It’s time for video #4 in my 6-video series on the power of emotional markets, which is basically about how information is giving way to imagination and how people no longer buy based on information alone but based on the stories and the emotional needs each product or service fulfills.
We’re shooting these videos, on location at some of my favorite restaurants and small businesses in New Orleans (you can catch my first 3 videos on emotional markets here, here and here).
Today we’re at Dooky Chase, which has been around since 1941. I chose this space because today’s video is about a very important emotional market…
It’s the market of care, which is basically about providing and receiving care in your business.
I know a lot of people talk about creating an extraordinary customer experience but rarely is a business as infused with care as Dooky Chase is.
The Queen of Creole Cuisine
The owner of this amazing restaurant is 96-year-old Leah Chase and get this… she’s still cooking in the kitchen!
So, Leah married Dooky back in the 1940s and together they started a restaurant serving down home food in the historic neighborhood of Tremé.
Dooky Chase is still located at the same spot today, even though it’s now a fine dining establishment.
Over the years, Leah became known as The Queen of Creole Cuisine — a title she absolutely deserves!
She’s all about using amazing food to bring families together, to uplift and to support the community where she lives and it’s something she’s been doing since Day 1…
No matter the cost.
Hosting MLK and the Freedom Fighters
Back in the 1960s, Leah used to host people like Martin Luther King, the freedom fighters and all their political meetings at her restaurant.
Don’t forget this was in the ‘60s when it was illegal to gather and talk about civil rights — that’s how much Leah infused the emotional market of care in her business.
You could say she helped open the door for the civil rights movement.
The police could NOT shut her down even though they knew what she was doing because they feared backlash from the community since Dooky Chase was so popular.
Leah went out on a limb for people and they rewarded her with unstoppable love and loyalty.
The Power of Lagniappe
So, I just finished reading Leah’s book And Still I Cook where she shares her life story…
Leah grew up dirt poor during the Depression. She says her generation had a lack of money but not a lack of morals and she learned about the power of care and of giving from her parents — especially her dad.
In New Orleans we’ve got an expression, lagniappe, which means “a little something extra.”
And whenever someone comes and buys something, you give them a little something they weren’t expecting just to surprise and delight them.
Leah learned the principle of lagniappe from her dad who used to sell vegetables from his garden. Whenever people bought something, he’d throw in an extra vegetable here or there just to give them a gift.
Leah uses that principle to this day, to come up with extraordinary experiences for people who dine at her restaurant and she’s created an unbeatable reputation and customer loyalty and love that has lasted for decades.
Give… and You Get Back Double
From giving and receiving care through lagniappe and extraordinary food, to creating a place for the community to gather, to holding political events even when it was illegal…
Leah has been doing all of this for 70 years and it’s absolutely paid off…
Dooky Chase has hosted the likes of not just Martin Luther King but also President George Bush, President Barack Obama and Ray Charles!
This is a business that deeply inspires me and so does Leah.
She lives by the belief that whatever you give, you get back, DOUBLE 🙂
I believe in the same thing and with Live Your Message I always say that you can have everything you want in life if you’ll just help other people get what they want in life.
So often people talk about building a business based on what they can get and the lifestyle they can lead vs what they can give and how they can make their own dreams come true by making other people’s dreams come true.
So, let me ask you this…
How can you infuse your business with care to draw people in and give back to them, to love them up and change their life?
Go ahead and share in the comments… I read and reply to each one!
And stay tuned for the next video in this series — it’s the emotional market of self-identity… super juicy stuff PLUS I’m taking you somewhere really special in the video.
One last thing…
If you’re ever in New Orleans, don’t leave without stopping by at Dooky Chase 🙂
Now go out there and Live Your Message!
Love it? Hate it? Let me know...
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So beautiful. Sadly, she passed on June 1st. This is a gorgeous tribute to an amazing woman!
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Oh wow, I filmed this right before that. A truly incredible and inspirational woman… thanks for sharing Marie <3
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Hi; Their Marisa.
