The Departure of Interacting Relationships in Business

I recently finished reading the Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg, which by the way, is a great book if you are a business geek like myself or just want to learn about the sushi industry.

One take home I'd like to highlight from reading the book is the foundation of sushi service. This foundation is crumbling from a food-to-customer-relationship to a food-to-consumer-departure. Eating sushi used to be an integral experience of eating high quality, hand-selected fish, ceremonially prepared by the chef and blending the interaction of chef and patron, selecting and enjoying the meal. It was the relationship of linking the sacred source and preparation of food to the consumer.

Throughout the book, I found how this interacting relationship is dissolving in the sushi industry as it changes from small-personalized players to larger players whose motive is money. Sushi is fast becoming the new fast-food, where quality gets replaced with profit and reproducibility. A trip to your nearest supermaket's fish department will likely find you staring at low-grade or imitation sushi neatly packaged in to-go boxes and, oh, don't foregt the free chopsticks.

This disintegration is similar to what I think is one of the reasons for the troubles at Starbucks. With the expansion of drive-thru kiosks, the move to every street corner and interstate higway rest stop the departure of the relationship began. If you ever want to get a lousy cafe mocha made by a frowning, unfriendly, uninspiring employee (notice I didn't say barista) stop at one of the highway Starbucks and experience some of the best examples of poor customer service. It is about time Howard Schultz returned as CEO to fix this customer breakup.

About 20 years ago, Schultz came back from a business trip in Milan, Italy with the desire and drive to bring to the United States the love relationship he experienced in Milan's coffee shops. It was the barista's relationship with the coffe bean and the customer, like that of the sushi chef, that he wanted to build into a business. The barista shares his/her knowledge and passion of the coffee bean, the manner in which it is brewed and served and brings this love to the patron in a rich and bold event.

I'm a fan of sushi and Starbucks. When I walk into my favorite sushi restaurant, Sake, in Portsmouth or any Starbucks I want that relationship experience as best as they can give it to me; an integral relationship between the source of my food, the passion of the chef or barista and the interaction between them and me. I want to enjoy myself, enjoy my food and know that the person behind the bar enjoys bringing that connection together. I will gladly pay extra for it because it brings me value.

As micro and small businesses we have advantages with making similar connections because often we are in direct contact with our customers. Take a look at your business and what interacting relationship you bring the customer's experience. Also, do you think these types of interacting relationships are departing from businesses? Let me know.

Image by tiarescott via Flickr at Creative Commons license.

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