“What do you want for lunch? Should we stop for a slice?” Dan asked me.
“No,” I replied. “I want to go somewhere and sit down and eat a meal.”
It was Monday, around noon. We had started our move on Friday (after several weeks of packing), and although most of the furniture had been moved, we still had a lot of work to do. We had to unpack and organize the new place, finish cleaning out the old place, and make any necessary touch-ups to make it look presentable to renters. Oh, and all of this had to be done before it was time to pick up our 22-month-old twins.
It was exhausting. So when the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing meal presented itself, I knew we had to seize it. We decided to check out a sports bar that had just opened up (which would also enable us to watch some daytime baseball).
It was obvious right away that the place was new — the large flatscreen TVs were crystal clear, the pool tables didn’t have a mark on them, and the bar was shiny and clean. Curious to learn more, we chatted up the bartender, who told us that the pub hadn’t yet held a grand opening. Instead, they opted for a soft opening, which would allow them to work out the kinks before making a big splash with advertising and social media.
“It’s kind of like a practice run,” said Kevin, the owner, who was glad they decided to hold off on going public. On the restaurant’s first night, which was attended mostly by family and friends, the waits for food were excessively long, something he was able to address before word got out to the locals. “All we need is for people to be going on Facebook talking about hour-long waits. We’d be sunk.”
What’s interesting to me is that Kevin already owns a restaurant in the area, yet he’s still humble — and wise — enough to know that each business is its own animal; that what worked at one place might fail at another. That tells me he’s invested in the new pub and will constantly be striving to offer a better experience for customers.
After our lunch (which was delicious), I thought quite a bit about the concept of a soft opening, and how many other events could benefit from having a dress rehearsal before the lights go up. Years ago, I went to a concert at MetLife Stadium, home of the NY Giants and NY Jets, and it was clear that the venue was not ready for primetime. Several different stairwells were closed, entire sections of the vast parking lot were fenced off (due to a large chunk of the old stadium that hadn’t yet been removed), and — here’s the kicker — at one point, the lights went out. The lights in the stadium went out.
It was bad. What had been advertised as the concert that would “open” the new stadium had turned out to be a disaster. MetLife Stadium certainly could have benefited from a practice run (perhaps something other than a concert featuring Bon Jovi, who’s pretty much New Jersey royalty), but for whatever reason, they opted not to.
Another example comes to mind: a little website called healthcare.gov. What was supposed to be a groundbreaking initiative quickly turned into a running joke as it was marred with technical glitches, long waits and down times, causing a great deal of embarrassment for all involved and leading to the resignation of Kathleen Sebelius.
Perhaps the worst part is that it could have been avoided. In a hearing held last year, the private contractors who were tasked with building the marketplace testified that the administration went ahead with the Oct. 1 launch despite insufficient testing. According to Cheryl Campbell, senior VP of CGI Federal, full tests that should have been carried out months in advance began just two weeks before its rollout.
Julie Bataille, director of CMS’s office of communications, concurred that the system, “just wasn’t tested enough,” citing, “a compressed time frame.”
And there’s the rub. When time frames are too compressed, they need to be extended. And when that can’t happen, consider a practice run. Because if there’s anything the healthcare.gov fiasco has taught us, it’s that the bad press which can result from launching too quickly is far more damaging than anything else. That’s what can sink you.
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