It may be an extremely exceptional case . . .

. . . but renowned restaurant El Bulli seems to succeed by violating some cherished B-school principles.

The case also highlights the distinction between understanding and listening to customers. "Adrià's idea is that if you listen to customers, what they tell you they want will be based on something they already know," Norton observes. "If I like a good steak, you can serve that to me, and I'll enjoy it. But it will never be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To create those experiences, you almost can't listen to the customer."

Norton asks students to consider the operations and marketing of elBulli. There is much about the restaurant that is inefficient, as MBAs are quick to note: Adrià should lower his staff numbers, use cheaper ingredients, improve his supply chain, and increase the restaurant's hours of operation. But "fixing" elBulli turns it into just another restaurant, says Norton: "The things that make it inefficient are part of what makes it so valuable to people." 

Comments

[Ted Craig]

Sounds a lot like Apple.

[kyle8]

This reminds me why I love Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. There is almost always some guy who thinks that everything must be original and creative and overthinks things. (like the time Gordon ate Prawns in chocolate sauce, the look on his face was hilarious) Usually simple and familiar is better.