Earlier this year I stayed in a New York City hotel where I was scheduled to deliver a presentation on customer service.
Shortly before my talk, I met the hotel’s beverage director who asked if I had any feedback for him pertaining to the hotel’s food and beverage outlets.
I shared a couple of pieces of feedback and then added that I was surprised that, with a selection of a dozen different beers on tap in the bar, there was not a pale ale option.
He responded, “Have you tried the Brooklyn Lager?”
I said, “Scott, I’ve tried Brooklyn Lager but I’m interested in an ale, not a lager.”
Unswayed, he said, “I’d stock a pale ale but the kegs are $169 each—which is a lot more than the others.”
“Scott,” I said, “I’ve never once stopped a bartender from pouring a beer in order to confirm the price beforehand. Neither will your customers.”
As our conversation ended, I made my way to the front of the room to deliver my remarks and noticed that he remained in the meeting room to hear my talk.
Later, when I returned to my hotel room following the presentation, I found an amenity from Scott containing a single bottle of ice cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The accompanying note included a quote from the presentation: “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
That was in February. Just now, out of curiosity, I phoned the hotel bar in New York City to see if a pale ale was now being offered. Sure enough, this spring they added a tap for Captain Lawrence Pale Ale.
According to the bartender I spoke with, “It’s a good seller.”
