I discovered a couple of cracking Creation stories while I was in New York last week. My hotel was opposite Bryant Park and a Zucker’s Bagels was only a short 50-meter walk. I sampled some of their bagels for breakfast on several days. For lunch I was also able to purchase some items from Sweetgreen, who were located on the other side of the park.

As interesting as my breakfast and lunch sound, I mention them because both eateries had cracking Creation stories that are worth sharing.

Sweetgreen Stories

I first came across Sweetgreen when I featured one of their Culture stories in my book Magnetic Stories. On a side note, I believe there are five types of brand stories every organisation should share. They are:

1. Creation
2. Culture
3. Customer
4. Challenge
5. Community

They also have a great example of a Creation story on their website.

“We started Sweetgreen as three college students who were simply looking for a healthier way to eat. When we were in school, there were two choices: food that was slow, expensive, and fresh—or fast, cheap, and unhealthy.

 We saw an opportunity to create a business where quality was never sacrificed for convenience. On August 1st, 2007, two months after graduating, we opened Sweetgreen in Washington DC and served our first customers with a vision to reimagine fast food.”

They even produced a short video, which has garnered over 3.3 million views. Believe me, you are not getting that level of customer engagement without a good story.

Creating Zucker’s Bagels

The Creation story for Zucker’s Bagels is a bit longer but still a good example. Here is half of it, but you can read the full version here.

“Zucker’s Bagels and Smoked Fish is New York City’s quintessential neighbourhood bagel shop, founded in TriBeCa in 2006. We make bagels the old-fashioned way: hand-rolled and kettle-boiled, using only unbromated and unbleached flours and a touch of malt syrup. Our New York bagels have a golden brown exterior, a dense chewy interior, and are generously seeded on both sides (no skimping!). By partnering with the country’s most respected makers, including Acme Smoked Fish, La Colombe Coffee, Guss’ Pickles, and others, we create the city’s most delicious bagel sandwiches. We cater and deliver throughout Manhattan and ship our bagels & brunch kits nationwide via Goldbelly.

 Matt Pomerantz is a native New Yorker who knows New York well – his parents, Roslyn Marilyn Zucker Pomerantz and Murray Pomerantz, owned a well-known ladies’ clothing business on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side for over 35 years. Matt’s formative years were spent at NY’s well-known eateries like Schmulka Bernstein and Ratner’s, and he even bussed tables in the Catskills. Zucker’s is named after Matt’s mother.”

If you would like help understanding how to implement brand story selling in your organisation, let’s set up a time to discuss.