Then COVID struck

It was just under three years from when they first opened their doors, that COVID struck. Shramik said he just felt they had just started feeling the ‘trickle’ of a little momentum.

The three things which had made their start difficult, continued to have an impact, but what he noticed was that a lot of customers kept coming back and bringing their friends. The thing which was working was good old fashioned word of mouth!

When the shutdowns of COVID struck so suddenly, he and his family were very concerned about whether their business would survive at all. They were only able to offer a take-away service of food for eight weeks, and at the start of the shutdown, they had no way of knowing how long this would go on for.

A factor which helped was that it was a a family business, so most roles during the downturn could be filled by family members. Swetha (his wife) was the chef, his 18 year old son worked in the business as did Shramik. The staff who were temporarily stood down ended up leaving due to unrelated personal reasons and this meant that this period of contraction in the business did not have as bad an effect as it would otherwise have.

The community came to support us

It was precisely then, that Shramik realised that his approach towards his clients – including always greeting people with a smile, remembering them, checking to see that they enjoyed their meal and quickly rectifying any issues – had started to reap unexpected rewards.

People would come in and order take-away and coffee and all manner of things which they would not normally order, just to support them. These gestures from their client community deeply impacted Shramik and his family, leaving them with a sense of gratitude and a real sense of belonging.

He was also grateful that a grant for a #shoplocal though the CCS Business Support Program was approved. He decided to use this funding to run a promotion targeted at seniors, and he said this worked really well. Seniors in the area are both price conscious and community minded, so they spread the word about the promotion as well.

He and his family did letter box drops in the area, and overall this program was (and continues to be) a success – as people who know about PRIMO West Lakes, keep coming back.

Retaining your customers and customer lifetime value

Enjoying their meals, and feeling welcome was and continues to be the top priority. Shramik described an instance when a customer left something barely touched on his plate. Shramik sensed that the customer was less than happy but did not want to ‘cause a fuss’, but he insisted on getting honest feedback, and providing a substitution.

Little touches, like always providing containers to take home leftovers from the large meals mean people get great value and that food does not get thrown out – something he is very passionate about.

His diligence to feedback is not only inside the store but online – where he is notified of any negative reviews and he attempts to resolve any issues. He told the story of a woman who left a review saying she did not like her steak. He offered her a voucher to come and have another steak, which the woman took up and then removed the review. He said this was not simply reputation management but a real desire to ensure that everyone in his restaurant leaves with a happy experience.

He loves the fact that seniors form a large part of his client base. He says the seniors bring ‘much happiness’ to the place. He sees it as a place to make memories, a place where other families interact with his family – and where most customers know them by name – Swetha (his wife and the chef), son Aryamik, and on occasion their younger son Shourya.

What’s next?

Adjusting to the new normal has a few ongoing challenges as it does for all businesses.

The uncertainty not just from COVID but economically in terms of spending behaviour after government supplements are reduced is one concern.

Another is that while operating as a family has its strengths, the down side is that should one member get sick and have to isolate, the whole venue would need to shut down, even though they now have an additional chef and front of house staff.

This is a theme many of our businesses reiterated – keeping aware of what may happen but moving forwards at the same time.

Business advice and tips

You can probably guess what Shramik recommended.

“Looking after your customers is number one. We always do this and we have learnt this year that if you look after them, they will look after you.”

His enthusiasm for his business was truly inspiring.

Shramik’s story has shown what an amazing year it has been for understanding our interdependence - where service providers are looked after by those who they have been serving.

Shramik has received support through the #shoplocal grant (part of the Economic Stimulus Package) to promote his business to the local community.