This Taco John's is a Great Good Place

When you think of fast food restaurants have you ever used the words welcoming, comfortable, and accommodating to describe the space?  Not likely!  That is until you walk into Taco Johns in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.  This is not your ordinary fast food franchise!  This space invites you to linger (yes, you heard me correctly -LINGER – the word fast food places do NOT want their customers to engage at any level).  This Taco John’s could easily be a ‘third place’ – a place to meet others, enjoy spending time together while lingering over food and conversation.

I was so impressed with this space that I took notes and sent a letter to their corporate office!  Here is what stood out to me:  

·        The exterior appearance is delightfully pleasing – especially the lighting which adds interest as well as safety at night

·        The layout of the dining space is inviting, varied, and has good flow

·        Brown wooden chairs (wonderfully moveable to accommodate

customer needs) add warmth and a sense of home comfort

·        Restrooms are clean and very roomy – Please note that extra space in restrooms is always appreciated by women!

·        Brown tin ceiling tiles bring interest to the center space and make it unique from the rest of the room

·        Warmth and texture are added by the stone fireplace

·        The TV, located over the fireplace, is visible but does not intrude or invade the entire dining space 

·        Varied seating provides support and accommodation to many uses and needs for single diners, just for two, families, and groups by its high bistro tables, small café tables, booths, a large circular table for conferencing, and a curved booth that is open on one side for easy access

·        The first impression is CLEAN and ORDERLY

·        A sense of quality is evident in the attention to each detail

George Ritzer, author of The McDonalization of Society, has argued that the fast food industry has valued efficiency over other human values.  A restaurant consultant once shared with me that the lingo used in the industry is to create ‘an experience’ for the dining customer. 

 

Certainly this franchise, owned by Kevin Vance, has given considerable thought to the importance of the space in adding to a customer’s comfort and experience. This Taco John’s provides a welcoming, comfortable, and accommodating place for a lonely traveler, a tired single parent, a celebration, a staff meeting, and a first date.  It is my hope that many more fast food places will give thought to their spaces!  Thank you, Kevin Vance, for this great good space! 

To read more about how our spaces impact our behaviors visit www.spatialimpact.com.

Finding a Great Good Place

          When I first moved to Madison I was lonely. In finding my way in this new community, I often landed at Barnes and Noble.  I began to realize that by simply walking through its doors, I no longer felt like a new person in town in need of friends. The smell of coffee, the invitation to learn and enjoy life in each book, the overstuffed chairs to snuggle into for an hour or more, and other people doing the very same thing felt good. Here I was among total strangers, but  I felt welcomed - not pressured or asked to quickly purchase and move on; but invited to linger, be among others, to join this ‘community’.  Here I felt included, creative, productive, and at peace.  It was in those overstuffed chairs that I shaped and formed my business, Spatial Impact.

What makes a public gathering place feel so good? This was the key question that a sociologist by the name of Ray Oldenburg sought to answer in his book, THE GREAT GOOD PLACE.  As he says in his preface, “My interest was in those happy gathering places that a community may contain, those ‘homes away from home’ where unrelated people relate.”  What drew people in?   Why did it feel like home?  What happened that made it different from other public places? 

Oldenburg named them ‘third places’ and defined them “after home-first, and workplace –second, these are the informal public gathering places that serve community because they are inclusive and local.”  His research discovered several qualities that seemed to be present in every ‘third place’.  If you remember the TV show, Cheers, you begin to have a good understanding of what Oldenburg discovered. A ‘third place’ becomes such both by the space given to that purpose and the atmosphere created by those who gather there.

Here is a checklist of some of those ‘third place’ qualities:

ü Serves as entry points for newcomers.  A remedy for stress, loneliness, and alienation.

ü Business is often conducted here, networking happens.  (How many coffee shops can you name as ‘third places’?)

ü The entertainment is provided by the people being themselves. The main activity is conversation!  Third places are where people talk about their problems – listen to each other in a caring way.

