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Family-owned food-service companies know, and live, several well-known business adages: Listen to the customer. The customer is always right. Remain flexible. Success relies on having repeat customers. "You're doing pretty well if your customers return two or three times a month," said Scott Taylor, who with Burton Gregory owns The Star Neighborhood Bar and Grill, 3100 Broadway in Paducah. The Star opened last fall. Gregory's aunt owned the restaurant when it was known as The Twinkling Star in the 1930s. "If you don't have repeat customers then you need a large population to keep a restaurant busy," Taylor said. Restaurateurs say the soft economy has changed customers' dining preferences. Dining out gives people a chance to get away from daily or weekly routines or problems. In a strong economy, a restaurant meal usually is about luxury. So the customer has a choice: dine lavishly once a month or use that money to enjoy a pleasant meal three times a month. Another business reality is customers can spend their money at any restaurant. Owners say they need to give people a reason to eat and frequent their restaurants. Lowering food prices rarely solves the problem in a dynamic market. Competitors also can lower their prices. The belief is an increase in customers will offset the lower profit margins per customer. Lower prices is a short-term solution. Eventually owners must restore the original prices. They still have to pay salaries, utilities and grocery bills. Getting repeat customers requires several factors to work together. Pleasing customers "We had to change the menu about 45 days after we opened," Taylor said. A few customers loved peel-and-eat shrimp. The problem was The Star was paying too much for shrimp and could only buy it in bulk. Sales indicated customers preferred sandwiches and hamburgers. Club sandwiches and Reubens were the most popular. Taylor dropped shrimp from the menu, increased sandwich supplies, and added more fries and chips. Patti's 1880s Settlement in Grand Rivers made similar changes as it expanded. Owners Bill and Patti Tullar opened a single restaurant, Patti's. "Originally it was a hamburger and ice cream shop," said manager Terri Cowart. When the Tullars opened a second restaurant — Mr. Bill's — managers noticed fewer customers at Patti's. People preferred Mr. Bill's rib dinners. "Now the restaurants have the same menu because we don't want to turn any customers away," Cowart said. Patti's serves 650 to 700 people on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer, Cowart said. About 500 people dine at the restaurants on weekdays. During cold weather, Patti's caters large parties and group events. Some draw 500 people, who consume the entire Settlement. Total experience Patti’s has a unique problem: Its customers—who return four to eight times a month — sometimes wait 45 to 90 minutes to get a table. Many come from other cities and don't know reservations are needed, Cowart said. The Tullars realized early that they had to keep patrons occupied during their wait. If not, people ordered take-out or ate elsewhere. A miniature golf course, children's playground, walking trails and novelty shops were the solution. "The owners already owned a lot of the surrounding land, so they built the grounds to help the customers," Cowart said. "We tell our servers to listen to customers and to understand where we may have faulted," Cowart said. Servers, who have freedom to make changes to keep customers happy, often get advice from managers when patrons aren't looking.
Relax, linger Johanna Rhodes usually stays out of sight in the back office while her daughter, Jean, manages Etcetera Coffeehouse in Paducah. She said she can't give a specific reason why customers like the colorful, artsy store that she and husband Allan opened in 2006. "It feels comfortable, I like it here, and people usually spend a few hours in the cafe," Rhodes said. She never thought the coffee shop would become so popular. Rhodes, a former Paducah Tilghman High School teacher, thought she would sell one or two coffees a day as she sat behind a counter reading a book. Today the cafe's main location at 320 N. Sixth St. sells about 900 drinks a week, excluding food and desserts. Business was good enough to open a second store, at 118 S. Second St. A few of the baristas — those who make specialty coffee drinks — know customers by name. "The store just evolved," Rhodes said. She and her husband wanted to be a part of the LowerTown Arts District, as well as to display student art. The Rhodeses asked a few people for advice, listened to customers and blended the suggestions into the store. Rhodes brought in a dark wooden bookshelf to add character. Art students paint and decorate coffee tables, where customers linger and talk while enjoying drinks. "The tables are a little colorful and artsy," Rhodes said. Other customers asked about a literature night where local writers could read their work aloud. "They said there was an echo (in the room) and asked for a carpet," Rhodes said. Some customers wanted to enjoy drinks outside. The couple bought a few patio tables, sun umbrellas and built a back patio with a couple of shade trees. "It's really an organic business where you build a life with your customers," Rhodes said. Customer service: deal sealer Rhodes agreed with Cowart and Taylor that customer service is paramount. "I'd like you to feel so comfortable that you let your hair down and relax for a while," she said. There are plenty of catch phrases: Be friendly, the customer comes first, have a good attitude. All the managers said success depends on relationships. Patti's customers are treated like family, Cowart said. The Star should be a place for close friends, Taylor said. "Just be honest with other folks and let them have a good time." Contact journal staff writer Michael de los Reyes at 270-575-8652.
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