Red's - A Community Built Business

I've been on vacation and, frankly, not doing a whole lot of thinking about social media or community.  However, I did eat a lot of lobster and got the experience of going to Red's Eats in Wiscasset, Maine.  It's been ranked by many as the best lobster roll in Maine and after having eaten there I have no evidence to disagree with that assessment...with tail meat spilling over a warm, perfectly toasted roll and all.

But Red's did get me thinking.  It's a family run business and it is housed in little more than a shack on a busy street corner.  We stood in line for over an hour in blazing heat and sun along with many others, some of whom were from as far away as Texas. It is only open part of the year and only from noon on. They do have some friend clams, hot dogs, and other assorted things (the onion rings were great) but really, people go for one thing: the lobster roll.  From what I know, they do no advertising.

So here you have a highly inconvenient restaurant that is hard to find out about (and out of the way), serves a severely limited number of things, and has little ambiance. Yet, it is busier than any other business in town certainly and probably busier than many restaurants in cities like Portland. How do they do it? They focus on doing one thing extremely well, they invested in it for years, and the wider Maine community takes care of the rest. 

So if you are thinking of taking advantage of existing communities to help drive your business...learn from Red's.

1. start by providing the best product/service in your market
2. invest in it for the long run
3. deliver it with a smile

Sounds easy, right?