaction directly to the restaurant. I know I don't usually do this either, so I am not assuming that direct conversation is an ideal being replaced by lesser social-media "conversation."

But, what are the ingredients that make this intercommunication work?

There's a mix involving the individuals as well as some kind of public that allows free speech. And, that latter element is perhaps essential?

So, part of my question is: is the medium of exchange helpful more because of its public-ness than because its social-ness?

[Jim Benson]

Perhaps, but the social-ness is what adds impetus to the review process. You review because the community will see it and be smarter. But, also, Yelp is great at rewarding people for reviewing.

They allow people three different ways to comment on your reviews:

- Useful, funny, cool (just voting)
- Leaving longer text comments to say more (also categorized)
or
- Private messages

You have friends who are instantly aware you've reviewed something. And your reviews are shown on the home page for the city you are yelping in.

The social-ness of Yelp is intrinsic to its success. Many other disjointed review sites have failed. Yelp's momentum is generated by it's excellent social engine.

[Jay Fienberg]

Let me rephrase: would Yelp "work" if it weren't public?

I am not doubting that Yelp has an excellent social engine--and I am not trying to imagine the removal of social-ness from that engine. But I am wondering whether public-ness is intrinsic to the successful operation of that engine?

The essence of the thing I am wondering about is around the fact that the reviewer and the restaurant owner don't have to be "friends" to have this mutually beneficial exchange.

And, in more abstract terms, relative to this exchange, I am wondering about the importance of the reviewer's ability to broadcast to an attentive public that includes the restaurant owner, vs the reviewer's ability to update their "friends" about their experience.

[Jay Fienberg]

Oh, another way to think about it:

If LinkedIn had the social engine of Yelp, it might collect useful reviews between "friends" (connected by social network), but still exclude the participation of people like the restaurant owner (connected in public, but not by social network).

[Dave]

Since I am computer-challenged and not living in a big yelping city, I did not know until this post about yelp, yet I wish I had known about it on recent trip to Minneap. I think yelp is particularly essential for a small business owner, as from what I gather most yelpers are 1) into sharing their experiences in a thoughtful manner (who deosn't like being a food/nightlife/social critic?) and 2) into experiencing diverse surroundings--not going to Applebee's to dinner, for instance. Although the occaisional yelp may be rather innane (I came across one for Jimmie John's sandwiches) mostly they review places that are not on the radar for people vistiting a place (note that some of the more interesting yelps come from people just passing thru a town, not by the locals). So, obviously yelp would not work if it were not public, in fact I see it as the main reason for its existence; a savvy business owner whose clientele includes tech-connected people will find this useful

[Edward Vielmetti]

Let me give another example of a restaurant working with (not against) the folks who review it.

Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor ("cheaper than food") has a loyal local following, and has gotten some measure of national attention. It has a page on its own web site

http://blimpyburger.com/reviews.htm

linking to reviews.

You'll see at the bottom of that list a link to Arborwiki - and indeed there's a whole wiki page at

http://arborwiki.org/city/Blimpy_Burger

with more details and more reviews and photos etc.

There's lot of talk about "user generated content" on the net. What business owners need to also be visibily aware of is "user generated discontent", and be prepared to listen to it when it appears.

[Jim Benson]

Excellent comments down the line.

Dave - I completely agree.

Jay - Yes, the broadcast and instant topical public sharing of Yelp is the key to its success over the closed social network. However, Yelp's ability to reward its social network both in terms of vibrancy and direct rewards is also crucial. They have good balance.

Ed - Thanks for the Blimpy Burger story. That will really come in handy. And if anyone wants to see Blimpy Burger for themselves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVTcAkfuRFw