Insights for Food Business Owners: Pick a Lane, Feed a Habit

Why building for habit—and not hype—requires walking in your customer’s shoes first.

There’s something you learn when you stop looking at restaurants as an operator and start walking into them like a customer.

Not a chef. Not a founder. Just another hungry person at 1:15 p.m., scanning prices and portion sizes, wondering if this is the kind of place you'd come back to—or just check off once for the photo.

That’s where the real research starts.

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It Begins with a Question:

What kind of restaurant is this?

Every time I visit a shop—whether it's a tucked-away noodle stall or a polished fusion spot—I try to categorize it. Not by cuisine, not by interior design. But by customer base.

Is this a habit shop—a place that survives on daily rhythms, people returning not for surprise but for certainty?

Or is it a tourist shop—built for first-timers, novelty-seekers, Instagram check-ins, one-and-done sales?

Of course, most places are hybrids.

Maybe it’s 70% habit, 30% tourist.

Maybe it’s reversed.

But unless you know what lane you’re in, you’re building blind.

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Learn Your Clan

Before you can create loyalty, you have to know who you’re speaking to.

You can’t design a fast-casual menu with a fine-dining mindset. And you definitely can’t price it that way. But many do—confusing the branding of aspiration with the reality of spending habits.

I once realized this in the middle of a chat with a friend. We were talking about premium ramen and I realized—I had no idea what the current scene even looked like. My level had stayed at Ichiran. I’m the type who would happily eat Burger King and think nothing of it.

That moment was humbling—and clarifying.

If I want to understand the customer I’m trying to serve, I can’t just observe them.

I have to be them.

Feel their limits. Notice how much I’m willing to spend before hesitating. Understand the subconscious math behind value-perception.

That’s what I mean by learning your clan. Not just demographics—but spending psychology. Daily rhythms. Emotional trade-offs. What they see as comfort vs. indulgence. What makes them feel they “got a good deal” without needing to explain why.

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Habit Strategy Is a Craft, Not a Trend

Tourist shops give you spikes. Habit shops give you a foundation.

But habits only form when every layer is in place—price, taste, flow, consistency, subtle comfort.

And it doesn’t take much to break it.

For example: I’ve seen restaurants lose their anchor because a major office moved out of the area. That single event—completely external—was enough to shake what looked like loyal daily traffic.

That’s why even within a habit strategy, I pay attention to why people are returning. Is it just convenience? Or have I earned a deeper pull?

If I go for the habit model, I don’t get to flirt with the tourist model halfway.

As I often say to myself:

> Don’t go right if you’ve decided to go left.

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The Non-Negotiable: Value in Every Penny

The one thing I always protect is value for money.

To the customer, it may feel abstract—something like “comfort” or “satisfaction.”

But as an operator, it’s extremely tangible. I see it in cost structures, portion design, soup clarity, even the weight of takeaway packaging.

I ask myself:

> “How can I maximize the value of every baht someone spends here?”

Sometimes it’s the food.

Sometimes it’s the quiet vibe.

Sometimes it’s a staff smile that makes someone feel seen.

But the outcome is the same: a customer who doesn’t just eat once—they return.

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The Real KPI: Return Without Reminder

I don’t need fireworks.

What I want is someone coming back next Tuesday—not because of a loyalty card or a free topping, but because they’ve mentally filed this place under “default comfort.”

That’s when you know habit has taken root.

And that only happens when you’ve picked your lane, understood your clan, and built every detail with their rhythm in mind.

Tourist shops chase memory.

Habit shops become one.

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