In Perth Western Australia, there is a three chain restaurant that enjoys a cult following and has inspires nostalgia in much of the local population.
Fast Eddy's is a restaurant chain specializing in luxuriously unhealthy 24 hour burgers and fast food. You can take away or sit down and the steak burgers there are to die for. (Really, I remember them well) It has dominated the late teen early twenties scene for at least two or three decades now and is part of the historical folklore of the city.
Filled with ads and newspaper clippings from days gone by, Fast Eddies is fast food with a difference. it is more about eating in a certain style than speed, and the food is to be enjoyed not just fast forwarded through.
It is a slap in the face to the drive through fast food chains that sprung up around McDonalds, resting on quality and ambiance rather than fuel and convenience. A concept and place that could take the world by storm I always thought.
Yet it has no web page, there are few if any legends abounding about how it was founded, its history and its owners, and there is absolutely no conscious efforts there to tighten their band of followers, or to try to grow the brand beyond the small city of Perth.
What a tragic waste of a brand, and a tragic waste of an opportunity to build a tribe that could storm the gates.
Another great three store restaurant brand from the West is The Sicilian. A great Italian style restaurant with generous servings, a classic Italian menu, and a great stand alone design of the restaurant.
Again... absolutely no efforts to grow the brand, no work on the tribe, and no attempts to take another great and classic concept into the wider markets that it deserves.
Yet even without this conscious efforts the tribes exist, loyalty exists, and the brands are recommended throughout the city from one person to another.
Imagine what they could become if they tried to really harness the power of the tribes around them... Imagine what you could become if you were able to turn your band of loyal clients and prospects into the nucleus of a tribe that would create perpetual lead generating motion.
Boggles the mind...
