Get Your Own Ideas, Love

This is the trendiest modern style pinchos bar in the playground old town of San Sebastien.

As I was standing at a shelf eating tremendous pinchos, there was a young Spanish lady in front of me at the bar. In a tiny space, she was feverishly writing into a small reporter’s notebook.

It was clear that she was jotting down the entire menu.

Behind the bar, all available wares were on blackboards. She was getting it all, even down to each wine by the glass.

It was quite embarrassing really. The bar staff saw her. To their credit, they didn’t stop her. After all, they have the best bar.

It’s flattery, right? I was informed that this kind of thing happens all the time in popular places like this.

There comes a point when copying someone else so clouds what would be successful that success proves elusive.

The phrase that I heard which sums it up was;

get your own ideas, love

How true. It’s dangerous turf when you look too closely at a competitor’s operation. Think and be influenced on their terms and you will lose. Best you think of how you can be different. For maximum results, ‘get your own ideas’.