How Dogpatch Games wrote the tabletop game customer service rulebook?

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Behind the Review, host and Yelp small business expert, Emily Washcovick, shares a preview of this week's podcast episode.

Growing up, Shannon spent countless hours playing board games with his family, a fundamental memory he wanted to help others recreate, especially during the pandemic when people felt largely disconnected . From there was born Dogpatch Games: a board game store in San Francisco that, soon after opening, became more than just a place to buy games.

“One of our key principles or touchstones that we try to focus on is inclusiveness,” Shannon said. "It's this idea that there's a place for everyone and there's a game for everyone. This game might not be for you, but this game is, and you haven't found it yet."

Shannon's approach to entrepreneurship was to start slowly, which gave the business a chance to grow in the neighborhood. It started with a soft opening, in which the business was only open for a few hours a day. Even with limited hours, curious customers still arrived, giving Shannon the opportunity to wow them.

One of those customers was Yelp Elite reviewer Jenny X., who saw the store when she moved to the area. Before entering, she thought Dogpatch would be a one-time visit. To her surprise, it turned out to be a memorable experience that she couldn't wait to tell her friends about.

"I'm really skeptical. I [thought] we were just going to walk in and leave. It's not going to be a place where we'll spend a lot of time," Jenny said. "Just seeing how much of a passion the owner had for games, I let my guard down a bit and [decided] not to be skeptical for a second here and let him try to convince us."

To make Dogpatch more than a store, Shannon goes the extra mile to make customers feel comfortable. Similar to Jenny's experience, he frequently offers to teach customers how to play different board games and asks questions to determine which games they will like best.

By making it easier for customers to enter the business, Shannon was then able to introduce a membership model for loyal customers, which provides a stable revenue stream for the store. In deciding the prices for the different membership levels, Shannon has prioritized accessibility for all customers.

“We tried to come up with a price that felt fair, but recognizing that this is a premium gaming space,” Shannon said. “We want our community members to feel like they're getting enough value for their membership, where they're getting the premium service, but they're getting enough of a discount for that and being invited to those extra things so they don't want to give up their membership."

As part of the membership model, Dogpatch organizes exclusive events and game nights for members. It also hosts events open to all members of the community, such as Dungeon & Dragons tournaments and Ladies' Nights, to help customers meet and build new relationships.

In the future, Shannon hopes to integrate Dogpatch even more into the community by partnering with local businesses, such as her "Parents' Night Out" initiative with local restaurant Gilberth's Latin Fusion, where parents can drop off their children at Dogpatch and receive a discount on their meal at the restaurant.

"The kids are here for two hours playing games. We got them: you go have your date and then come back for them," Shannon said. "We try to create a little neighborhood community with other establishments in our neighborhood because we're all in this together."

Other small businesses can learn effective strategies from the Dogpatch playbook, such as:

Considering a soft opening model. A soft open can be a great way to build excitement for your business and spread the word organically without a high resource investment. Build a solid pricing model. Creating profiles of your ideal customers can help you choose a pricing model that's right for your business and accessible to customers. Integrate your business into the community. Host community events open to everyone and partner with other local businesses to help each other grow.