This city has a lot of great restaurants. You’ve got a slew of em down in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, ample options in the upscale Clear Fork shopping center, a few hotspots around TCU and a variety of choices on West 7th.
But my favorite spot isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a room within a restaurant.
And I’m talking specifically about the bar at Eddie V’s, which is where I took Susan for a Christmas date on Wednesday night.
Eddie V’s isn’t a local spot. They have restaurants in 14 states. And I can’t vouch for their other places. But ours is phenomenal.
You walk in the main doors, and the vibe of the bar is palpable. You turn left and enter the room, where a long horseshoe bar is the centerpiece. Surrounded by bar top tables and booths, a jazz band plays in the corner at just the right volume and tempo. Mirrors along the back wall add the illusion of space to the relatively small area.
And the room buzzes with energy. You look around and see business men and women, couples on dates, cowboy hats. The sounds of laughs, commentary, clinking glasses, silverware on plates all combine to create a symphonic ambiance that signals “things are happening.”
Drinks being delivered from the bar, dinners being brought in, cleared plates being bussed out. The movement. The energy. The sounds. It all pulls you in. It attracts.
This fantastic room is a place of activity. It has a lively pulse that takes you over as you take a seat and take a sip.
Nothing is throwing it off. The waitress beside us knocks over a bottle of wine and spills a bit on the table. A quick apology, a joking comment from the table, and the vibe keeps going.
A fork falls on the floor. Who cares? The energy of the room blows right past it. Another fork arrives, along with a reloaded basket of bread and a fresh Manhattan. Everything keeps going.
The default of the Eddie V’s bar is movement, anticipation and excitement. It engulfs you.
When you think about the patient experience in your practice, this is exactly how it should be.
It should have a vibe, an energy. We’re here doing amazing things, and we’re glad you’re able to be a part of it, dear patient.
Slight hiccups, little challenges – not a problem at all. Of course it happens, when you’re moving and shaking like we are, it’s bound to.
But nothing is thrown off track, the momentum continues to build, the good energy persists, and the needle stays on the record.
Conversions become easier, the patient experience becomes better, sales conversations become second nature, the surgery schedule fills.
Going into 2025, the Fort Worth Eddie V’s bar should be your vibe. If it’s not, ask yourself (or me) why. How do you create it? How do you make it consistent? How do you create this atmosphere of movement day in and day out?
Freight Train Energy. We’re on the tracks, chugging along, headed to Clear Vision Town. We’d love to have you join us and take you where you need to go, dear patient.
But we aren’t leaving the tracks. We’re not slowing down. We’re not changing destinations. We already know where you need to go, and everything we do is to take you there.
This is one of the more understated yet insanely powerful concepts you can use to set yourself apart from other practices and every other business trying to distract your patients and take their hard-earned money.
And it’s the core underlying theme of everything we do in our coaching program.
So go forth and create the “room” your patients want to be in.
Cheers,
Troy “In the Right Room” Cole