Restaurants in the Michelin guide don't take coupons

There are plenty of restaurants using shortcuts to buy a 5 second glimpse or a microsecond click or a cheap customer.

But if their customers don’t come away talking about the remarkability of the experience, well, their not going to come back again soon are they?

Which means that in a race for attention, the only way to have a consistent customer base is continue to market coupons and pay for advertising and (probably) try to be a little cheaper.

Not a great strategy if you want to be the best in town.

The converse is to be #1 in a category: “top neapolitan pizza in 100 miles", “impeccable service…treats me like royalty”, “most innovative methods”, “local sustainable farm-to-table”, “feels like mom’s kitchen”, “so hot it’ll make your insides numb.” The list goes on.

If you can find a way to be so good you can't go unnoticed, and to tell a story that’s true to the experience and that resonates, you’ll have no shortage of people talking about you, eager to tell their friends and (probably) come back soon.

It takes a lot longer than coupons, but it’s worth it. Because instead of buying attention, you're earning it.

Day by day, person by person, building a community of fans, of supporters, of people who would miss you if you were gone.

No shortcuts, no gimmicks. Just well earned attention, and trust.