Dr. Laffa --- Wow!!! Israeli Style!!!

Based on some emails this morning, it seems like my blog posting of last week ruffled more than a few feathers in Toronto’s kosher community. And that’s just fine with me. Bottom line is that it’s my blog – and that’s the end of that. I’ve had numerous people calling and emailing me for more information, as to which place it was. Mum’s the word folks. I’m not a mean guy, and as much as I never want to disparage, I always aim to be honest.

On an entirely different, (and more positive note) , I had the pleasure of being taken to one of Toronto’s newest kosher restaurants, by my good friend Russel, last week. It’s called Dr. Laffa and is on Magnetic Drive in North York. Everything about it was delicious. I’m not going to comment as much about the food (some of the names I struggle to pronounce), but as a marketing specialist, here’s what I saw them applying to my dining experience

1. Keep things authentic – it helps if you find your niche. It’s patently obvious that the place is owned by Israelies. Everyone knows that. So what does the smart restaurant do? It employs mainly Israelis, who not only speak the lingo, but they look Israeli too. So much so, that if I shut my eyes, I could have been at a schwarma restaurant anywhere in Israel. I like that a lot. The Israeli mentality not only adds flavour to the joint, but it also seemed to add flavour to the food. In PR --- don’t just do what the others do. Do something different. Someone who understands that well is my buddy Joe Jaffe (http://www.jaffejuice.com/) . He’s different. He wears funky socks to work. To clients. Everywhere. And that’s his trademark. Cute! And Joe knows how to leverage it too. Smart.

2. Keep things moving – a minute or so after we sat down, we had Laffa’s delivered to our table with an array of salads. A minute later came our drinks. Then a little later came more salads (we did not even have to ask for more). Then our drinks were refilled. Then our main course arrived … you get the picture here. While the server certainly did not hover, she knew where she had to be and when. In PR, it’s important to always let your client know you’re there – and when you’re not there, to let them know where you are and how you can be reached. It’s also sometimes just calling your client to say hi. Nothing more. Nothing less.


3. Make sure your customers are satiated – would the average person rather spend cheap and get crap, or spent a little more and get quality? The latter wins every time. And Dr. Laffa knows this. While their prices are reasonable/ average, they make sure you leave full – something everyone wants. They’re not giving bargains like $2.99 burgers or $3.99 schwarma’s – that would be awful. There is little worse that feeling underwhelmed, whether it’s a mediocre lunch or a news release that lacks teeth. Underwhelmed is never good. Lesson well learned: Make sure you understand what your customer wants and then give them that. In spades. Everytime.

4. Be Happy – I sure has hell don’t know what my server drank or smoked the night before, but I want some of that. Seriously. She was happy to see us. She was happy to help us. She was happy to listen to us and she was even happy when we left, wishing us “Shabbat shalom”. Happy is contagious – not only did I leave there satiated, I left there happy too.

Wanna go there this Friday for lunch? Hit me up! I am ready, willing and able