Burgers and the power of eliminating choice in marketing

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This is the menu for Dirty Burger, an upmarket burger joint in the very downmarket Kentish Town area of London. It's part of a rise in high quality food "shack/diner style" restaurants in London that provide little or no choice for customers. There's Burger & Lobster (ermm, just beef burgers and lobster burgers), Orange Buffalo (chicken wings), The Rib Man (pulled pork sandwiches) and dozens of artisan coffee shops that do away with caramel decaf extra wet capufrappucinos. It's espresso, espresso with a bit of milk or espresso with extra hot water.

What they say, in an un-arrogant customer-friendly way, is we know our product. And we are going to deliver just one or two things, amazingly, brilliantly, wonderfully well. 

That says a lot about these retailers. It screams confidence, simplicity and, what we'd call in B2B marketing, "Thought Leadership". We've worked long and hard at perfecting the perfect dish, so lets not leave you to construct a toppings heavy, sauce soaked mess of a meal. We're chefs. You're not. Trust us.

That's an incredibly powerful marketing approach. Whilst a few years back we thought consumers wanted ultimate choice, I  now think they just want ease of access. Information access and connectivity means we're spoilt for choice. The point of pain now is making a decision. So lets all make it easier for our customers. Forget "have it your way". Let's make their lives a lot easier and deliver that perfect burger.

Image: courtesy of @fennerpearson : http://instagram.com/p/g8sXg4KDgU/