The Power Of Storytelling
Presented by Society Insurance
To write your own article click here
By Marvin Kinney
The power of a good story is immeasurable. It is intrinsic to our society, and is often told around the table over food, drink, or both. History has always been told and retold this way. Familial stories are handed down over generations in this fashion and yet, we in this industry consistently overlook how valuable a tool telling our own story can be.
As restaurateurs, we know how fast we can get bogged down in a single day. Every minutia of that day saps all of our concentration, willpower, and energy from worrying about our P&L, if the plate is “Insta-worthy,” to how the hell we are going to be staffed for tonight’s service. Or a million other things that lead us to think we don’t have time to tell our story, one more time. The one we have probably told too many times in our own minds. That line of thinking hurts us more than it helps. It keeps us from transcending from being just “another place to eat.”
We need to get back to not only telling people why we do what we do, but also reminding ourselves why — the reason we are here, and the reason, despite how terrible this last year has been for our industry — we are still persevering through one of the most tumultuous times we have ever seen as an industry.
Our story is what will keep people coming back. This is both for customers and more importantly, employees. If we do not tell a compelling story, then they have no deeper reason to return. There’s nothing to buy into without a strong narrative.
That narrative might be using your grandmother’s recipes. Your father may have been a cook in the Navy, and this is your way of honoring him. You might have just gotten bit by the passion bug and can never see yourself doing anything else. Whatever the narrative is — tell it — people love hearing these stories.
For this very reason, is why Anthony Bourdain was such a gem in this industry. He was an amazing storyteller, and told the stories of not only himself, but of everyone with whom he had ever crossed paths. The sense of loss we felt when he passed on, truly shows how powerful telling stories can be.
In the end, eating out should be considered a luxury, a special occasion, and we have long moved away from such reasons. That isn’t to say there isn’t room for eateries that are there to feed and nourish people. But there needs to be a shift in perceptions away from this line of thinking for our industry as a whole — and storytelling will be a huge part of how that happens. Review sites, Instagram, and so on, can bring people in for the first time. But give them a compelling reason to keep coming back. Get out there, go tell your story, and keep telling it.
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis., Society Insurance has been a leading niche insurance carrier since 1915. As a mutual insurance company, Society focuses on the small details that make a big difference to its policyholders while offering top-notch insurance coverage, service and competitive pricing to businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Georgia and soon Texas.
Marvin Kinney is based in Reno, Nevada, where he is currently using his 28 years in the industry to open his own restaurant.
Follow his work online at Instagram @rtownpizza, and at R Town Pizza (coming soon, Detroit style pizza opening in Reno).
Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Best Served. To achieve our mission of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing a variety of viewpoints across the industry.
