It's no secret that the majority of TV I watch is on the Food Network. Not because I particularly love cooking or am particularly above-average at it, but because I Love Food.
So when I got an invitation last week to meet with Burgerville CEO Jeff Harvey at the Salmon Creek Burgerville restaurant, did I hesitate to take the meeting? No, I did not.
Burgerville, as I'm sure most of you know, started a program (for lack of a better word) of picking one seasonal food per month and creating two menu items to showcase the food, which are only available for that month.
As Harvey explained, the program has been widely successful in its missions: to highlight fresh local food and to entice the highly sought after 18-to-30 demographic, but also to surprise people.
Surprise people? OK…but why?
Burgerville already has a rotational seasonal menu – pumpkin milkshakes in the fall, Walla Walla sweet onion rings in the summer, etc. – and people like the anticipation, Harvey said.
So the decision was made to build on the anticipation. It's about paying attention to what guests are saying – and trying something new.
If it doesn't work, at least you've learned something, Harvey said.
He's telling me this as Chef Mike Vine (general manager at my go-to Burgerville on Fourth Plain Boulevard and Fort Vancouver Way) brought out a tray of the then-yet-to-be-public June strawberry menu items and let me tell you, I was surprised.
In front of me was a strawberry sandwich. Strawberries soaked in balsamic vinegar with goat cheese and arugula on panino bread. It didn't taste like food from a burger joint and it might be my favorite thing I've ever put in my mouth.
That said, I was reminded of this conversation when early this week I was chatting with Benno Dobbe, owner of Woodland-based Holland America Bulb Farms (and subject of Gina Bacon's Page 1 profile). Dobbe, who knows what it's like to start a business in the midst of a recession, told me that one of the keys to running a successful business is creativity.
And now is the time when creativity is essential to staying ahead of the competition – and surviving. So think outside the box and listen to ideas from customers and employees and be innovative, he said.
Granted, it is a bit of a luxury to be able to experiment with every viable idea that comes up, because often those ideas require resources to get them off the ground. But these two guys – who represent two successful Southwest Washington businesses – know what they're talking about and we can't afford not to listen.
