Making your business dough creatively

Over the weekend, we were coming home late so dropped in at a country town for dinner on the way.

We chose the pizza and wine club because it looked nice and suitable for a quick family meal.

A thoughtful surprise

When the waitress gave us menus, I was pleased to see a Little Golden Book on top thinking it would be a distraction for my children while we waited for food.

However, the waitress told us the kids’ menu was inside the book’s cover!

It was a creative way to present the kids’ menu and would serve to make kids feel special (their own menu) and entertained. Of course, older children may be less impressed – our elder daughter didn’t seem to mind though.

The kids’ menu had a small selection of pizza choices and so on.

But it was the message at the end that really caught my eye. There were two offers we could ask for – pencils and colouring pages for entertainment or a ball of dough to play with!

My children chose the dough – no surprises there!

They had a lovely time playing with the dough while we waited for our food. Then, their creations were taken away and baked in the pizza oven so we came home with bread lions, cars, horses and a rose (my daughter made me the rose – it is sitting on my desk!)

A rose by any other name smells, ah tastes, as sweet…

Making dough

Have you ever experienced something like a restaurant providing dough to play with?

It was such a great idea – it kept the kids quiet so the restaurant was nicer for everyone. Especially the parents who got to relax a bit more.

It was all done with a smile and obviously is done regularly – they had special baking dishes for the purpose.

The cost for the restaurant would be negligible – what’s a bit of dough in a pizza/pasta restaurant?

The reward is great – happy customers and I bet I’m not the only one sharing the story.

My kids have already asked to go back there…

What’s your dough?

Lots of places make pizza. Maybe the other pizza shops in Kyneton make as good or better pizza than the restaurant we went into. But have they attracted a loyal following like this?

Do you ‘offer kids dough’ in your business? What do you do that’s unexpected, creative, simple and appreciated?

It’s the little touches in business that can make a huge difference.