Abstract
Jim Foster and his father started an Irish pub, The Selwyn Pub, in an upscale neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina. Originally envisioned as a casual dining restaurant with an Irish pub like atmosphere, Jim and his father soon discovered that their customers were looking for a place to drink beer and eat pub food. Recently, they noticed a shift in the customer demographics and drinking preferences at the Pub. Seeing a significant growth in the number of women that frequented the pub and the number of times they requested wine, Jim decided to expand the wine offerings in their pub. The problem was that neither Jim nor his father had much experience with wine, and they had a young and rather inexperienced wait staff who were also unfamiliar with wine. Consequently, challenges with the category arose. The case examines a fundamental question for any business; whether to grow into new and unfamiliar product categories in order to meet changes in customer preferences or to continue with the existing core competencies?
Highlights
Jim Foster and his father had a history of partnering together in their careers, leading to opening a pub together
Jim had fond memories of his years at Albany Law School in upstate New York during when he worked in an Irish pub
(Atkin, 2007)1 Jim suspected that men were interested in an expanded wine offering, but most of the requests had come from women
Summary
Jim Foster and his father had a history of partnering together in their careers, leading to opening a pub together. After Jim’s father “retired” and relocated to North Carolina, he was offered a junior college basketball coaching position; his father’s first official decision on the job was to hire Jim as his assistant They had a rewarding and exciting time for some years as head and assistant coach. Jim had fond memories of his years at Albany Law School in upstate New York during when he worked in an Irish pub He loved the ambiance of the pub, a comfortable place where everyone in the neighborhood could relax with good friends. Jim’s education and experience had been in law and accounting, and his practice was thriving, Jim was unfulfilled with his full-time career He had joined the Queens University of Charlotte faculty and found himself spending more time with the Pub, which was increasingly gaining a loyal customer base. While the Pub had always been an attractive location for the male after-work banking set, it was attracting more and more women
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
