Yesterday I had lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. I wasn't too familiar with the food, but I did recognize "baba ganoush" and asked the cashier what it was. He glanced away and mumbled something about going to "find out." He asked the serious-looking cook behind the counter, who answered him, but the cook looked totally disgusted and disappointed, a la Soup Nazi.
The cashier returned and mumbled something again. I asked him to repeat what he said, then, louder, "eggplant." Ah yes, eggplant.
He didn't say, it's an ancient Moroccan dish made with extra virgin olive oil broiled near an open flame. Or, it's a really popular appetizer tinged with smoky garlic and fresh pomegranate juice.
At least he went and found out that it was eggplant.
And that cashier was the closest I came to any employee in the restaurant for most of my visit. That interaction is a slice of information that makes up the restaurant's brand, for better or for worse. Your brand isn't always carefully planned and presented to the public; it already exists and is being reinforced with every interaction.
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