This is a complicated post to write. On the one hand, I have embarked on this idea that I can review customers. On the other, I want to one day be able to make a living out of street food. Possibly not a great idea, but perhaps the two are beautifully compatible and I’m just not thinking it through. Either way, Digbeth Dining Club is top Jabberwocky news from the last seven days, the resident Digbeth Diners were a big part of that, and I can’t just trot out the same stuff I told you last week.
To prepare for this post I have spent several minutes carefully researching the process of reviewing a restaurant, on a post called “How to write a compelling restaurant review” and will apply he same rigorous analysis to the Birmingham Foodies. I apologize in advance for any inadvertent compulsion you may feel.
Offer Some Background
The people of Brum are a mixed bunch, and I’m not totally confident they’re all even Brummies. They range from between 1 and 60-something, although most of them appear to be between 25 and 35.
Describe the atmosphere
Before everyone got there it was pretty chilled out. We had just about managed to set up the Jabberwocky and were confident that even though we had to trade from our rubbish green gazebo we would at least be highly visible, as we had enough fairy lights up to land a plane. Once the actual customers arrived there was a rather lovely party atmosphere, and the usual Digbeth Vibe, where everyone chats to everyone regardless of alcohol levels or familiarity.
Specifically you will find the Digbeth customer to be more likely to try something different, ask questions about the cooking processes and be genuinely interested in the answers. They also have above average knowledge of what actually constitutes good sourcing, which makes you feel good about having actually sourced good stuff.
Give Both Pros and Cons
I love pros; They ate all our toasties! Every single one of them. It doesn’t get much more pro than that. Here’s the hard part. The cons. Could be dangerous, bear with me. You guys really love a dirty burger. This is reasonable. They are scrumptious burgers. However for the fullness of exposition, because this is a blog about the process of selling toasties and our experience thereof, it’s important to add that it’s very hard to watch everyone queue right past your stall, blocking your mouth-wateringly delicious and extensively researched menu from view, just to taste the folks next door.
Had they not sold out, we would have had a rubbish night. There, I said it. It’s the choice we made when we first started this, when we chose to do toasties knowing we would play second fiddle to the burgers, but that doesn’t make it easier. Selling out, on the other hand, does. It also causes unprovoked happy dances and gleeful planning of a future in street food.
Name Specific Entrees (Or in this case, people)
There was the lovely lady who made a point of coming back to the stall to tell us the Rocky Road toastie had made her come up. I panicked, started to apologize and was trying to work out why she was still smiling and reassure the shocked looking customer beside her that this had never happened before. Barny then explained that actually I and my sheltered life had possibly never encountered the specific effects of ecstasy before. Turns out, our toasties are actually that good.
We also want to recommend the couple who ate themselves a couple of toasties while queuing for the burgers. They declared the toasties to be the finest things they had eaten all night. 10/10 – I’d have them back as future customers any time.
Then there was the smiling dude, who came to see us the following day at the antiques show across the road. I’m not even sure he ate a toastie in the end, and it really doesn’t matter. He laughed at my jokes, and is therefore a good guy. Excellent service.
Evaluate the Entire Experience
Overall our evening was brilliant. The customers were attentive but not overbearing and I thought they were really trying to make our experience a special one. We were well looked after and the spend was delicious. I’d recommend trading at DDC to any fellow street fooders and will definitely serve there again. This Friday, to be precise.
Use Descriptive Adjectives
Iridescent, amicable, verdigris, prodigious.
Let Your Personality Shine Through
Once my dad told me that the clapping on the radio was all done by one guy, clapping in a very special way. I believed this for years.
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