In 2008, entrepreneurs Chris DiMambro and Keith Dupuis sought to upscale their Main Street Grill, a sports bar and family style restaurant in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Their $48,000 risk–in seemingly positive changes that included an expanded menu, flowers on the table, linen napkins, and even new salt and pepper shakers–so angered their regular customers that, after 9 months, the pair had to acknowlege a flop. Disheartened by the empty seats, angry customer letters, and a 15 percent drop in revenue, the two look back in this MSNBC video to what went wrong and the lessons learned. Says MSNBC in summary, “to keep the customers you have, you need to be in touch with what they’re looking for.”

See the video below and a related, more positive piece from the Boston Business Journal, 3 February 2009.

Flickr photo credit: gregs stuff