I’ve just spent a week travelling the California coast with my brother, Scott. We visited many restaurants and wineries but the ones that stand out did something remarkable, something out of the ordinary.

The Palace Grill in Santa Barbara is a Cajun restaurant. Lots of people line up to get a table. Lots of buzz. Our visit  started off like any other restaurant dinner at a popular spot. Great service (nothing unexpected), great food (of course, what else), my brother brought great wine (another Joel Gott masterpiece).

Then at 8.30pm this noisy eating spot is brought to silence by the maître d’  and the service staff hand out the words of the song What a Wonderful World. Louis Armstrong starts singing and everyone starts, a little hesitantly at first, to sing along. All the waiters are clinking glasses with the patrons wishing them cheers and good health.

Now that was remarkable.

It costs the restaurant nothing but it will be an experience I won’t forget and it will be a story I’ll certainly tell whenever anyone asks, How was your trip with your brother?

So you have a great product (but so do your competitors), and you have great people (ditto for your competitors) and you might even have world class customer service. But what are you doing that’s so remarkable your customers are remarking on their experience? What stories are they telling about you? What are you actively doing to trigger positive stories about your business?