When a new competitor opens up it's easy to get scared or preoccupied, especially if they're trying to do something similar to you.
But getting preoccupied with the new competitor is exactly what you shouldn't do.
In the video clips below, Josh Hurst, industry veteran and current Director of Operations and Hospitality Josh Hurst for Pies & Pints, lays out the case for why when a competitor opens up nearby, the very best thing you can do is stay focused on your own business.
You need to continue doing what you do best, no matter how hard it might be.
New competitor? Focus on what you do best
In this clip Josh talks about what Pies & Pints does best—their style of thin pizza, their adventurous topping approach, their absolutely always top-notch beer list, his Cicerone-certified FOH associates—and how he and his team maintain focus on those things to make sure new competitors don't give their business a major hit.
The Wagon Wheel Theory: these things are cyclical
Here Josh talks about the Wagon Wheel Theory of restaurant visitation: customers have a regular slate of places they go to.
When a new place opens up, customers may give it a try. It's possible the new place may even get into that person's regular rotation of restaurants. But as long as you're the best at what you do, you won't permanently lose your spot in your customers' wagon wheels, so you'll be safe.
He also discusses the best way to get into a new customer's wagon wheel: treat every guest as if they're visiting for the first time, because you never know if that's the case.