Something Smells Good at IAD

In the baggage claim at Dulles Airport there are a few cafes selling the usual last minute snack fare.  At IAD, and most other airports, only difference between these vendors is how many steps they are from their customer at any particular time.  Yesterday, as I waited to pick someone up, I (and most of my fellow pick-uppers) noticed the entire east side of the baggage claim was filled with the smell of popcorn.  The cafe selling it has the exact same food as the one on the other side of the terminal, except for the popcorn. Go to the streets of New York late on any night, and you’ll see the same phenomenon between the guys with grilles who fill the air with the smell of their kebabs – and those who don’t.  These grille guys and the popcorn lady at IAD know something their competitors don’t.  Sometimes the only way to stand out in a market where everyone is selling the same stuff, is if yours just smells better.