2522 Why Do Our Customers Really Come to Our Shisha Bar?

 

July is always a tricky month for us. It’s the periodical test season at universities in Kyoto, and that means our usual flow of student customers slows down.

Our shisha bar, Zerobase, is located in Demachiyanagi, right in the heart of Kyoto’s university area. We’re surrounded by major schools—Kyoto University, Doshisha University, Ritsumeikan University. Many of our regulars are students, especially those from Kyoto University, since the Commodity Faculty is just across the street.

But during exam season? They vanish into the libraries. And unfortunately, this month’s revenue fell below average.

Our store manager, Kenji, came to me for advice:

“How can we minimize the impact this month?”

He proposed a simple idea—a short-term student discount during the exam period.

As usual, I told him:

“If you believe it’ll work, go ahead. It’s your call on how to turn things around.”

But something kept me thinking. I remember that I recently re-read a book that I love, “Competing Against Luck” by Clayton Christensen, which introduces the Jobs to Be Done framework.

So I asked Kenji a simple but powerful question:

“Why do our customers really come to our shisha café?
Is it because the price is cheap?
Because the flavors are unique?
Because you’re handsome?
Or maybe because our drip coffee is special?”

He went silent.

So I gave him a summer task: read the book and summarize it in a simple report.

A week later, he called me back. Instead of going for a discount campaign, he suggested something different:

“Let’s hold a collaboration event with a fortune teller. Lowering prices won’t necessarily bring more customers, and it could even have a negative effect on how other customers perceive our value.”

His idea wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I agreed with his decision. More importantly, I was happy to see him thinking beyond just price.

What I really wanted him to discover was this:

Which “customer jobs” can our shisha café truly solve?

This little episode might be the trigger for Kenji to start prioritizing the Jobs to Be Done mindset in his marketing decisions. And for me, that’s already a step in the right direction.