Matching strategy with performance

A survey of small independent restaurants investigated the link between a restaurant's business strategies and its performance. The results suggest that successful restaurants are less aggressive than are low-performing ones. Less-successful restaurants devote a large percentage of their resources to increasing short-term economic gains and customer counts (e.g., by using coupons and discounts) versus developing long-term business. High performers place great importance on problem solving and they have a long-term perspective that is strategic rather than routine and operational. They are more proactive, more innovative, and more committed to delivering quality service than are their less successful counterparts.