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Regarding the food trucks, Roberts explains that it’s
important to know your clientele when choosing a theme,
especially when it comes to food.
“In our case, we have mostly a working-class clientele,
and so food trucks with tacos or BBQ really attract people
around here. They know our food trucks are good. [The
trucks] park outside so it’s easy—and we’re supporting other
local businesses, so that’s good.”
9
Walk a fine humidor rapport line.
The biggest
challenge inside the cigar lounge is sizing customers
up before they walk into the humidor, then knowing
when to get heavily involved in their purchase decision and
when to back off, according to Roberts. “You have to train
your staff how to do this—it’s an art,” he says. “You want
knowledgeable people who don’t intimidate your customers
or make them feel stupid. So they have to get an instant rap-
port going without being overbearing, and that’s a challenge.”
10
Disseminate industry information.
When
Roberts or one of his staff attends an industry
association conference or town hall meeting, or
reads an industry-related article that he deems valuable in
some way, he makes sure to “share the wealth” with man-
agers, who then share it with co-workers. “It’s not good
enough to just know it yourself as the owner,” he says.
11
If you want to make a change, get custom-
er input, which might turn out to be a big-
ger contribution than you think.
Last year,
Big Sticks was forced to relocate to a new store, so Roberts
took advantage of turning a 1,600-square-foot retail space
into one that is now 4,500 square feet. But before he chose
the location and built up the store, he shared the news and
solicited the input of his customers. Much to his surprise,
they had a lot to say—and contribute. The new store’s hu-
midor utilizes 60 percent of the old humidor’s Spanish ce-
dar that a skilled customer repurposed and rebuilt for Rob-
erts—free of charge. “He saved us a lot of money, but also
he
saved
some wonderful old wood [for us],” Roberts relays.
“He builds and repairs cigar [humidors], so he had the skill
set and he wanted a place to call his own. He really wanted
this lounge.”
Roberts adds that “if you speak out, you really get help
from the people you are building the lounge for.” Other
customers came forward to help Roberts with the HVAC
system and the plumbing.
12
Go big with multiple lounge conversation
areas.
When Big Sticks went bigger, Roberts
was able to increase its number of lounge con-
versation areas to three—two segregated couch/lounge ar-
eas within the store, as well as a nine-stool bar area. Why
is this important? “Sometimes cigar lounges can get a little
clubby with the locals, and when outsiders walk in they are
stared at and made to feel unwelcome,” Roberts observes.
“I’ve always felt that if you have the space, you should have
at least two separate conversation areas so everyone has a
spot. We try to be like a neighborhood bar for cigar smokers,
but without the sense of exclusivity.”
TB
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