During my forty years in the retail industry, I’ve found that successful operators are the ones that have the ability to rethink a solution to a problem. Take, for example, the situation that Jamal Rasoully, the founder of the Halal Shack, told us about in the latest CFVG Vision Report Rethinking Foodservice Around Real World Constraints.
In his presentation, Jamal related how he did not have any formal foodservice training and taught himself how to cook by re-creating recipes that he liked. When presented with a challenge, he figured it out
Jamal showed the same resourcefulness when he saw the business opportunity that he ultimately transformed into The Halal Shack. When Jamal won the contract to open a foodservice kiosk in the University of Albany’s food court, Jamal had no brand and no plan. What he had was a space and an opportunity.
So, as Jamal says, he “reverse engineered” a business which has now grown to 76 locations and four different food brands. He approached the opportunity by finding the intersection of three questions. The first was what kind of food offering was missing from the food court that students would want? The second question was what were the physical limitations of the space and what was the best equipment that would work in that space? The third question was how could he create a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure that the offer was consistent and would have legs?
After trial and error, Jamal has successfully created a program that can be modified into whatever physical location that is available, whether it is in a college food court or an airport terminal.
This is what I think is so fascinating about Jamal’s story – he created a unique solution to the challenge he was given. The answer is often not “how do I fit this piece of equipment into this space” but “what is the best equipment that does what I want it to do that will fit into this space?” The distinction in the thought process is subtle but the results can be profound.
Too often retailers try to shoehorn an existing concept or program into a space that won’t accommodate it. Most often, the result is either a sub-par offering or a menu that is more limited than the original concept. Either way, customers can be disappointed when their expectations are not met.
The key is creating the best solution that will work inside the box that you are given. Maybe there isn’t enough space for your MTO sandwich program. Will a fried chicken or pizza program work better? If you can’t fit the standard equipment that you normally use, can you modify it or is there an alternative that can be bought rather than trying to make a something fit that will degrade the end product?
The key is to keep an open mind inside the closed box.
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