Sun crests onto painted maple is brought to you by j.ronald.lee - photography / journal

Turkeys in southern New Hampshire is brought to you by j.ronald.lee - photography / journal

I had the opportunity to enjoy lunch at The Red Arrow 24 Hour Diner in Manchester, NH on Sunday. They’re doing a lot of things that many businesses could take a lesson from. Let’s take a look at what they’re doing right.

Core Competence

The Red Arrow is a 24 hour diner. You know what that means. Standard menu, blue plate special here and there, and hot food served quickly. Here’s where a lot of places like to roll out the gimicks… whether it’s a strange combination of foods, or by over-hyping an over clichéed bygone era to the point of nausea. The Red Arrow has been around since 1922, and current owner Carol Sheehan has the common sense not to force 1920s era attired serving staff and music on her patrons. Instead, her crew dishes up great food. By creating a core competency that is always in demand and staying focused, The Red Arrow is several steps ahead of the competition.

Dinah Finger

How’s the food? I had the Sloppy Moe (chili burger) with onion rings and hot wings on the side. I ordered my burger medium rare… in a diner. Guess what? My burger was actually medium rare. My server asked me “how sloppy” I wanted my Moe, to which I replied, “Knife and fork sloppy.” Suffice to say, my onion rings had chili all over them. Any attempt to pick that burger up with the bun was sure to be met with failure. It was FANTASTIC. The wings were delicious, Claire’s pot roast and mashed potatoes subperb, and the macaroni and cheese was everything you could want for from a diner. Don’t get me started about the home made Twinkie like concoction known as Dinah Fingers or the chocolate peanut butter cream pie. These guys have their core competence nailed.

Give it Away

People like free stuff. The Red Arrow recognizes this, and has more than one way to give it away. First, they post several recipes for their award winning food right on their Web site. You can also enter their weekly drawing for either breakfast for two or commemorative coffee mugs delivered to you. 

Reinforce the Brand

Notice how what they give away reinforces the brand? If you’re enjoying their chili recipe at home, you’re thinking about the last time you went to the diner. If you win breakfast for two, you’re going back to the diner. If you win the coffee cups, you’re advertising the diner (even if just to yourself) when you use them. 

Offer Something Unique

Whether you’re sitting where Adam Sandler sat, or enjoying the fact that almost every presidential candidate from the last election also ate at The Red Arrow, you’re getting a piece of pop culture that you would be hard pressed to enjoy anywhere else… and at a great value, too!

Take Risks

In 1998, The Red Diner went “smoke free.” For an establishment with 76 years of history behind it, this was a bold move for the times! If you are sensitive to cigarette smoke, however, you probably could not enjoy a visit to The Red Diner. The establishment at 61 Lowell Street in Manchester, NH, is not large by any stretch of the imagination. Think “airline cabin,” then shrink the space, and you have an idea of what I’m talking about. When Carol Sheehan made the decision, she had no way of knowing that it would help springboard her establishment into the “top 10 diners in the country” according to USA Today.

Turn Your Weaknesses Into Strengths

Cramped space with outdated furniture, or happening spot with vintage amenities? It’s more than just what you call it, it’s your attitude, too. Whether it’s the waitress clanging on a bell and shouting about the “Red Arrow Virgin” who’s having her first blue plate special, and thereby turning a tightly packed crowd of regulars into a cheering team, the sign advising you that only one patron may use the restroom at a time (has this been an issue?), or the sense of urgency you get when there’s a line stretching out the door in a snow storm (eat and leave! quick!), The Red Arrow’s “weaknesses” can easily be showcased as strengths. 

Hats off to Carol Sheehan and company. The Red Arrow 24 Hour Diner is getting it done. A lot of businesses could learn a lot from The Red Arrow. I think I need to go back soon so I can see if I missed anything important.

What I Learned About Business at the Red Arrow Diner is brought to you by j.ronald.lee - photography / journal

I was in New England last spring, but I was bouncing around among extended stay hotels, and I missed out on the season. One month into this year, it’s a whole new ball game. We have three acres in the woods of New Hampshire, and it’s a whole new experience for me. 

It’s a whole new experience for Muffet, too.

The Taming of the Shrew

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Muffet’s a hunter. 

As an all black, green eyed cat, he doesn’t get hung up in New Hampshire’s pesky fish and game rules, he just goes for it. When we first purchased the house, Muffet went to recenoiter some of the local woods, and strayed a little too far. Muffet got lost, and we feared he had been eaten by a fisher cat, coyote, or fox. There are plenty of other critters that could contribute to his demise, but as we had seen foxes near the house, we usually blamed them. We put up posters, went door to door, but Muff was gone. After a month, I reluctantly took the posters down. A week later, someone called, saying they found a black cat with green eyes (I guess they wrote the number down from the posters just in case). I rushed over, but the cat they found wasn’t Muffet. After turning down the opportunity to “take this cat instead,” my neighbors offered the less than helpful suggestion that they recently saw another black cat about two miles southwest of our home.

Two more months passed, and it started to get really cold. On her way to work, Claire received a phone call asking if she was missing a cat. In the background, she could hear Muffet’s pattented “two sylable meow.” He managed to keep his collar on the whole time he was lost, and with temperatures dipping dangerously below freezing, he decided that it was time for him to approach some strangers in hopes of finding a warm place to sleep. He lost about four pounds, picked up a few ticks, and broke one of his fangs, but was none the worse for wear. For a cat with no front claws, he pulled off quite the accomplishment. Best we can tell, he’s down to six lives (he used a couple up in Phoenix), but we’re so pleased to have him back. In his first two months back with the family, he killed eight mice (that we know 0f). Now that Spring is here, he’s back in full swing again.

The above photo is Muffet’s first shrew (click to enlarge). Apparently there are over 250 varieties of shrew, the world’s second smallest mammal being one of them. The lovely Claire is modeling this one with a $20 bill so you can appreciate how small it is… apparently this one is full grown. Shrews eat nearly their body weight in bugs every day, so I admit I scolded Muff just a little bit. It didn’t seem to help, a few days later he brought in another one.

So far, Muffet’s known kill count for 2009 is five. Two mice, two shrews, and last week he gave us a chipmunk. Cute little buggers… just don’t necessarily want them on my entry way rug.

Froggy Went a Courtin’

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It’s time for the spring peepers, and we live with a wetland just north of the property. They are a noisy bunch!

Whilst doing some yard work last weekend, I was pulling some weeds on the back of the property and noticed this guy sitting next to my boot toe. He totally blended in with his surroundings, and while it’s a good defense mechanism for predators, I nearly killed him because it worked so well! We’re lucky that Muffet hasn’t brought any of these bug killers home yet; my guess is not too many of them stray so far from the water as this guy did. We returned him to the frog party in the bog, and all is well in Chester.

First Real Spring in New England is brought to you by j.ronald.lee - photography / journal