The Pudding Pantry

This afternoon I’m making lists, no not of who has been naughty or nice but of folks who would I love to talk with on the subject of purpose and the power of it. I’ve said recently, it’s been on my mind a lot recently, maybe because whilst having a firm grip on my why, I’ve got questions on the how for myself moving forward. So to make my list, I’ve encamped at one of my local coffee shops, it’s a brand called the Pudding Pantry which is a Nottingham owned busines at least 3 locations, all doing well and all serving the most amazing selection of cakes, including a fabulous cornflake tart that experience tells me is banging, but not for me today, to try and abate that desire, I drank a litre of water aswell as this beautiful iced vanilla latte. Something so simple but made with great care, the layering tells me that, and that’s one of those unconscious messages from the founders that for them, a large part of their purpose is delivering quality refreshments to their guests, every time. Yesterday, I was at a huge chain store coffee shop and I’ll promise you that the iced latter wasn’t served with the same care, they clearly have a strong system and process to deliver consistentcy but the question I have to ask, is, is that consistently good? Not so much. So, when we think purpose, this place has 3 members of staff on and all of them have smiled and said hi, only one of them served me but they all made contact. I was chatting with Harry Gurney last week about the rule of 10-5-3 that we used within my operations teams. Within 10 feet of a guest, you are making eye contact and smiling! Within 5 feet, you are saying hi. Within 3 feet, you are starting the conversation, taking that responsibility from your guest to make any questions or requests easier for them. We both agreed it was a simple idea but incredibly impactful, I’m really looking forward to trying out Harry’s pubs, because whilst we may not share a love of cricket, (childhood trauma in play there after getting a bouncer right up in the temple!) we do share a love of amazing experiences for guests. So, if you’re in Nottingham, check out The Pudding Pantry and thank me later, particularly if you try the cornflake tart! Hospitality Matters Purpose matters. You matter.