LET THERE BE LIGHT!

Category: Chamber Corner Chamber Corner
Published: 13 December 2017 13 December 2017

In the past, I have written about visitors, and some local residents, complaining to our office that they did not feel safe walking in downtown Silver City after dark. A while back, I shared those comments with Silver City Mayor Ken Ladner. Well now its time to say Thank You to the City Administration officials who have replaced the old bulbs in the light fixtures along Bullard Street with new bright LED light bulbs. Man… walking along Bullard Street in the downtown area is much better now.

Just the other day I got a call from a lady talking about how Denny's is killing local restaurants. Bull. Yes, that was my response.

Like any new restaurant, there is always a time period where lots of people will go there to try it out. If people keep going back to Denny's… then maybe they are doing something right that the other restaurants can learn from. I remember when I was in Nebraska, our local Tractor Supply built a new building directly across the street from Walmart. During an interview with the regional manager, he was asked why the company chose to be so close to Walmart. His answer was a doozy. "A lot of people find it convenient to shop for lots of stuff during one trip to Walmart. But have you ever seen a salt lick at Walmart. So, buy your groceries and other things at their store, then conveniently drive across the street to pick up the things you need for your farm or ranch." There's something to be said about learning from your competitors.

If a business is having a tough time, maybe they should do some soul-searching to find out why. Is the pricing too high? Do we train our servers to provide excellent service or just mediocre service? Do we give our customers a nice variety to choose from? Is our restaurant spotless, or is it just acceptably clean? Do we repair rips in our seats and booth cushions… or do we just let the holes get bigger? Are we serving the type of food that everyone wants? Heck, there are a lot more questions and twice as many answers. However, the basic truth is… does the restaurant's customers receive a good overall value for their dining experience. If you think Denny's is hurting your business, then go eat a meal at Denny's to see what they are doing right. Honestly, people do not stop eating at a certain restaurant because the food is great… the menu is great… the service is great… the restaurant is clean. Those are the things that attract customers, rather than turning them away. Whether you are a restaurant, a retail shop, or a professional office… you have to give your customers what they want, when they want it, at a good value – or they go somewhere else. So, Mr. or Mrs. Business-owner, shed some light on your business to really look at how you match up to your competition. Then adapt your business if you need to.

This Saturday at 10:00 a.m., there will be a ceremony at Fort Bayard National Cemetery as part of the Wreaths Across America program. If you can't make it during the ceremony, I definitely suggest you drive by next week to see how beautiful the National Cemetery is with all the wonderful Christmas Wreaths laid on the resting places of our country's heroes.

The Chamber of Commerce welcomes a new member this week, Adobe Springs Café. Adobe Springs Café is a small local cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The name of the Cafe was inspired by the natural spring that is still active beneath the building. Breakfast and lunch are served every day, and breakfast is served all day on Saturday and Sunday. Their hours are Monday thru Thursday from 7 am – 8 pm; Friday & Saturday from 7 am – 9 pm; Sunday from 7 am – 3 pm. You can order beer or wine with your meal. Gregg and Jennifer Cook are the owners of the café and invite everyone to visit Adobe Springs Café to enjoy a great dining experience. Adobe Springs Café is located at 1617 Silver Heights Blvd. in Silver City. Their phone number is (575) 538-3665.

Call us at the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce if you have a question that you believe we can shed some light on. Our phone number is (575) 538-3785. We hope you have a Merry Christmas!

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