For I would like to thanks you for your invination in you given me your support with my business and I had three Webinar meeting with Bill Glazer & he’s daughter Mara but the going is to slow and Chris Cardell have invited to attend he’s one day Cinema conference and he wanted me to be there and email him and explain the situation I am in and would love to fly to Britain maybe to he’s next conference and I would love to go to Orlando were Dan Kennedy & Bill Glazer owner of the GKIC have sent me invitation From Orlando Florida up to Atlanta in 2017 & 2018 but not having the not having funding and i face lots of problems and interferences since my life saving Bushfires & Droughts Products Giant Machinery and Projects discovery that well win against the worse bushfires and well do the same in the Droughts all year around but the Commonwealth -& Federal police have entered my house & stolen one of my Architect and i phone them emailed them to return but that never happen and told them it is useless to them it is because i have got my Business covered by having my Affidavit sign, signatured. stamped by a Justice Of Peace stating that it can’t be copywrite and Law Suit or any one else but I am going to do another and it well be 100% better that well be stronger and faster and powerful and I do have the first I have done and I believe you about the Dooky Chase and I would love visit it if I were to Travel to America and specially to meet you for can see that you are also specially tailor made ahha that you have all the goodies meaning education, personality, funny and very intelligent and your smartest and the beauty on the out side as it’s is on the inside and that you are always happy smiling and i like to congregation you and your Husband to be for he is a very, very lucky man tell him for i wish i were 40 again ahah were in well be 77 year old on the 29th-October-2019 and still haven’t got a wrinkle on my face and people still think i am 50 year old but still better looking then Bard Pitt ahah for i’ve worked hard all my life and stated jogging when i was 9 year old and I’ve done it all my life but i had to stop in 2000 because of corrupt racist conspiracy and jealous and when i can get all of business of the ground and one of my main priority is to write a book that well be quite easily where i have written hundred letters about all around the World of complaint Racisim and Australian would be the worse of them all and what i have read recently have made me sick and all of my ALLERGATIONS that have always make concern the whole Australian Government the Minister, Commonwealth and the Federal police and they read all of my emails for I’m full of hate or the way they had treated my beautiful Aboriginal parents and also include the rest of my people and rest of Australian Indiginious people and now believe the Australian Minister Scot= Morrison is changing the Raciest Australian Constiuations after three Hundred years that well be in the next three years as it was said over the News and i believe it is because of my allegations what i have been saying and when i was checking out the Minister contact there was warning that the police hire hitmen well so they are warning me i believe well they don’t frighten because i do have about 47 years on them or you can say 76 years of it and Marisa for they had found me guilty twice when i worked as a underground miner N-T and the second time was me and my two young sons far back on Christmas Morning 1990 it is a long story and i don’t tell lie’that why i had i over turn both guilty Court Case 8 years that took over 5 years of intimidation and i represented my self & my two sons because in speak the truth and you wouldn’t believe it why we were found guilty was because the Judge was dying of seroiues of Kidneys problems and he sleep the two whole days in Court with he’s head laying back on he’s chair snoring and tried to intimidate me the second time for i have a quick temper and i call him a dirty old so & so and nothing that they could have done any thing about it was because i got my hands on a fraud statement and that is why they are still after me and do have A CLEAN RECORD and so Marisa i wish you and your darling husband the very best in the near future and ever lasting happiness and may God Bless Both of yous and maybe one day i just might arrive there and by then you may have mob of young Entrepreneurs running around the house ahaha just joking and i like to say is you are real daring for what you had offered me and once again is to stay safe an ever day & every days after.
Warm regards from; Neil J Fraser.
6;48.am. 21st-July-2019
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Thanks for your heartfelt comment! But I’m not sure what your question is — can you please be more specific? 🙂
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Should you eat with your fingers at a “fine dining establishment”? Cutlery, darling.
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It’s fried chicken! Do you eat fried chicken with cutlery? 😉
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This is just beautiful, Marisa. Thank you.
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So glad you liked it Susan! 🙂
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