ü A place for all ages to gather. They provide a means for retired people to remain in contact with those still working and allows the oldest generation to associate with the youngest generation. (Have you walked into a McDonald’s lately?  You’ll see the retired business men gathering for fellowship and moms in conversation while their children play.)

ü Inclusive of differing thoughts, ages, sexes, and vocations.  Accessible to general public with no membership or exclusion.

ü Allows people to come and go. Third places that render the best and fullest service are those to which one may go alone at almost any time of the day or evening with assurance that others will be there.

ü Access to them must be easy if they are to survive and serve. Location needs to be within walking distance or easy parking and open long hours.

ü Typically a non-pretentious décor which encourages the abandonment of social pretense.  Regulars of third places do not go home and dress up.  They come as they are.

ü The persistent mood of a third place is playful, cheerful, upbeat. One goes there to feel better and usually leaves in a good spirit.

ü The regulars make a third place come alive.  This defines the character of the place – providing an infectious and contagious style of interaction.  Cheers style!

The back cover of Oldenburg’s book says . . . “Third places or great good places are the many public places where people can gather, put aside the concerns of home and work (their first and second places), and hang out simply for the pleasures of good company and lively conversation.  They are the heart of a community’s social vitality and the grassroots of democracy.  .  . This is a compelling argument for these settings of informal public life as essential for the health both of our communities and ourselves.”

What’s your favorite Third Place?   Would love to know what makes it a Great Good Place for you!

What WOMEN Want

Paco Underhill, founder and CEO of Envirosell, Inc., has a new book  called

WHAT WOMEN WANT- THE GLOBAL MARKET TURNS FEMALE FRIENDLY.   In this book he takes us on a tour of the world’s marketplace for what makes a package, product, space, or service ‘female friendly’.   He also cautions all men to pay close attention and start making changes.

 I was particularly aware of his insights regarding women and spaces.  In his introduction he quickly puts it on the line . . . “If your store, restaurant, bank, hotel lobby, mall, or other public space or amenity doesn’t acknowledge the female factor, if it doesn’t invite women in and make them feel at home, at ease, safe, hygienic, respected, and in control, if it doesn’t take into account what women want and expect (which is a whole lot different from what men want and expect), well, then, it’s bad business.”

He names the top four qualities women want in the spaces they enter.

CLEANLINESS . . .   “Am I in a clean environment? is an intuition, a vibe that women pick up about every room they enter.”

CONTROL . . . Not only women, but most particularly women, want to have control of their spaces.  This allows them to create the space to suit their needs. Movable seating, temperature and noise controls are important to women.

SAFETY . . . This is a most important factor to women as they engage their environments. Hotel windows that don’t lock, bulbs that are burned out in the parking lot, lighting levels in the lobby all make women feel vulnerable and unsure of their personal safety.

CONSIDERATENESS . . . While politeness is certainly a character that is valued, Mr. Underhill is speaking about signage that addresses the questions women have regarding specific next steps.  This would include a sign that mentions assistance is available to load a heavy purchase into the car or that tipping is not accepted.   This signage calms the anxiety of what comes next and allows women to confidently navigate their spaces.

Let me summarize using my three key questions we ask of a space:  1) Am I safe?  2) Am I welcome?  3) Now that I am here, what is expected of me?  Now really, guys, isn’t all this important to you, too?   It’s very difficult for us to SEE our own spaces because they are so familiar to us - we already know that we are safe, welcome, and what is expected of us.  This is where I can be helpful to your business.

Take advantage of my FIRST IMPRESSIONS service. I come to your place of business, observe and then share a checklist of my findings that assist you in better understanding how your space is experienced by your clients. You will hear the positives and the challenges of your space as well as several suggestions for improvement.  And because I am a woman, you will be immediately updated with all the Paco Underhill criteria.  What a deal!! 

Read more about the impact of spaces on our behaviors and consulting services available at www.spatialimpact.com.