A Restaurant Survival Guide (continued)
February 23, 2009 by: Greg McGuire
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Many large companies have business meetings catered on a daily basis. If you can go out and make contact with the right person at these companies, then you can become part of their regular rotation for catering. Many caterer’s already provide this service as a way to ensure business during down times for weddings or other events, I see absolutely no reason why a restaurant could not take advantage of this segment of the market too. As far as gift cards go, always a good idea, but with the recent scare over the past holiday’s with companies going bankrupt, some consumer’s are a little leery of gift cards at the moment. Another trend I am seeing (and I think another article here touched on it) is weekday specials on select entree’s, like a ‘Recession Wednesday’s’ promotion, with maybe special pricing or portions. Really, any method that gets your name out there is important right now when people are looking closer and closer at where their dollar is going.
I heard a story a long time ago that this entry brings to mind.
At the turn of the century (1900), there were more than 30 companies that made carriages. With the advent of the automobile by 1930 all but 1 had gone broke. The people who ran those business make a fatal mistake! The fatal mistake was they didn’t know what business they were in. That were not in the carriage business; they were in the transportation business! Had they known what business they were actually in, there would be a lot more than the “big 3 auto makers” today.
We have to always keep in mind we are in the “prepared food” business! Not the restaurant business. If you think of it that way, it will free your mind up to take your product to the market (where ever that market is). Don’t let your business “smarts” stop at the door of your restaurant. Use the Chamber of Commerce to develop leads (you have been paying dues for years after all). A little leg work on your part will pay off big time when you get that standing every week agreement to provide food for the weekly office meeting at the company just down the street.
Here is a aditional idea; I would make a effort to contact drug reps for the major drug companies. These Rep’s often will bring a catered meal to a Doctor’s office large enough to feed his entire staff. See if you can provide the food for these events.
Get out of the “restaurant” business and get into the prepared food business!
Kevin Loving
Galveston Texas (Quote from COC website: “You too could live the fantasy” )
I agree. Thinking outside the box is going to be the only way restarateurs survive right now. The weak ones will be separated from the herd, but the smart ones will keep running strong by expanding their marketing and operations strategies until they find the combination that works.