There’s a little cafe near where I live that used to be a great place in which to hang out. Then earlier this year, under new ownership, everything changed. Suddenly it became one of those places where the customer gets in the way … or at least is made to feel distinctly out of place.
The early signs were subtle. The staff all got a little bit younger and the music louder. So far, so good, I felt more crucial as a consequence. Hey, I’m groovy, I’m on Facebook. Kind of.
Sadly though, this was followed by the staff banter getting more raucous with the conversations going on around the customers, not involving the customers.
Before long the café was effectively a private party and the customers — including me — left in droves.
Today it’s a shell of its former self. Scruffy, handwritten signs on the front windows desperately try to attract passers-by, while inside the music pounds and the conversation continues.
It can’t be long before it closes and another despondent business owner is left to work out why.
How do you front up to the world? Easy and willing to engage, or just a bit too cool and cliquey?
