Wish you had a little restaurant in town? Start with Wing Night Wednesdays
After my talk at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, a couple came up to show me what they’d done with the Idea Friendly Method. On the postcards I hand out, they’d written their idea:
“If our town had a small restaurant or cafe.”
They live in a place with just a few hundred people, so having a place to eat in town would be a huge win. Here’s how they mapped out what they could do:
- If we gathered our crowd in our community hall for Wing Night Wednesdays
- If we built connections we would be able to make plans on running a successful business for our town
- If we took the small steps of talking to community members + sending invites for wing night
Notice how this starts: “If our town had a small restaurant.” Not “if WE opened a restaurant.” They’re wishing someone would do this, like so many people in small towns wish for businesses their community doesn’t have.
But here’s what makes this different: they didn’t stop at wishing. They made a map.
In fact, they had already texted someone about using the community hall. Before they left the conference. Before they got home. Before they talked themselves out of it.
They came up to me two more times over the following day to give me updates. They had permission to use the hall, and they had recruited friends to join in.
The Idea Friendly Method creates the conditions
They’re creating the conditions that could lead to someone opening a place to eat.
Wing Night Wednesdays demonstrates demand. It builds the customer base in advance. It shows “yes, our town will support this.”
Maybe someone in the group realizes they’re willing to run a restaurant and now they can see it could work. Or, maybe they text someone from another town, “You should move home and open a little cafe.” Or maybe the couple themselves decides to take it further.
Or maybe no one opens a restaurant. But that’s no worse than where they are now, is it?
Community is the real goal
If no restaurant materializes, they still have Wing Night Wednesdays. Maybe it becomes monthly instead of weekly. Maybe quarterly. A regular community gathering where people connect with neighbors over chicken wings.
Because a big part of what they really want is a place to gather with neighbors. Wing Night can do that, restaurant or not.
You don’t have to wait
How many times have you heard someone in your town say “I wish we had a [coffee shop/bookstore/restaurant/gathering place]”?
You don’t have to wait for someone else to solve it. You don’t have to open a business yourself.
You can gather your crowd. Build connections. Take a small step.
What’s your Wing Night Wednesday?
