Dessert First

The first thing you see at The Cheesecake Factory is the cheesecake. The last thing most guests have room for is the cheesecake. Walk in and the case is right there. Thirty flavors behind glass, placed at the door on purpose. It is one of the best pieces of retail theater in American dining.

Now watch the family of five who just heard 'about ninety minutes.' They will stand near that case for an hour and a half, kids pressed to the glass. And three courses later, stuffed, they will skip the very thing the restaurant is named after. The wait is the worst moment. Dessert is the most-skipped course. Both problems are standing ten feet apart, staring at each other, and nobody introduced them.

When the hostess quotes the wait, she does not point them to the benches. She walks them to the glass. 'Pick your slice now. Your name goes on it, and it will be at your table when you sit down.'

Call it Dessert First. The feeling is anticipation. The ninety minutes just changed jobs. The kids are no longer waiting for a table. They are waiting for the slice with their name on it. And dessert is no longer a decision made by a full stomach. It was decided by excitement.

Somewhere in your business, your best asset and your worst moment are standing ten feet apart. Have you introduced them?