Last Friday night, our family ate out at Ted’s Montana Grill. The menu was kid friendly as was our server, Jonathan, but what really got our attention was the individually packaged Wikki Stix www.wikkistix.com that were provided to each of our older children (ages 4, 5 & 8).
Like most parents of young children, we have come to expect a set of crayons and disposable children’s placemats with a menu on one side and a variety of games (Word Search, Connect the Dots, Crossword Puzzle, etc.) and coloring options on the other. Our children have come to expect the same and, on occasion, are not sufficiently engaged to avoid the restlessness that begins to set in after waiting 10 or 15 minutes for their meals to arrive.
The Wikki Stix, however, were brilliant! Described on the packaging as “twistable, stickable, buildable, playable one-of-a-kind creatables!”, these were novel in their simplicity. Each package contained several Wikki Stix in a variety of bright colors. They were bendable and self-adhesive in order to form a limitless number of designs. One of my boys made a surfer on a surfboard! His brother made a representation of Indiana Jones! Kennedy, as I recall, fashioned hers into a pony.
They continued playing with the Wikki Stix right up until the time their food arrived at the table. That gave my wife and I a chance to check in with each other—at least in the few minutes we had between pacifying our 18 month-old, Carter, who is too young for Wikki Stix!
We enjoyed our entrees, the service was great—especially for a busy Friday night—and the price was reasonable. Even so, there are a dozen other restaurants in the area that offer a comparable experience. That is, until you ask the kids where they want to go.
Despite the fact that they enjoyed their hamburgers and macaroni and cheese entrees, they want to return to the restaurant “with the Wikki Stix!”
It’s yet another example of something that is unique, refreshing, and unexpected winning out over the bland, uneventful, and predictable. Look around your business. What are you continuing to offer that customers may perceive as typical or ordinary? How could you alter it to make it unique and memorable?
