The speciality is raspberries

Specialisation can make a business stand out even on a main road with plenty of competitors. I see that at The Raspberry Farm in Tasmania. Here, the theme is raspberries. And when I say raspberries, I don’t just mean one dessert on the menu.

I’m travelling with the family in February 2012. The place is by a busy road where you also pass lots of other places to eat. Typically, you can get a burger and various other things resembling what’s sold everywhere else. But here, they do something different.

Specialisation: Raspberries run through the entire menu

They use local raspberries and work them into everything. Of course there are raspberry desserts and drinks. I also mention raspberry champagne, raspberry coffee and salmon with raspberries.

That’s what I think is brilliant. You get a clear theme both guests and staff understand. When developing something new, the direction is given: How do we get raspberries into it?

Driving past, it looks interesting. And if you like raspberries, stopping is an obvious choice. The place stands out from the row of eateries where most things otherwise look alike.

High quality, high prices and a packed restaurant

When I visit, it’s packed with cars outside and people inside the restaurant. I see more cars here than at the other places we’ve passed.

What we’re served seems made with good ingredients and high quality. Prices are sky-high too. It’s expensive to eat inside. But people sit there anyway and feel like trying more of the theme.

I describe how a guest might begin with a glass of raspberry champagne, eat salmon with raspberry sauce, then have raspberry cake or a raspberry slice afterwards. Perhaps they buy raspberries to take home too. The theme creates more reasons to buy something.

My point is differentiation. There are lots of places along the road. Suddenly, one does things differently and is therefore easier to notice.

A roadside customer can return on the way home

I’ve just spoken to someone inside who I think is the owner. We passed on our way to Devonport, where we stayed overnight. On the return trip, we came to the same place again.

That’s worth thinking about if you run a roadside business. You can easily tell yourself the guest only comes once, so what you serve matters less. But many people need to get somewhere and home again.

If you provide good quality, behave properly and treat people well, you can get to serve them twice. That’s not bad at all. Our own journey there and back is what makes me think about it.

A clear theme is easy to remember and talk about

I also think a place like this is easy to brand. The concept gives newspapers and others something fun to write about. Even raspberry coffee becomes a story: Do they really do that? Yes, they do.

And it’s easy to remember. Once you’ve had a raspberry coffee, you’re unlikely to forget that place. It’s more concrete than another café with the same things as everyone else.

So again: Specialise. Find a niche and develop it to perfection. I think The Raspberry Farm is a good example of that thinking.

Next time you consider starting something, ask yourself whether you could do it a little unconventionally. Could you find a niche others haven’t thought of? Here’s an idea I think makes real sense. Build a good business, make some money and have a good life. You’ll find more of my experiences of building businesses in Iværksætter til jeg dør.