The White Lady
The hustle and bustle of Downtown Auckland is a thriving central business district and home to the city’s main shopping precinct, busy nightlife, and a favourite of both tourists & locals alike. Hundreds of restaurants, cafes, and takeaway joints compete for the customer’s dollar but The Whitelady, a New Zealand icon of 60 years is fighting to stay in the game.
Opened originally as a milkshake cart by ‘Pop’ Washer, it was passed on to son Peter in 1974, who’s been running the cart ever since, but he’s struggling to compete in the current environment, so first job for John is taking five minutes to case the joint. Getting an idea of what he’s dealing with, it’s time to meet Peter & Anna, who are desperate for inspiration. John soon learns the food doesn’t make the grade and he’s not impressed.
Peter & Anna have been doing things ‘their way’ for so long, they no longer realise what customers want. They haven’t moved with the times but that’s not the worst of it. Hidden camera footage taken one week ago, when John stopped by for a burger revealed other problems. With no leadership and staff doing their own thing, with very little pride in their work or presentation, it’s no wonder Peter and Anna are struggling.
Next John checks out how the team operate with customers, to get a better idea of where they are going wrong. Out on the main drag, the opposition’s pumping, but the same can’t be said for The Whitelady! Despite the small customer numbers, an obvious lack of systems in the cart mean the consistency & quality of the food is suffering. If these guys don’t get with the program now, they’ll be out of jobs before they know it!
The truth of the matter is they need a hefty game plan to turn things around fast, but before John can start, he needs to know if the cart should continue in this new Commerce St location. To help him out, he’s calling on Marketing Expert Rob Bree to conduct some research in the area, and identify if this is in fact the core problem.
Rob will report back to John later, now but for lesson one on the game plan is food! In last nights tasting and then service, it was evident, the quality of meat is not good enough to substantiate the gourmet prices here. So John’s pulled together a range of simple Beef & Cheese burgers from competing establishments, ranging in price from $5.10 to the Whitelady Burger at $8.50. He needs to prove to Peter that he must lift his game. He then calls on meat supplier to Auckland’s top hotels & restaurants, Terry Lillis who arrives armed with some high grade meat sample to demonstrate the difference!
Now, a quick catch up with Rob for the results of his market research earlier. He’s discovered that the new location is an issue, and John will deal with this later.
Previously there was no ordering system in place and staff had to rely on memory, but with any more than one order, there were problems, and customers weren’t happy. So now it’s back to basics, with a very simple docket system to prevent further confusion.
Despite the improvements so far, the place was still quiet tonight, and these guys are still in deep trouble. With the massive relaunch only days away, tomorrow John brings in his building team to help with a speedy transformation; a makeover that will spruce her up, and make her proud again.
It may only be mid renovation, but The Whitelady has an impeccable record having never missed a night, and although it’s tough getting open amidst the building and painting John’s already rounded up customers, and ready or not, they are building up outside. Slowly the cart is returning to her former glory, with a retro inspired look starting to take shape, and John’s re-introduction of Pop Washers milk shakes.
Finally after all the hard work, it’s the day of the big re-launch and back at the cart, the finishing touches are in full swing, but John has a big surprise for Peter. To remain iconic and viable, it’s important that everyone understand her history so he reveals a history board, a final touch that moves Peter to tears.
Getting more money through the till is all about marketing, a big lesson for Peter, because this icon won’t survive without it. Earlier, Rob identified that the location change had caused problems, but with the Shortland St location now an unsafe council building site, Peter’s only choice is to make the most of the new Commerce St location. So with that in mind, John’s organised a street parade supported by the Sallies and White Ladies, to draw attention to the fact that The Whitelady has moved, but is still alive and well.
The Whitelady’s main point of difference from today’s competition will always be her iconic status. So what better for the opening party in the revamped retro style cart, than a giveaway of the improved, ‘old school’, kiwi style burgers, and Pop Washers iconic ‘longest shake in town’. The staff may look slick in their new retro inspired gear, but the service is not looking so polished. Anna struggles and John’s new docket system seems to have gone out the window.
A timely surprise only adds to her woes, it’s our resident critic Luke Dallow. He too experiences lengthy delays, but it’s all worth it as The Whitelady burgers more than get his thumbs up!
A month later and John is back in Downtown Auckland. The place is buzzing, the customers are happy with the improved product and the improved efficiency of service & systems.
Finally ‘The Whitelady’ is on its way to regaining its status as a New Zealand icon, and becoming a success story once more.
Peter has new found enthusiasm for his other lady love, and if they continue this momentum, they should be getting on top of their debt, in 12 months!
Become a fan of TV3 on Facebook
,
on Twitter .