Burgers And Business, Food For Thought

I went to the store the other day only to get a few grocery items. By the time I got back from my trip, I was making life decisions and contemplating transitioning to a vegan lifestyle.

Such a convicting trip, right?

When it comes to shopping for groceries I'm not much of a brand name snob. If something works, it works.. and just as well as anything else I buy, Great Value (or whatever your local low-budget brand may be) prices always work for me. But when I don't even see GV on the shelves, I get just a bit concerned that I may have missed a memo… or possibly the rapture.

Today I decided to get out early, get all my "adulting" out the way and grab lunch (or brunch given the time) while I was out. I was still mulling over these thoughts centered on my newfound interest in a vegan lifestyle transition. And then...

About an hour later I was 2 burgers, 6 nuggets, fries, and a drink deep. And $10 down.

How did I get here?

I'm glad you asked…

I've been wanting a burger for a while and I didn't wanna cook at the moment, so I decided to finally get out for a bit and kill the long-standing craving I'd been having. I found a Burger Fi nearby and decided to give them a first-time try. I knew they had vegan options and I wanted redemption for the failed attempt I had at ordering delivery some time back.

By the time I was done making the order, the extra fees stacked up to where I easily changed my mind and backed out.

Either way by the time I got to Burger Fi, they hadn't yet opened for business and I was starting to get to the "need an emergency Snicker's bar" level on my hungry meter.

So I went to a Burger King just a few minutes away. There was a Chick-fil-A further next door and a McDonald's right after that.

Burger King was already open. They offered more than what I wanted and also items other stores didn't. And I don't remember a time I've ever been to BK and couldn't get a milkshake if I wanted one.. unlike some places. *coughing at McDonald's*

Without rehashing the headache of poor management that resulted in a 15-minute wait, I ended up leaving right after 2 other customers. None of us were able to place orders.

So I continued my burger odyssey, now on my third attempt to feed the hungry.

Me… I'm "the hungry" just to emphasize I'm almost starving at this point *cries in hysteria*

I left BK, passed right by Chick-fil-A, and went straight to McDonald's without a second thought.

Mainly because I never feel like I get any value out of Chick-fil-A food. I have other reasons as well, but how I feel about Chick-fil-A is a personal matter. I already had my sights on McDonald's by this point.

So I finally get to the golden arches, and as I'm looking over the menu I'm really channeling in on the fact that these meals that were once $5 and $6 when I was younger have changed seamlessly right in front of our faces over the years.

$10+ a pop! For a burger?!

Sheeesh!

I stared at the menu for a while and scrolled through my "menu hack" think-a-dex to see what all I could get for that same $10.

OPTION 1
$3+ - 2 McDoubles (rings up as a BOGO when you order two)
$6+ - 6 Pc Nugget Meal

OPTION 2
$4+ - 2 Cheeseburger Meal
$5+ - 6 Pc Nugget Only

BOTH ORDERS: 2 Burgers, Nuggets, Fries, Drink = $10

I'm sure there are more saving hacks on the menu but I ordered the first option.

Fun Fact: I still put my fries on my burger like I did when I was younger.
If you've never eaten a burger WITH the fries piled on... you haven't lived.

While I was enjoying my impulse purchase of "America's finest", I started thinking about how I had gotten to that point. Within an hour I had gone from having a conscious thought of changing my entire diet to eating my every blue moon guilty pleaser.

If Burger Fi had been open would I have still gone in? Would the menu prices have checked me back to the thought I had after my trip from the store the other day? I don't know… we'll never know now. They weren't open.

And Chik-fil-A is always at church on Sunday to add to that note.

I didn't want BK initially anyway, so leaving wasn't hard even after the amount of patience I humbly had waiting. McDonald's is just one of those places I'm comfortable with based on my long-standing history of visits. I'm not loyal for the mediocre customer service or the "amazing food", it's just because I normally already know what to expect even at its worst.

Consistency is key!

All this was making me think about online business.

When your customers can't call your store or get in touch with you during business hours, having an online resource gives you an edge that you can't get with just having a physical store front. Online is open for business 24/7 so to speak.. wherever there's internet access anyway.

And then options.. give your customers options. I can get burgers AND chicken at all the stores except Chick-fil-A. And understandably, they are in fact an only chicken joint. There might be one item or service that doesn't get the most attention for your business, but just having it available to potential customers who can't get what YOU have to offer from someone else benefits you. Showcase that! Even BK tried tacos once.

I was so eager to get some of my thoughts down. I'm the kind of person if I don't write it down, I might forget. I still might forget to look at what I right down but that's a problem for another day.

Trying to type on my phone in between bites was a bit of a hassle.

This leads me to my next stop on the way back home… Staples.

As much as I work from my phone, sometimes the on-screen keyboard just isn't enough. I figured a Bluetooth keyboard would be great to try out. I could have easily saved money and just ordered a keyboard online, but I didn't want to wait. Staples was physically available and open during the time I was passing by. So it appealed to my already seeded desire to get that keyboard.

And I did…

Staples was open, available, convenient.. and appealed to an immediate want.

This is kind of like the neuromarketing physoclogy applied in grocery stores. All the featured items on the end caps on the aisles and check-out extras that kids love to rave about while you're trying to get the actual necessities for your home. If it's in a visual line of sight, it adds interest... which leads to desire. *CHA-CHING!*

If your business isn't online with the other millions of potential online customers, you're just missing out on customers.

I'm gonna wrap it up here.

I hope my hungry experience has left some food for thought… Haha!

Ruby out!