Gaslamp Strip Club: Consumer Experience
My approach to my case study is to see how senior management and their team lives up to such a unique concept and interesting theme of the restaurant. The Gaslamp Strip Club is no ordinary steakhouse, and my mission is to see what they do differently compared to the conventional Food & Beverage operation.
I initially planned to go the Gaslamp Strip Club with my sister. After weeks of hyping her up to go with me, I sadly had to change plans. I understood the theme of the restaurant, but was not aware of the 21 and over age limit until I did further research. Though slightly disappointed that I was unable to take my 18-year-old sister, I actually appreciated this restriction as it added a sort of exclusivity and authenticity to the whole experience. I ended up going with a friend who has been to the restaurant twice. When I asked her to join me for dinner at the Gaslamp Strip Club, her reply was: “that place is so [incredibly awesome], omg.” I knew immediately that this will be a very interesting case study.
A welcoming hostess greeted us when we arrived and she sat us at one of the leather booths. We ordered our appetizers, steaks, and sides with help from our waitress. She wore fishnets with short shorts, a well-played detail that further brings the concept together. The interior design, décor, and lighting perfectly fit the theme. The more I looked around, the more details I noticed.
Our steaks came wrapped in plastic on a cutting board with tongs. They were uncooked and unseasoned. The sides arrived perfectly timed as our steaks were cooking on the grill. I’m quite particular when it comes to the temperature of my steaks; I prefer them rare to medium-rare. To be completely honest, I don’t even remember how well I cooked my steak but it didn’t matter. It didn’t even cross my mind that I was paying to cook my own food. I was completely absorbed and totally captivated by the entire experience, and that’s what this generation’s consumers are all about. An experience occurs when a company intentionally uses services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event (Pine and Gilmore 1998). I didn’t care that I was paying to stand over a grill getting my hands dirty cooking my own steak, I cared about making it a memorable moment and valuing it for what it’s worth.