I can be snobby about dining out. I get critical, complainy, and “granular” especially when I’m hangry. It’s not really about the food but the ambiance of the restaurant. From the driveway to the greasy footpath leading up to the front door, I need to be reassured that I’m about to eat a good meal. I do feel entitled to a good meal because I know how to cook! I love cooking. If I’m going to pay 3 to 20 times more to eat a meal like what I could prepare at home, it better be good. Now that the food is good, why not place me and the food in a well-lit room with groovy music and a “feel” that makes me want to return?
This is the arc of the Immersive Experience; the invitation is sent to passersby, they approach, are rewarded by window shopping, enter, eat a delicious meal, or make their purchase hassle-free, go home happy, and tell friends/family about their experience. At (almost) every step of the experience the participant is rewarded. They go home, with vague spectrum of expectations satisfied, share the story with their peeps, and return later. Maybe it should be called Vague Expectation Journey but that title sounds loaded.
I stood in the parking lot baffled, decoding the entry of the Country Café. I was hangry. I couldn’t find the name of the restaurant. People were entering and exiting the building, the place was busy! My dad went inside to order. Not me, it felt like entering an escape room, like I had to cipher a puzzle before entering.
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