Opportunity…or not?
My Belief
I have a belief that an
opportunity exists in my town for a new place to eat and drink that is
different from the other places currently in operation. Our town is culinary
wasteland. I realize that opportunity is a problem, and not having anywhere
good to eat out doesn't like a major one. But in our town, it really is. I
first recognized this problem/opportunity when I started driving 30 minutes or
more to get something to eat. Anyone else in the greater Ormond Beach area who
cares about the quality and source of their food would also have this unmet
need.
If there ever was an
establishment in Ormond Beach that met these parameters, it's not open now and
hasn't been for a long time. People in town definitely do visit other places
right now to meet the need of having some decent food and a good time. A
locally-owned wing chain comes to mind as a busy and common spot to hang out,
as does a tiki bar that's on the main throughway. There's an expensive,
old-school style "supper club." These places each have their own
unique atmosphere.
The Prototypical Customer
My prototypical customer
would be people probably between the ages of 25 and 45. They are conscious of
the source of their food, care about "local" (farmers, etc.) and care
about quality. They are the people that won't drink Bud Light or eat a frozen
processed burger patty. Those people need a casual place to eat and drink.
People in this category probably have more discretionary income. They are the
same people that pay $4 for a cup of organic locally roasted Ethiopian coffee. The
wife-of-a-doctor-yogi-hipster-mom, if you will. (There are plenty of those
around here.)
Iteration 1
The first person I talked
to is the head bartender at our local craft brewery. I'll call him Dilbert. He is
in his early 30s and travels often for beer and food with his girlfriend(s). He
would absolutely by a prototypical customer…or so I thought. When I asked Dilbert
if he thought there was a need for a new, different place to eat and drink in
Ormond Beach, he responded, "Who is going to go there?" Even though
he knows there is no where to get craft beer or tasty food, he doesn't care.
"I'll drive to St. Augustine or Jacksonville for bottles (of beer)."
I followed up with asking how often Dilbert experiences this need (i.e. how
often does he get on the highway and drive to go to a beer shop or restaurant)
and he responded about once a week. Dilbert has had the need since he moved
here from South Florida, where there are copious restaurants and breweries. As previously
mentioned, he addresses this need by driving elsewhere. This does not bother
him. "I'm only off one day a week anyways so I don't really have time to
go out to eat." His final statement on the issue was something like "This is Ormond Beach."
Reflection
I was surprised by Dilbert's responses to my questions about this need that I thought existed. I'm still not convinced it doesn't exist. But if Dilbert is my prototypical customer and he does not believe there is a need then maybe I'm not targeting the right group. Maybe I'm grasping at straws because I don't want to believe my idea won't work? When he said "This is Ormond" does that mean that he doesn't believe the concept will work because of our town, the demographics, etc.
Summary
The experience didn't make me realize anything I subconsciously didn't already suspect. However, it did enforce the doubts that I have had since the beginning about my idea. My passion for this concept that is done so well on Park Avenue in Winter Park, yet isn't done at all in coastal Ormond Beach, is blurring reality. Am I the only one that has this need? Maybe not. But if not, I need to find those people. I realize that one person's opinion is not enough to form a real idea of whether this need exists. To be honest, I'll need to talk to a lot more than three people.
***I only had a chance to talk to one person about my opportunity belief, so I know I did not meet minimum requirements. However, I still wanted to post because these exercises are valuable if you actually have a serious idea, and I want to keep my reflections 😀
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