Outback Listens To Its Customers. Do You?

A great article in USA Today entitled Takeout Takes Off (is that a POP! title or what?) showcases Outback Steakhouse as being one of the first casual restaurant chains in the country to offer curbside pickup. The reward for being visionaries? A hefty $300 million annually in takeout orders.


What's interesting about this article is that it points out that P.F. Chang's (an "upper-end China Bistro") initially "snubbed its nose at takeout." It actually discouraged customers from requesting food to go which resulted in their top complaint being poor marks for poor takeout service.


P.F. Chang CEO Richard Federico realized they were in the business of meeting their customers' needs, not arguing with them. They now have a dedicated takeout area in each location with a person on staff who does nothing but handle takeout. Voilla. Some Chang outlets now do 20% of their business in takeout.


What's the point?


Comedian Drake Sather said, "My girlfriend tells me I never listen to her. I think that's what she said."


Are you listening to your customers or ignoring them?


Do you have an example of a business that does a great job of listening to its customers? I'll give a free copy of POP! Stand Out in Any Crowd to the first 3 people who write in with a story about a company that goes above and beyond to meet and exceed its customers' needs.