Turning my parent’s place around

When you get involved in data mining I think that you think of the money that you are going to make, not the actual difference that you can make in someone’s life. I think that is why I started anyway. Turns out that customer analytics in restaurants can do more than just make you money, it can help people you care about.

My parents have their own diner. Technically, it is in my mom’s name but it gave my dad something to do after he retired. I am not going to bore you and tell you that they were on the verge of bankruptcy and are now doing great, but they were not making a whole lot of money.

What you do when you look at the numbers is make predictions based off of the super data you collect. Whereas my parents would refuse to stop selling a specific type of soup and sandwich combo because some old woman who came there regularly likes it, I saw the numbers and realized that she was about the only person ordering it. That means that your purchasing price does not warrant stocking the actual product. I went with the big data analytics firm http://www.BuxtonCo.com but I am sure there are alternatives.

Nowadays we are doing things the way that I recommend. I tell them what they should stock, when their specials should run, and what should happen. I feel invested in helping them and it has made a difference for them. They have become more profitable. Is there anyone else who has a good story about data helping them out?

 

True. Sometimes catering to someone else's needs in the name of good customer service or customer loyalty can hurt the business.

I "love" it how big businesses go about it. They create a product nobody knows about. Then they create an awareness of the product. Then they convince you that you need it. Then you go and buy it.

An example: "Our tv allows you to split the screen into 4 screens!" "Wouldn't you want to watch 4 programs at once?" (Never mind that it's a really horrible experience).