After our epic vow renewal/seder weekend we stole away to Bangkok for recovery and chill time. Our one outing was to the fabled restaurant Gaggan, once declared the best restaurant in the world and many times included in the coveted Top 50 Restaurants In The World list by Pellegrino. We were excited to dine there.
When the taxi wanted to drop us off we refused to disembark. We knew this couldn’t be the correct address. It was a shack that had the name of an Italian restaurant on it, flanked by massage parlors. But we were wrong. Just like everything else about Gaggan, it didn’t fit the mold.
We hesitatingly approached a counter that looked like a bellman’s desk. The gentle hostess offered us a seat in the Thai 90F 90% humidity NON air conditioned small seating area. I started questioning my judgement, something I confess doesn’t happen often.
A few more people showed up. Then the door to the inner sanctum opened and we were ushered in and seated at an L shaped counter. There were 15 seats altogether. The place was very dark. Red light shone from above. Music blared at us. We were asked whether we want still or sparkling water. I mentioned it was dark and was assured that will change.
I noticed the wine glasses were of the finest quality, thin as can be. The counter was non descript. On it was an odd shaped plate just like any self-respecting molecular cuisine Barcelona restaurant. I sighed. Been there done that. How wrong could I be?!!
Then one of the many black drapes surrounding us was pulled together and some light from the outside streamed in. And everything changed.
Gaggan is an Indian-born chef who clearly marched to his own drum. His target is the entire experience. The food is but a single element of the show. It is brilliant, but it’s not all. Gaggan is unlike any other restaurant of its level on the planet. It is downright casual while the food is among the very best in quality and sophistication. The wine selection will blow any oenophile’s mind since wines come from tiny wineries located in Slovenia and other unsung places. The food, all 25 courses of it, represents India, Thailand and Japan in succession. Desserts are served intermittently during the meal. Every familiar Michelin star rule is broken within the first five minutes.
Instead you see a group of fifteen chefs cooking for you, assembling for you and explaining their thought process to you in the least snooty way possible. They sing with you Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing “ off key at the top of their lungs and resort to “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys of there’s wait time when one chef is taking their time cooking your dish.
Every cooking method is employed to perfection in the different dishes. Even the fried ash ball was flawless (sounds awful, right)?
Gaggan takes the experience Eyal Shali, the Israeli chef, took a stag at with his restaurant concept Hasalon to new heights and delivers a magic show twice a night. Why am I telling you this??
Because all too often I hear “money is money “ and that our product is undifferentiatable. This is so wrong! A future article will address the question “How Humans Win the AI Battle”. This article is the preview.
Here are but a few of the differentiators Gaggan employs that are dramatically different from its peers on the world top culinary stage.
1. It is welcoming. Food and presentation super fancy. Waiters are also the cooks. All clad in T shirts. No dress code.
2. They start by explaining the concept of the meal we’re about to it.
3. Everything is personal. They introduce themselves and ask all of us to do the same. Throughout the meal diners shared their favorite vegetables and other things.
4. We sang together at the top of our lungs. They started with Hey Jude. Brilliant choice. Slow; everyone knows it; lyrics are meaningful to every person in a highly personal manner. They acknowledged it might be embarrassing for us to sing and initially dimmed the lights to facilitate participation.
5. They explained the logic of each dish and its ingredients.
6. We had contests and quizzes throughout the meal.
7. We paid in advance. No money changed hands.
8. They all shook our hands before we left.
9. The chef that prepared each dish described it, even the shy ones.
In other words, Gaggan delivered the food quality we expected and more, and that was greatly enhanced by dozens of other aspects of the experience that made for a unique and memorable evening.
My point is simple: what if every tenured customer was met with lights and music once a year as they entered the branch? What can you do to personalize your MVP customers’s experience?