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Adapting to Yorkshire culture ‘Gaucho style’

It’s the eternal question faced when expanding a business into a different region; how do you maintain the brand identity, whilst adapting it to the needs of the local target audience?

Whether a franchise or a chain, there are standards to maintain and a level of uniformity that can be difficult to achieve when a manager finds themselves at large from the head office.

Some have no problem with entirely standardising everything from decor to customer service, from uniforms to products.

It is a fine line, between evolving to the needs of local or regional customers whilst deferring to the brand as a unifying theme.

Even the ‘brand’ itself is a fickle mistress, and can both help and hinder the the progress of an individual branch.

Facets like sourcing locally are hugely important, especially when it comes to the hospitality industry. Amie Giardino has been at the helm of the successful Leeds branch of the Argentinian steak house Gaucho since 2011.

Conceptualised in London, the chain consists of 12 restaurants in the capital, from Piccadilly to Hampstead and Richmond, and one restaurant up North in Manchester. Having a presence in the North for several years, Amie, and Gaucho as a business, have become more aware of local needs and the importance of individuality when it comes to bringing a brand up North.

Amie said: “The Gaucho name is helpful in some respects if anyone’s heard of it, if people visit London regularly, dine out in London regularly, are from London and come up here, its been around for 20 odd years so it’s got a reputation of it’s own already. The thing is not a lot of people in the Yorkshire area know about Gaucho so it’s almost as if we’re a stand alone.”

In terms of brand awareness, Amie also said: “Each of the managing partners for each restaurant has a unique take on how they get to that market. In that sense, it’s important that the person at the Leeds restaurant has an idea of the Leeds market and what’s here already and who the target audience is essentially.

“I know my target audience, I know the surrounding area. Similarly my colleagues in Manchester or Piccadilly for example will know theirs. We are not only expected to but are encouraged to act with autonomy in terms of reaching the target audience in our area.

“The events that we do and the style that we adapt that changes depending on our area. For example our Sunday Roasts, we do them at Gaucho Leeds, and I know my colleague in Smithfield does that too. It’s relevant to our areas though. We’re in Yorkshire, we like our Sunday Roasts, so I can adapt our service that way.

“In terms of style of service, we’re very specific with our 20 steps cycle of service, but we can adapt that to accommodate our guests. For the most part, we tend to find that our guests are open to a bit more conversation at the table, whereas for my colleagues in Broadgate, it’s a very quick business lunch type of style. It’s very different. We adapt our style for our market.

“In Leeds, Gaucho is still is quite a special occasion restaurant, because it’s not extensively known, equally because there’s 12 in London, the restaurants there have the luxury of being able to refer customers to each others restaurants, say if the Gaucho on Chancery Lane is booked up, they might have space at Charlotte Street.

“It’s important to keep that same culture that the London restaurants have, it doesn’t mean that because we’re up North the restaurant is styled differently in terms of design, or the service is any less or more or that the food quality changes, we’re still doing Argentine cocktails and specials, sourcing our meat from there. It’s important to maintain the Gaucho culture. We do that by continually meeting with the other managers and the head office visiting the restaurants.

“There’s modifications and adjustments of the brand, but no diluting it, just making it fit for our clientele.

“The restaurants we’ve got in Richmond and Hampstead, they’re a lot more residential with more families, they want something different again to the office crowd. In Piccadilly there’s the tourists, they each have their own personality according to their audiences.”

When asked for some advice for any potential new expansions, particularly in the hospitality industry, Amie said: “Location is definitely important. Gaucho prides itself on finding interesting locations, off the beaten track. Our Leeds restaurant is down in a basement, some of our London places are in side streets. Area is important but not necessarily the exact location. It’s nice to be that hidden gem.

“Its about understanding your audience, making connections in the area, with PAs who are booking their MD’s dinner for example, what businesses you’ve got close by, it’s about the people around you having a direct contact with the brand ambassador. It’s taking away from the group/chain look and developing more of a personal aspect, its about making those connections and relationships when you open up in a new city. This is how to do business for the long term, building up trust and a good reputation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .