For those who have been in this business for a while, the idea of working locally but acting globally is an old one which was first introduced to the world by none other than Starbucks Coffee. Those who followed them from early on will remember that Starbucks started life as a single Seattle coffeehouse way back in 1978.
At the time, Starbucks was the epitome of local. They were a tiny café where the owner was often seen hanging out behind the counter and chatting up the customers directly. He had arranged to buy beans from all over the world and brought them into his store where he was able to sell them to discerning customers who understood that coffee was more than just the cup of joe people drank and grimaced at in the morning.
Even then He Thought Globally
While Starbucks really took off as a global powerhouse when Howard Shultz took the place over in 1987 and started bringing the Starbucks brand to other countries, even back when they had just one shop in Seattle, Starbucks was really a global company. They were just acting locally.
After all, Starbucks introduced their customers to the idea of purchasing beans grown in different parts of the world and the concept that different countries could provide vastly different taste sensations in their coffee beans. This was the epitome of working locally but thinking globally.
How This Applies to Your Business
Try to think of ways that your restaurant could benefit from the same kind of initiative that Starbucks took back then. Perhaps you could introduce new dishes from other parts of the world. Maybe introduce common food products produced in exotic places and show your customers that there is a range of difference in flavors. You’re still working locally since this is your restaurant, but you are thinking globally.
For example, an ice cream shop may choose to introduce customers to different flavors of vanilla beans. Or a pasta place may show their local customers why Italian pasta really is the best in the world.
Jim Balis' Blog 