1/ There are SO many gems in this interview. Dishoom has become a top restaurant group that serves 50,000 customers per week. @fromedome interviews one of the co-founders, @shamilthakrar on how they've maintained and improved their culture as they scale.
newconsumer.com/2020/03/dishoo…
newconsumer.com/2020/03/dishoo…
2/ Vishoom models themselves after Irani cafes that were set up by immigrants from Persia escaping religious persecution in the late 19th century. As outsiders, they had to let everyone in. Vishoom similarly breaks down barriers and appeals to all types of people.
3/ "We will genuinely have celebrities coming in, and they will be sat next to some poor student who loves that we top off the chai for £2.50 and he gets free chai after that. And the other guys will be ordering vintner champagne. And that’s a really important and healthy mix."
4/ The founders are extremely careful about their culture.
"I think culture is probably best defined as the things people do when there isn’t a process in place, or when nobody is looking."
"I think culture is probably best defined as the things people do when there isn’t a process in place, or when nobody is looking."
5/ "And to affect people’s behavior, you have to coalesce around a shared system of belief, around what you think is important about business — and maybe about life, to some extent — and to agree on that, and then to make sure everyone is inspired by that and buys into it."
6/ They have a philosophy of operating called "seva" which is a Hindi word for "selfless service."
They don't just serve you. They really look after you. Generosity first, first-class execution second.
They don't just serve you. They really look after you. Generosity first, first-class execution second.
7/ They've even built frameworks internally around seva leadership. They train their leaders in selfless leadership and ensure they are really looking out for their people.
8/ One of the most important quotes imo: "In the end, who you are in your culture will determine your strategic choices, in a way that it wouldn’t if you put strategy first.
And my belief is that strategy should be determined by culture, and not the other way around."
And my belief is that strategy should be determined by culture, and not the other way around."
9/ Everyone in the company is a GTD (Getting Things Done) junkie. Anyone who joins as a manager is sent a GTD course.
They also do pre-mortems before any project. By following internal processes, everyone's minds are freed to focus on creativity and culture.
They also do pre-mortems before any project. By following internal processes, everyone's minds are freed to focus on creativity and culture.
10/ Shamil graduated from HBS and was a Bain consultant - it's easy to see how the frameworks and mental models learned from those institutions could permeate through the organization.
However, he's quick to criticize / poke fun at the things he's learned.
However, he's quick to criticize / poke fun at the things he's learned.
11/ He thinks that the templates you learn from b-school or consulting like P&L statements and IRR are missing the point. Business isn't about that.
12/ In the beginning, their team was very profit focused. They would negotiate ingredient prices or send restaurant workers home when it wasn't busy.
13/ But as they started shifting their mindset towards the customer and team experience, they began to see a massive difference in the top line revenue.
Their dashboards are not conventional dashboards.
Their dashboards are not conventional dashboards.
14/ They call their dashboards a "jantri" which is the Hindi name for the astrological charts that a holy man consults when you ask him what to name your child.
Their jantri starts with a line that says "obsess over." They obsess over quality measures first.
Their jantri starts with a line that says "obsess over." They obsess over quality measures first.
15/ Only after obsessing over awesome food, drink, service, and a happy team do they get to costs, and finally applause (a term they've created to represent revenue + profit).
Like a pianist, they are motivated by the quality of their playing and are rewarded with applause.
Like a pianist, they are motivated by the quality of their playing and are rewarded with applause.
16/ Most restaurants dilute their brand as they expand locations. Their phrase is to "deepen, not dilute."
Every time they open a location, they focus on making the food, service, and design, even better than the previous locations.
Every time they open a location, they focus on making the food, service, and design, even better than the previous locations.
17/ With each new location, they seek to create a new world. They think of Dishoom as an entry into a different time and place.
Every time they open a restaurant, they write a story (dishoom.com/journal/in-whi…) that becomes the emotional architecture of the space.
Every time they open a restaurant, they write a story (dishoom.com/journal/in-whi…) that becomes the emotional architecture of the space.
18/ I could spend hours browsing their beautiful website looking at photos of each restaurant location.
dishoom.com
Can't wait to see how they continue to grow!
dishoom.com
Can't wait to see how they continue to grow!
