A customer who hadn't been here in a while told me this.
"I haven't been able to come here for a while, so it's become difficult for me to come. I'm sorry."
No, no, stop saying sorry.
There's absolutely no need to apologize.
However, I can understand the feeling that it will become harder to come.
There was a Chinese restaurant I frequented near where I used to live. The gyoza and stir-fried meat and bean sprouts were incredibly delicious. The owner was very kind and would give me all sorts of freebies and souvenirs from her travels.
But then my life cycle changed and for some reason I stopped going there. Even when I pass by the store, I feel a little uneasy about going in.
But when I had a craving for gyoza and stir-fried meat and bean sprouts, I went there for the first time in a while. At that time, I think I was thinking, "I'm sorry it's been so long."
When I think about it, I feel like saying "I'm sorry" implies the feeling, "I actually think this is the place I should be going."
I'd be in trouble if that restaurant closed. Their gyoza and stir-fried meat and bean sprouts are delicious. I consider myself a fan of the restaurant. But I haven't been able to support it by visiting the restaurant. I'm sorry.
Maybe that's what it is.
But still, from the perspective of running a store, I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't feel sorry at all.
Go when you feel like it, that's a healthy activity.
If there is no reason for customers to visit the store, I think the problem is with the store not creating such an opportunity.
Ok, let's create some more opportunities.
First of all, a new menu. I'm going to revive the "Lamb Shabu-Shabu" that was popular before COVID-19 as a winter menu. It's not the same as before, but it's been thoroughly brushed up. I'll be making a prototype soon. Please look forward to it.
The cost of their signature lamb chop steak has skyrocketed, but they've managed to stay within price by coming up with creative solutions. To be honest, it's a good deal, so they need to emphasize that a bit more.
New NZ wines are being introduced one after another. I recently came across a really delicious rosé sparkling wine, so I'm going to serve it by the glass.
Also, we have started slowly resuming our event activities after a long hiatus.
Yes, food, drink and events is Bokumo's original style.
・10/8 (Sun) Bokumo 14th Anniversary NZ Wine All-You-Can-Drink & Buffet + Live "my-go-to" ... Only a few more reservations left
・11/3 (Fri./Holiday) Singles Wine Party 2023 Autumn
・Saturday, November 4th: Aichi Science Festival 2023 hosted by Nagoya University Talk event "Not even on the map! Research on cities without urban plans" Featuring: Haruka Ono (Associate Professor, Toyohashi University of Technology)
・11/5 (Sun) Talk event The ultimate in street observational studies (!?) "One-glove is movement, sadness, kindness, the city, and ourselves!" Featuring: Koji Ishii (one-glove researcher)
Sounds fun, right?
Also, Bokumo Wine, our mail-order store, is constantly stocking new items, making you say, "I didn't look back for a second, and now there are so many new products!" (Among them, Scout's Pinot is incredibly delicious.)
I feel that I need to spread the word more about the increased number of products, so recently I've been writing a weekly e-mail newsletter introducing new products. It's always nice to get a response.
Unlike restaurants, online shopping is probably less likely to result in the "sorry for the long delay" phenomenon.
So we welcome customers who have been using our service for a long time. Every time we find an order slip from someone we haven't used in a while, we jump for joy and say "Yay!"
In order to become a store that people remember from time to time, we need to create and promote a more "fun" feel, both in our dining and online shopping experiences.
Running a store after COVID-19 isn't that easy, but there's still a lot you can do.
There are only three months left this year. Let's look forward to 2023 with no regrets.
