Dogs Swimming in the Great Lake

After my recent post (see below), I’ve been following the still-circulating hubbub on Great Lake with interest. I found this recent NYT blog entry a fun read—particularly the comments responding to the author’s suggestion that Great Lake try to scare a portion of its customers away with a substantial, opportunistic price hike. If you think that’s good advice, I’ve got some Macy’s stock to sell to you (they really did a number on the great reputation Marshall Fields built in this town…).

Perhaps it’s the anomaly of the situation that so intently piques my interest: A tiny, humble, Mom-and-Pop pizzeria does something right and—BAM!—the line goes out the door. They don’t want to work themselves ragged for success. They source and secure ingredients via bicycle. They don’t have a standard menu.

A somewhat similar thing happened to a former coworker of mine, Doug Sohn, over at his “Encased Meat Emporium,” Hot Doug’s in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago—a simple product, made exceedingly well, and the lines run out the door. Doug is even taking his sausage show on the road these days. Interested to see what will become of that… (And as to the NYT blogger’s perception that Great Lake’s management (Mom and Pop, as it were) are hostile and unsympathetic, I suggest he revisit a little story about a chicken and its egg…)

These independent islands of success deserve scrutiny simply because they’ve captivated the public’s eye—and their dining-out dollars. Lessons are here for the learning, for anyone who’s paying attention.