Garry Kanfer (Kissaki) on Delivering Online Hospitality — Restaurant Influencers Podcast (RI002)

Garry Kanfer (@explorekissaki) is not afraid to hustle. After arriving in America as an immigrant at the tender age of seven, he went from having enough to get by in the USSR to having nothing in the States. Through a relentless drive, Garry Kanfer grew Big Drop Inc, an award-winning web design firm that works with numerous Fortune 500 companies. Serving as president and a self-made marketing guy, Garry has helped steer clients ranging from Samsung to Citibank.

Watch this Garry Kanfer interview to learn stories and lessons about delivering traditional hospitality to digital audiences online and learning to pivot to omakase delivery while retaining his sushi brand’s identity and quality.

“At one point, I kind of plateaued as a CEO of the agency,” recalls Garry on this episode of Restaurant Influencers, sponsored by Toast (@toasttab). “I was looking for a challenge in my life and I got into the hospitality industry.”

First considering a coffee shop, the business owner and his team relentlessly researched the market. In short order, Garry grew to favor his passion for omakase, opening Kissaki in the Lower East Side.

“It was a success from the start,” shares Garry. “Then COVID happened.”

CHAPTERS:

[01:24] - Branding and Marketing

[06:19] - COVID impact on Business

[08:45] - Brand Means A Lot

[12:52] - Getting Your Story Told

[17:21] - Advice for Online Ordering

Garry Kanfer is a Restaurant Influencer —

In a world full of full-time restaurateurs having to figure out the pandemic, how could a newbie to the space possibly survive?

“I consider myself a pro at user experience online,” Garry Kanfer said.

Having little to no experience in the restaurant space but a wealth of knowledge in the digital realm, Garry quickly came to figure out that the only way to survive during the pandemic was to provide the same level of love, hospitality and product with Kissaki online as he had offered in person in the Lower East Side.

Swiftly, Garry began ordering boxes online to perfect packaging his Omakase, offering the same sentiment as the décor of his physical space. He sourced fish from Japan and made an online ordering experience that was easy to navigate and fulfilling.

“You need to think about the person that's actually your target audience,” notes Garry. “The people that you're trying to deliver the product to. How are they looking at it? What are they supposed to feel? What's the competitive analysis?”

By thinking holistically about customer experience, margins, market research and doing the hard work of figuring it all out, Garry was able to thrive through the pandemic even while operating in an industry he was completely new to.

“This is an opportunity,” says Garry Kanfer on this podcast episode about pivoting to delivery during the pandemic.

“We're delivering the restaurant; how can we give that same experience to someone at home? It takes a lot of hustle. I went to Alibaba and found packaging companies. I did all the logistics myself. I had no experience on how to get products from China or through customs. I figured out all the logistics and I designed the box.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN from this interview? Let us know in the comments!

EPISODE LINKS:

• Big Drop Inc

• VideoPreparing Takeout Omakase

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ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS:

Are you SICK and TIRED of scrolling through your social media feeds and not seeing your business anywhere?

Welcome to the Restaurant Influencers podcast series, sponsored by Toast (@toasttab).

Every week host Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with leaders in restaurant and hospitality about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling and how to show up and engage where customers are spending time online.

The weekly digital series (audio, video, writing, images) is hosted by Cali BBQ Media Founder Shawn P. Walchef and presented by Entrepreneur Media (@entrepreneur), Yelp for Business (@yelp), and Cali BBQ Media (@calibbqmedia).

• Entrepreneur

• Yelp for Business

• Cali BBQ Media

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SPONSORED BY TOAST:

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

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Learn more at pos.toasttab.com