Northwestern Steak House

In Mason City (Iowa) there is a century-old restaurant that has the formula for success nailed down. The restaurant? Northwestern Steak House (click here). It's not located in a modern building ... or a large building.

They break rules. You cannot make a reservation until 4:30pm of the day you want to eat, and guess what? If you make a reservation, you'll eat late, because there is a line outside the door. On the day of our visit, the line formed at 3:45pm.

When you enter at 4:30pm, you are pointed to a table. By 4:31pm (I checked on my watch), the restaurant is full ... those still in line are asked to go to the upstairs lounge where they can enjoy a beverage and wait for a 5:45pm - 6:00pm seating.

Our order was taken at 4:37pm. By 4:50pm they were taking reservations for 8:00pm.

They serve the classic tiny salad with pickle wedge and hard boiled egg ... in this case with French Dressing ... the same salad they served me in the late 1980s.

Why do people keep coming here? They serve a buttery Greek mixture that they pour on top of the side of pasta or rice you get with your meal (along with some parmesan cheese) - they also serve the buttery greek mixture with your steak. It's to die for!!

By they way, that's the petite filet pictured ... the walleye had to be the size of Lake Erie.

They embrace tradition ... same food they've served for decades, they have a hook that is different than everybody else (buttery Greek mixture), and they break rules by not taking reservations until they open ... meaning they have a line out the door that forms at 3:45pm.

What is the "hook" that makes your business special?

Is there a way to ignore the omnichannel nonsense of always having inventory in stock in all channels in an effort to create urgency?

I mean, this business is 100 years old and they're packing the place. Your business has traditions, right? Use 'em to your advantage!!

P.S.: One of the blatant errors of the omnichannel era was the concept of having products always available, in all channels, at all times. There are times when that is a valuable concept (i.e. you have a check engine light and the Ford dealership has your part in stock). But there are times when you need to sell out of something valuable ... quickly ... and the customer needs to know that, prompting the customer to act immediately.