Posted on 11/12/2010 9:16:07 AM PST by tlb
The manager of Don Otto’s - a recently shuttered food market in the South End - is blaming neighborhood patrons for its untimely demise, cooking up an angry message to fair-weather fans of the Tremont Street eatery.
“Don Otto’s Market wants to say we had few customers that understood customer loyalty and its importance to our business,” a message on its Web site reads, later adding: “If you came in only for baguettes, the occasional piece of cheese, the occasional dinner . . . you can not tell yourself you were a supporter of our market.”
The scalding remonstrance was written by Erin McLaughlin, 28, who ran the shop and is engaged to the owner, Michael Otto, 31.
Among their customers were U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has stopped by for their locally made lasagna. But in this economy, $28-per-pound steak and $8 cartons of eggs was not a recipe for success.
“In some parts of the world people are accustomed to spending a higher percentage of their income on food, but in America we suffer from sticker shock because of Wal-Mart and other discount vendors,” reads Don Otto’s online farewell. “The reality is we pay for what we eat. Some are informed enough to know what that statement means. For those that don’t, I am not going to elaborate.”
“In my opinion, it’s that people just didn’t have the money,” said Don Otto, 72, whose son named the store for him.
Also disagreeing with McLaughlin’s reasoning was the artisan cheese-buyer at nearby Formaggio on Shawmut Avenue, which makes a fine profit on selling pricey gourmet offerings to a rarified clientele.
“I think it comes down to quality and trust,” said Formaggio’s David Robinson. “That’s where Don Otto’s seems to have missed out.”
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...
Business tips:
a) Don’t let your 28-year old boyfriend run the business
b) If you want the wealthy in the door, cater to them.
c) Don’t knock those who come in occasionally to buy luxury items. Make them welcome and make sure that you have many, many such customers.
d) When the economy is bad, adjust your merchandise to allow your customers to shop there. Even “rich” folks need to economize.
e) No one owes you a living. When you’re in business, you need to hustle, hustle, hustle. Obviously these two youngsters didn’t have the hustle in them.
It's tough really knowing what's rattling around in this guy's head, but I'm guessing he thinks that the food is automatically better if you raise the price of it.
A Boston liberal blaming her liberal customers for not keeping her in business by buying $28 a pound steak. Why did she not blame Barney Frank? She’s too stupid to run a business.
That’s the one thing I respect about money (and I do NOT mean I love money).
Money is completely honest. It has its own rules, and is an absolute measure of events in the world. It is like the weather - you can’t control it, so you can either prepare and do as it tells you, or complain about it and stand out in the rain.
I disagree about there being no hint of sarcasm.
As I read tlb’s comment, I had the feeling I should be wearing a hat just to keep it from dripping on my head.
It's Boston - she's a democrat
$28-per-pound steak and $8 cartons of eggs was not a recipe for success.
How dare the customers not pay those prices - don't they realize it's their DUTY to keep losers with a bad business plan afloat - kind of like 0 saying the Democrats lost in droves because they just didn't understand what he's doing.
Some great comments at the article:
“I have never enjoyed a story more than this. I wish they would reopen in another location so I could shun them again.”
“Grow up Miss McLaughlin. Mr Otto, if you knew about this insulting letter and agreed to have your fiancee do this then be prepared to be pushed around by her for the rest of your life.”
“Note to Michael Otto: I’d reconsider that wedding before it’s too late. Your fiance sounds like hell on wheels.”
Wow
Idiots
Oops dyslexic reading. Girlfriend runs the business.
LMAO! I raise chickens. They are free ranged, organic, etc, etc and I only charge $3 a dozen for eggs.
And for $28/pound it better be Kobe beef.
WayneS—i read the sarcasm... obvious to me...
” She’s too stupid to run a business “
Perhaps not ‘stupid’, in the technical sense, but certainly a product of a child-rearing culture that teaches that competition is evil, and gives trophies for ‘participating’...
No surprise at all that she couldn’t survive out in the real world....
If your merchandise was good enough at a decent price they would have come! Quit whining!!
Got to agree. TLB made a cool, nicely judged remark.
What were they thinking?
http://www.mysouthend.com/index.php?ch=columnists&sc=in_business&sc3=&id=101574&pf=1
I knew a guy like that in college. Rich kid. Always tried to buy the expensive stuff because he was sure that it would be "better". I had a car and I offered to sell it to him for $2000. He said he wasn't interested, because it was pretty broken down, and he wanted something better. So I offered to sell it to him for $5000. The look of bafflement on his face was priceless.
sounds like the operator of the market thought they were ENTITLED to customers. Selling the same item at 10X the price does not make it better, just more expensive.
That’s just TOO funny!
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