I just finished reading Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd. If you are interested in learning more about how to separate your restaurant from your competitors, and how to build a highly loyal customer base, read this book.

The author is a Harvard professor who is known for producing some fantastic business case studies. This is her first book, and I found it to be absolutely fascinating. She discusses how brands such as JetBlue, MINI (as in MINI Cooper), Harley Davidson, In-N-Out Burger, and several others bucked conventional wisdom and did things very differently from their competitors – and in the process attracted extremely loyal customers. That’s especially tough to do in the highly competitive segments (airlines, cars, motorcycles, and restaurants) they operate in.

Since most of you own, manage, or work for a restaurant, I couldn’t help but think of you as I read it. I suspect that differentiating your brand and attracting loyal customers is something you work towards daily. If so, then grab this book. You might come up with a few additional ideas.

Feel free to post any questions here, or comment if you’ve already read it. I’m curious what all of you do to differentiate…

Wil