I went for lunch the other day to a Fijian restaurant, looking to get some authentic ethnic food to replace the usual grind of sandwiches and hamburgers. While the restaurant certainly served Fijian cuisine, that was anything but the exclusive on its menu.

In addition to the Fijian food, I found that they were openly advertising that they “specialize” in Indian and Chinese cuisine as well. Going even further, they offer a conventional western breakfast of bacon and eggs seven days a week. Opening the lunch menu, I also discovered that the only beef items were a hamburger and a steak.

Now, I understand that not everyone enjoys the spices and the taste of Fijian food. As with any other kind of ethnic food, it can be an acquired taste. However, by trying to cater to all kinds of other preferences that are not at all related to Fijian food (hamburgers and chop suey?), the restaurant was really diluting its image and ultimately hurting its business. In trying to be all things to all people, it ends up being nothing to anyone.

The irony is that many big box stores make their business out of being a “one stop shop” for all of your needs. Walk into a Walmart and you’ll find everything from clothing to electronics, cosmetics to garden supply. That business model seems to be working just fine for them.

It seems the key difference is scale. If you are a giant corporation like Walmart with massive stores, you can get away with selling a huge variety of goods. However, if you are a smaller establishment, as is the case with the Fijian restaurant, it’s perhaps best to stick to a well-defined niche.