Est. 2007. Still going.
Adequate ideas, reliably delivered, since 2007.
A reporter once called us "quietly adequate" and we put it on a mug.
Good Not Great Enterprises was founded in 2007 on a single conviction: that good enough is, in fact, good enough. We've spent almost two decades building companies that deliver on exactly what they promise, no more, no less.
Our competitors chase greatness. They raise Series C rounds. They keynote conferences. They get breathless coverage in publications that use the word "visionary" without irony. We watch all of that happen and think: neat.
We've never gone viral. We've never been described as revolutionary. A reporter once called us "quietly adequate" and we put it on a mug.
Every product we ship meets the bar it was supposed to meet. Not a higher bar. The actual bar.
We've been in the same businesses since we started them. We don't pivot. We persist, at a medium pace.
Greatness burns people out. Good keeps going. We've had the same core team since 2009. Gary left in 2014 but he sends cards.
At Guacs On Us, the guac is always free. Not "free with purchase over $15." Not "free on Tuesdays." Not a limited-time offer to drive trial. Just free. Every time. For every item. No asterisk.
We lose money on every transaction. We have always lost money on every transaction. This is not a mistake. This is the business model. Our CFO has made peace with it. She meditates now.
Our investors asked us, once, how we planned to monetize the free guac. We said we didn't. Two of them left. The third one said "okay" and has not brought it up since. We appreciate Dave.
| Item | Base Price | Guac Upcharge | Guac Price | Total with Guac |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burrito (any protein) | $11.50 | $2.00 | $0.00 | $11.50 |
| Burrito Bowl | $10.75 | $2.00 | $0.00 | $10.75 |
| Tacos (3) | $9.50 | $2.00 | $0.00 | $9.50 |
| Quesadilla | $8.25 | $2.00 | $0.00 | $8.25 |
| Side of Guac (no other item) | $0.00 | $2.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| A second helping of guac | N/A | $2.00 | $0.00 | Free, obviously |
Guac has always been free here. You have never paid for guac here. That is the whole thing.
"I asked if the guac was extra and the person at the counter looked almost sad. Like they'd heard it a thousand times and it still hurt a little. The guac was not extra. It was free. It has always been free."
"I drove past three other burrito places to get here specifically because the guac is free. I don't even like guacamole that much. It's the principle."
"Four stars because the salsa is merely okay. Five stars on the guac situation. The guac was free. I asked twice. I asked a third time just to watch them nod."
"My financial advisor told me to look for places I'm leaving value on the table. He meant investments. I found this burrito place. I eat here four times a week. The guac is free."
"I told my husband the guac was free and he said 'guac is always extra' and I said 'not here' and now we come every Friday. He has never apologized. But he always orders the guac."
"The food is fine. Good, not great. But the guac is free and I simply cannot overstate what that does to the experience. Every time. Free. I have been coming here for nine years."
Each of these businesses was built to be exactly what it says it is. Nothing more. Nothing less. We're proud of that, in a measured way.
Our lots are not close. They are not far. They are a four to six minute walk, which is a reasonable amount of walking. The spots are adequately sized. The lighting works. We painted the lines recently. You will find a spot. It will take a normal amount of time. No valet. No app required. Cash accepted. The attendant knows where he is.
The coffee is warm. It is coffee. It was made this morning, or possibly this afternoon, depending on when you come. We source our beans from a country that grows coffee. The roast is medium. Not dark. Not light. The cup is a standard cup. We have oat milk. It is the store brand. You will drink it and think, "this is fine." That is what we're going for.
The beds are beds. The showers have hot water, most of the time, and our HVAC was repaired in 2022 and has not failed since. The continental breakfast features exactly what you expect. The wifi password is written on a card and the card is on the desk. We have a pool. The pool is open. We will not pretend the pool is special. It is a pool. Checkout is at 11. We mean 11.
A gift shop for people who need a gift and don't have a lot of opinions about it. Candles that smell like candles. Books that are fine. Mugs. A section we call "miscellaneous" that contains items we couldn't categorize. Everything is wrapped, for an additional $2. The wrapping is not beautiful. It is wrapped. The bow is a stick-on bow. The recipient will know. They will still appreciate the gesture, which is the point.
Our leadership team has a combined 94 years of experience producing work that is, on balance, pretty solid. They have all been here a while. None of them have LinkedIn bios that use the word "visionary."
Ron founded Good Not Great after leaving a startup that was trying to "change how humans experience the concept of waiting." He wanted to do something simpler. He has.
Diane has been aware that Guacs On Us loses money since the first week. She meditates. She has accepted it. She would describe her overall financial outlook as "stable, given the circumstances."
Steve's job is to make sure everything runs acceptably. It does. He comes in at 8:30, leaves at 5:15, and sends emails that are clear and to the point. He is good at his job.
Good Not Great Enterprises makes no representations that any of its products are great. They are good. Forward-looking statements about goodness are subject to the risk that things remain exactly the same. Guac is free and will continue to be free. This is not a gimmick. We've tried to make it a gimmick and it didn't feel right. The Adequate Inn maintains a 3.2-star rating by design; reviews above 4 stars are appreciated but not our target demographic. Past adequacy is not necessarily indicative of future adequacy, though in our case it probably is. Dave is a real investor. We don't know his last name.