The personal touch

We’re always hearing about the credit crunch and what businesses are doing to do to scrape by: cutting back on costs, finding different suppliers and letting staff go. So this month it was fantastic to talk to a business owner who hasn’t had to change a thing. E Pellicci, a popular café in East London, has been run by the Pellicci family since it was established in 1900. Tony Pellicci, who’s currently in charge, says he runs the cafe the same way it’s always been run: he keeps prices reasonable, ensures that the food is the best in the area, and, most importantly, looks after his customers personally.

Tony explains: “Of course times are harder now, but if you’re doing things properly and treating your customers right then people will always come back. I’ve known most of my customers for years, and they say that coming here is like coming home. How can the big coffee shops compete with that?”

That’s not to say that innovation is a bad thing: The Real Food Café in Stirling (whose business card you can find here) responded to customer demand by introducing a new ordering system. People now phone ahead of their arrival to pre-order their food, which means less waiting time for customers and enables the kitchen to better plan its order. The new system recently helped the café serve a party of 40 in less than ten minutes! And staff literally went the extra mile when a waiter drove half way across Scotland to return a set of keys to a forgetful customer.

These businesses are what the Swift Awards are all about: speedy service, combined with staff and owners who really care about what they do. It is this dedication to service that has helped to make these businesses as successful as they are.