I like to think of my restaurant as a filter, not a magnet. My restaurant serves vegan food, doesn’t do any ads, and doesn’t even have a sign outside. Not because I despise money but because I want to serve a small community of people who understand my values.

The marketing strategy for the restaurant is very simple. My wife and I write a weekly newsletter on our website. We share lessons from opening and operating a restaurant, vegan recipes we’re using for the menu, and our thoughts on values such as success and freedom. We’ve been publishing for over a year and now have a hundred subscribers.

How do we make a living? Because the rent is cheap, we don’t have to attract a hundred guests daily to make it even. Because the fixed costs are low, we get to focus more on delivering better food, service, and content. My goal is to protect this virtuous cycle.

Fortunately, we have a steady flow of customers. Many of whom found us through our online writing. I can’t estimate what percentage of the customers know about our website, but I appreciate some recognize us as more than just a sandwich shop.

So, what’s the next step? I certainly don’t want to run a popular restaurant with long wait times. That’s why I never plan to launch a big promotional campaign. Instead, I want to create a podcast that celebrates one-of-a-kind creators and business owners. Will this work? I don’t know. Would I be a fan of this kind of content? For sure.