Being "renowned" for something is not the same as being "memorable" for something. The latter is way better.
This was the debate that I had with my buddy Mitch Feinman at the San Francisco meal cited in yesterday's post, where we debated the dulling "fine-ness" of our experience.
Let's continue using the aforementioned--and mercifully anonymous--restaurant as our example. An eatery can be "renowned" for its cuisine, its signature dish, its wine list, its clientele, its scene, and so on. That's what gets you through the door. The first time.
"Renowned" establishes your baseline.
It's your oxygen, your lifeline, your constant.
Its what you do on top of that baseline that makes you "memorable." Or not. "Memorable" is the one-time special, the event, the Surprise offer.
It's your nitrous oxide...
...the gaseous mix that makes people giddy and talkative. "Memorable" needs to be renewed. Constantly.
Problem is that most people stop at "renowned." It becomes the laurel that is lazily rested upon.
"Renowned" is what gets you in business. "Memorable" is what keeps you there.
"Renowned" are the reviews that hang on your walls. "Memorable" are the reviews that are spread by your customers.