I was out at a sports bar last Sunday afternoon to watch an Orlando City Lions soccer game with a group of friends. The bar can get very crowded for these games, so we made a reservation. They put together a few tables for us, which were high top tables. One of our friends came with her 10 month old baby (suitable environment for a baby, I promise). When she asked for a high chair, they brought her a standard table height high chair. Of course this didn’t work at the high top table, so the baby had to be held through the entire game and meal. We took turns holding the baby (because she is so cute!... and also) because her mother had a hard time reading the menu, eating, paying, etc, with baby on her lap. This led me to believe that an opportunity exists for a high top high chair.
I spoke to three parents of young children about this.
It was mentioned that bar and grill type restaurants are generally good places to go with kids, because they are noisy and the kids don’t disrupt the setting. However they have a lot of high top tables, so the same issue can become a problem. One person said he worked at a restaurant where they had high top high chairs.
The family can simply request not to be seated at a high top table. However, this becomes a problem during peak hours when the restaurants are particularly crowded, it can lead to longer wait times, which is also quite inconvenient in general, particularly with children of that age.
When dining at these types of restaurants with a group, as what happened to make me aware of the idea, sometimes the family does not have the option of table height.
The parents I spoke with said they were not aware of the need until they had kids, and the child uses a high chair for 1.5-2 years.
I found this can also be a problem for parents at home, if they eat on higher surfaces, such as a pub height table or a bar height counter with bar stools. One parent had a pub height table at home. Once her baby was old enough to sit in the high chair she realized the high chair was too short for their table, and they had to end up getting rid of their table and getting a new one. That was certainly an expense they could have done without.
Some parents agreed it might be a good idea as an additional feature to high chairs to be adjustable to different heights, rather than having two separate products for high chairs of different heights..
There are a few different ways parents are currently addressing this problem. The most common is to hold the baby, or stand, which are both quite uncomfortable and inconvenient. One parent said he has left the restaurant if they haven’t had appropriate seating for his child. As I mentioned, when they realized this problem with their home dining table, they had to buy a new table.
My original opportunity belief was more focused on the idea of high chairs in restaurants, where restaurants could be the customers. However as I spoke to a few parents, I came to think that this is a product that could be beneficial to parents for home use as well. I feel fairly certain this opportunity exists, but one thing I would like to investigate further is if in fact there is something like this that already exists, and if so, what prevented these customers from having it when they needed it? Then perhaps the opportunity exists in a product that is more accessible to these customers who need it?
I think it is essential for entrepreneurs (and everyone) to constantly adapt based on feedback. I believe to receive feedback with an open mind and heart and consider your take on inherently yields adaptation and evolution.
Amira,
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a cool idea for parents that don't have the ability to leave their baby or toddler at home, or just want to bring them along wherever they are going. This is an idea that I definitely hadn't thought about since I don't have to run into the situation, so it is totally a legitimate opportunity for entrepreneurs out there. I also think that it is essential for entrepreneurs and everyone to constantly adapt based on feedback. Well done!
Amira, great way to see a need and act upon it! I can see this need being applicable to many parents of infants/young children. It is interesting to hear what you learned from interviewing the people. Especially the guy who works in the restaurant who has high-top highchairs. For at home use, it would be a cool concept to have a high chair that can be adjusted for "normal" table height and high table height. I'm excited to see where you go with this opportunity!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting opportunity belief. As I was reading I actually thought to myself "Maybe it would be more efficient if you had a high chair that was extendable instead of having separate high chairs for different heights". But right after I thought that, I read the sentence where you mentioned many other parents had the same idea, which I thought was interesting. Another thought was to have a device that could attach to high chairs that could add certain heights. Very cool concept.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on finding your idea. So far for me it has been through hanging out with other people that I find a need that I would have never thought of or noticed on my own. Many of which are through my older sister who has a child. I feel that the need for a chair that extends to that height isn't enough to warrant a chair that extends that far. I could see there being a potential liability issue because of how much easier it would be for a chair to extend to that height. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteHey! I think that your opportunity belief is a very strong one as I cannot go to any type of bar, restaurant, store, or shop without seeing mothers and young children together. However, I have a bit of concern that this already exists, just maybe not at the specific bar you were at. I think that a better opportunity belief for you to delve into would be to regulate the need for high top high chairs in bars and restaurants.
ReplyDeleteAmira, this is an amazing idea! I have two nephews and a niece, all of which are under the age of two. There has been numerous times when we have to rotate holding one of the babies because their isn't a high chair for high top tables. Although people can make reservations or go to specific places that they know they sit comfortably at, it isn't fair that people can't do what they want simply because they have a child. I work at a restaurant that has bar seating and roughly half of those tables are high tops. There has been numerous times where we've had families waiting for a lower table or families who simply left due to the high tops. This is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAmira, this was a really cool opportunity belief. It was something that had never crossed my mind because I am not usually in situations where I am eating with a baby, but I can see why that can be such an unnecessary inconvenience for parents and people taking care of babies. It can also be a problem for restaurants who are lsing business because babies cannot sit at their tables. This is so cool, it belongs on shark tank. Great idea.
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