CRACKERJACK POSITIONING by Don Reynolds Jr

Author:Don Reynolds Jr. [Reynolds Jr., Don]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 0963411047
Publisher: Atwood Publishing
Published: 2012-12-29T14:00:00+00:00

Miss Laura’s Social Club

Miss Laura’s Social Club was located in a building that housed a bordello during the early days of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Donrey Media Group has its headquarters in Fort Smith, and in 1963 the company purchased the abandoned historical structure to keep it from being demolished.

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The only bordello to be so honored. Restoration began in 1983. Every effort was made to duplicate the spirit of the early 1900s. when Miss Laura’s had functioned as a bawdyhouse.

Restaurant leased

Donrey leased the restored Miss Laura’s to a restaurant management company and it was opened as a club and restaurant in 1984. Unfortunately the lease didn’t work out. Donrey found itself in the restaurant business after numerous attempts to find another suitable operator were unsuccessful. Under Donrey’s management Miss Laura’s Social Club became a Fort Smith landmark and tourist attraction. However, it wasn’t a financial success.

Why seek a position?

In 1989 I met with Donrey management to explore alternatives. Donrey is a billion-dollar communications company with successful newspaper, cable television, broadcast and outdoor advertising operations throughout the country. Operating a restaurant was outside its area of expertise, and the associated problems were demanding valuable executive time and energy that could be better spent on its primary business. My first suggestion was to purchase a large padlock and close the restaurant. Donrey management agreed that was a viable alternative but wanted to make one more effort to establish a profitable restaurant, which could then be leased to an outside operator. If successful, this action would protect a historic structure, provide a tourist attraction for Fort Smith, Donrey’s headquarter city, and turn a loser into a winner.

So we went looking for a crackerjack position that would help improve Miss Laura’s financial performance. There was some talk about returning the operation to Miss Laura’s original business. However the authorities are not quite as permissive as they were in the early 1900s, so that idea was abandoned.

Collect information

My first step was to collect information. I interviewed people to find out Miss Laura’s perceived position in the community. I surveyed civic leaders, competitive restaurateurs, present customers, former customers, restaurant employees and the park service staff at the Fort Smith National Historic Site. I also went to the library and researched industry magazines and trade publications.

Positioning session

Research completed, I met with the two executives supervising Miss Laura’s for the positioning session. We looked at the survey results. Under “Survey” I listed “civic leaders,” “restaurateurs,” “customers,” “non-customers,” “employees,” and “National Park Service.”

Market perception

I told them what I had learned. The market perceived Miss Laura’s first to be a tourist attraction, and second as a special-occasion restaurant. Local residents went to Miss Laura’s for birthdays and anniversaries because of its unique environment. They also brought out-of-town visitors to see Miss Laura’s. However the restaurant was judged to be too high-priced for the quality of food and service received, so many customers did not eat there regularly.

The atmosphere, although interesting, was thought to be too sterile and intimidating for a restaurant.

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