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February 08, 2006

We May Doze, but We Never Close.

Magnoliacafe_4_1Read the menu at Magnolia Café in Austin and you'll learn about about the sign. As a joke someone cut a vinyl “Come in, We’re Open” sign in half, flipped the halves around and taped them together so that it read “Sorry We’re Open.” The staff thought it was funny, but when they were shutting down that night and turned the sign around, the other side read, “Come In We’re Closed.” So they had to stay open all the time because of the sign. Um, O - kay.

Look inside another menu and you might find a little different story. Seems they used to open and close on a daily basis, but they only had one set of keys that they shared. Well, the keys were constantly misplaced until finally  one day, no one could find them at all, so they had to stay open all the time. As they put it, 24/8. That's "24 hours a day, 8 days a week.” And that’s how come they never close. Got it? R-i-i-i-ight...

A couple of points about the stories:

1. It’s good to have a sense of humor about your business.
2. Technology has transformed us into a nation that doesn’t sleep. 

Yes, I know there have always been all-night diners. But, lately I’ve noticed that more and more businesses are staying open beyond what used to be considered traditional hours. Remember when banks used to be open only during the hours when it was hardest to get to them – like 9A.M. to 3P.M. when their customers had to work? Now, some are even open on Sunday. I don’t believe this is just a passing trend. It's a rapidly approaching way of life. And of course I know there are plenty of businesses that it wouldn't make sense to keep open all night. But it might make sense to make your business accessible all-night through your website and an answering service or an automated voice system with an emergency number.
Anyway when you're in Austin check out the Magnolia Cafe. I'd recommend the "Love Migas." Most people eat them for for breakfast, but  believe me, they're tasty 24/8.
-mikey

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