‘Having a long queue doesn’t mean you treat those in front of you with impunity. Endless supply can sometimes lead to arrogance. Ultimately, a queue grows longer because word spreads. And word spreads when something is done repeatedly.’
I live in South Bangalore.
If you’re looking for the best South Indian filter coffee, there really is no better place than South Bangalore to find it.
Before I delve further, just want set some context:
a) The average price for a good cup of coffee in this area is 10 rupees.
b) People are quite particular about their coffee and most darshinis make good filter coffee.
At one place, there are two coffee places opposite each other.
Maiya’s is an institution in South Bangalore. It is an offshoot of the iconic MTR restaurant.
If you have visited the Bangalore International Airport, odds are, you have visited the Hatti Kaapi stall during one of your visits. Even their coffee is noteworthy.
Near my house, both of these, Maiya’s and Hatti Kaapi, are located opposite each other.
The striking difference between the two are the lines outside.
In the mornings and evenings, when coffee consumption peaks , there is a long line outside Maiya’s. People are willing to wait in line to get their morning or evening cup of coffee. Ironically, many a time, this line has led me to abandon my stop for a cup of coffee because I didn’t have the time to wait in line.
It can be argued that Maiya’s is an institution and that it had a head start over its competitor. Further, it has increased the rates of its coffee over the years. A decent cup of coffee at half the price is available just around the corner if someone chooses.
Something makes Maiya’s stickier than Hatti Kaapi. Most people would say it’s the taste. As an aside, I prefer the coffee at Maiya’s while my wife finds the coffee to be too strong and prefers the coffee at Hatti Kaapi. So it isn’t as if Hatti Kappi is a no contest.
Every restaurant and organisation clamors for the line around the corner. Long queues waiting in line to taste what they have to offer or work with them.
In 2016, Airbnb received over 180,000 resumes for 900 positions. If they maintain the same culture, they will never have to worry about getting people to work for them as the supply overpowers the demand.
The queue of people waiting to work for them is seemingly endless.
What about your queue?
Are there people waiting to work with you, seeking what you have to offer?
Building a queue takes time.
Getting a queue day after day, year after year, that’s tough.
You can get a queue by offering discounts, over-promising, performing gimmicks and spinning yarns. Or, you can create a product or culture that people want to be a part of.
Having a long queue doesn’t mean you treat those in front of you with impunity. Endless supply can sometimes lead to arrogance. Ultimately, a queue grows longer because word spreads. And word spreads when something is done repeatedly.
‘They don’t cut corners’
‘Their coffee is to die for’
‘They treat people with respect’
‘He stands up for his people’
‘She is a good nurturer of talent’
In an attempt to explain the stratospheric success his agency Wieden and Kennedy has experienced, co-founder Dan Wieden said “we developed a culture so weird and so sticky it would hurt your damn soul to leave the place.”
If you don’t yet have the queue you desire, don’t start by soliciting people by making promises you don’t intend keeping.
Start by creating a product or service or culture that is worth seeking.
The queue on the outside grows when better decisions and choices are made on the inside.
