A lesson from the movie ‘Five Easy Pieces’

Entrepreneurship/customer service/ARR (annual recurring revenue) — those three things are pretty tightly entwined.  And so, a story.

Recently I took my co-founder for a late lunch to the local sushi joint.  It is never crowded, and this day was no different.  I don’t know much about restaurant economics, but one would think you need customers occasionally, unless you are laundering money or selling California rolls out the back door.

It was 2:30 p.m., and we were the only customers inside or out, and the restaurant waitstaff was having a late lunch at a table inside.  My office has been on this street for the past 21 years, and I have eaten at this restaurant at least once per week during that time. I am what you would call “recurring revenue.“

A nice woman comes out and hands us menus.  I ask if I can have the lunch menu. “No, it is after 2 p.m., so there is no lunch menu.”  I politely respond.  “OK, no lunch menu, but can I have the teriyaki chicken bowl?”  

“No, that is only on the lunch menu.”  Now there is that moment.  Remember, I spent 10 years in Hollywood, so I did not need AI to channel an old movie, called “Five Easy Pieces,” screenplay by Bob Rafelson and Carole Eastman.

Jack Nicholson: “I’d like a plain omelet.  No potatoes.  Tomatoes instead.  A cup of coffee and wheat toast.”

Waitress: (patiently), “No substitutions.”

Jack: “What do you mean?  You don’t have any tomatoes?”

Waitress: “No, we have tomatoes.”

Jack: “But I can’t have any.  Is that what you mean?”

Waitress: “Only what’s on the menu.  A No. 2, plain omelet.  It comes with cottage fries and rolls.”

Jack: “I know what it comes with, but it’s not what I want.”

All entrepreneurs pause and read the above sentence a hundred times and then take all that product market fit malarky and throw it out the window.  Try spelling the word customer backward. 

Waitress: “Well, I’ll come back when you’ve made up your mind.”

Jack: “Wait. I’ve made up my mind.  I want a plain omelet, forget the tomatoes, don’t put potatoes on the plate and give me a side of wheat toast and a cup of coffee.”

Waitress: “I’m sorry, we don’t have side orders of toast.  I can give you an English muffin or a coffee roll.”

Jack: “What do you mean, you don’t have side orders of toast.  You make sandwiches, don’t you?”

Waitress: “Would you like to talk to the manager?”

Now stay with me, readers.  Yes, I did the same thing.  I politely asked our sushi restaurant server to go back inside the restaurant and see if she could get a special dispensation from the pope.  Just ask if I can have a chicken teriyaki bowl.

Jack: “You have bread, don’t you and a toaster of some kind?”

Waitress: “I don’t make the rules.”

Jack: “OK, I’ll make it as easy as I can.  Give me an omelet, plain, and chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no butter, no mayonnaise, no lettuce — and a cup of coffee.”

Waitress: “One No. 2, and a chicken salad san – hold the butter, the mayo, the lettuce – and a cup of coffee.  Anything else?”

Jack: “Now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, charge me for the sandwich and you haven’t broken any rules.”

For further information on holding the chicken, you will need to do your own research.

The sushi server returned and explained patiently to me that the teriyaki bowl was not available at this time.  I pointed out that they have chicken (it was on the menu), and they have rice and they have a bowl to put it in.

The answer remained firmly, no teriyaki chicken bowl for you (channeling Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi).

My partner and I stood up, said thank you, walked across the street and had three fish tacos.

Now here comes entrepreneurship 101. Let’s assume I eat there only once per week, average check $25.  Now multiply 50 weeks times 21 years, which is approximately a thousand meals.  You can quickly calculate that I am a revenue generator for that restaurant of approximately $25,000 dollars.

So, my only question is, can I get the chicken teriyaki bowl, even though it is after 2 p.m.?

Rule No. 800:  No soup for you.

Senturia is a serial entrepreneur who invests in startups. Please email ideas to neil@askturing.ai