Unoriginal Recipe

Ron Shaich wasn’t original. He didn’t invent new foods. He didn’t source, roast, or brew novel coffee. He didn’t find a new way to serve customers.

Shaich’s opened a cookie shop. His “secret recipe” was the one on the back of the bag of chocolate chips.

But cookies don’t sell in the morning. So he sold bread in the morning. Again, not his recipe.

It was a hit! People loved the loaves.

One morning a guy asked if Ron could slice his baguette. Why? Ron inquired. I use this bread for my lunch sandwich, the guy replied.

Bingo, Ron thought. Why sell only the bread and not the whole sandwich?

There are 2,151 Panera Bread locations in the United States. Ron Shaich created something original by not being original. He used someone else’s cookie recipe and someone else’s bread. He didn’t invent the “third place”.

The “original” recipe for success is to serve customers what they want.

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