Navigating the Economic Downturn. Embracing Creativity and Staying True to Our Brand

The past 18 months has been an unprecedented, never ending challenge for the hospitality industry. As the economy struggles and costs continue to rise, businesses are faced with the daunting task of surviving amidst uncertainty. As the leader of our small group of restaurants, I have chosen a deliberate path for us that embraces innovation, creativity, and a commitment to maintaining our brand integrity. We are very much still in the mud, but I’m focussed on how we can turn challenges into triumphs, adapt to the market conditions, and remain true to our core values.

In times of economic downturn, it’s easy to succumb to panic and join the race to the bottom.

Many businesses start compromising on quality, value, and even their brand identity in a desperate attempt to stay afloat. However, as a premium brand, I’m doing my very best to resist this temptation. It not only because it’s what our guests know and love about us, but we have invested so much time to get here, to create something we are all proud of, I’m determined to protect this.

It is essential to remember that survival does not mean sacrificing what we have worked so hard to create. To navigate these uncertain times successfully, I have turned to creativity and innovation. By staying true to our brand while pushing the boundaries of what we can offer, we can create a compelling and intriguing propositions for our customers.

In a highly competitive market, simply relying on traditional marketing techniques hasn’t been enough.

We’ve needed to adopt a Cirque du Soleil-level of marketing gymnastics to grab our audiences attention.

We’ve worked on improving the variety and quality of what we are offering to captivate our guests and we’ve offered enhanced experiences to create unforgettable moments. Social media, has never been more important to allow us to deliver engaging storytelling about what we are doing. 

These tough times have surprisingly created some business value for us. We have been forced to reevaluate and reassess every aspect of our business. We have discovered new opportunities, identified areas for improvement and very importantly, cost saving and unearthed hidden talents within our team. By embracing this mindset of continuous learning and growth, we have been able to adapt in the face of adversity. Of course whether this is strong enough to protect us long enough to get to the other side of this challenging period, only time will tell, but we’re somehow entraining ourselves whilst we find out.