If most of your trade is (or is going to be) local, maybe even the office lunchtime fraternity, advertising in the press may not be your most productive, cost effective option.

Your local paper may boast of a readership of 80,000 – but 99% of those may not even be your target audience. There are many reasons why people buy a paper. How many people do you know who only buy it for the sports pages, or the motor-mart? My experience (depending on the type of establishment) has usually shown a poor return for my pound.
And how much of that readership is really in your catchment area?

Marketing, however, can be very targeted. My last venture, the trade came mainly from people already in town, especially people who work there & buy lunch locally. On 2 occasions I rode around the town centre on a bicycle in the evening with a big carrier full of my professionally printed menu, attached to it- a special offer leaflet with a powerful hook. ‘All Jacket Potatoes Half Price With This Voucher!’
My fillings were varied (offering something different!) & the quality was excellent.

I did a letterbox drop of every business in a 2 or 3 minute walk from my lunch bar. This type of marketing is very effective at drawing in lots of new trade – but the secret is,…

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Making the best of what lies ahead for the local economy.

How to recession-proof your business

For cafés, restaurants, & other catering businesses, Easter is traditionally seen as the launch of the tourist season, a season on which many are completely reliant, – & in the current economic downturn many have their fingers crossed as they enter a make or break season.

“It doesn’t have to be like that!” says local expert.

Malcolm Harris, director of The Café Academy, a Cornish based company that specialises in turning around struggling or failing small businesses is confident there are many opportunities for the region’s retailers, regardless of the recession. 2010 can be the year you can turn your business around & not just be a surviving minority, but a thriving success.

There has been a lot of negative press of late, about the possible fall-out for not just the South West region, but the whole of the UK regarding the current economy as well as post general election.

But even in this recession, if you look closely there are catering & other retail businesses in most towns that do very well regardless of recessions & bad tourism seasons. What is it that they do, what do they know & what strategies do they employ to enjoy year-round success?

If there are…

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In a recent report from one of the country’s most successful marketing experts, it concludes:
Most Advertising Does Not Work!

Some of the most…

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5 Things That Make a Bad Café or Restaurant

1. Unkempt shop front. Old, faded, tatty awnings, faded, dirty-looking plastic chairs, crumbling paintwork, near-dead pot plants & a badly written A-frame with an almost illegible ‘specials’ offering, then I’m sorry, but I’m not crossing the threshold.
   The establishment may well have a lush, comfortable & atmospheric interior with a great menu, superb service & a great dining experience, but if the approach from the outside is tatty, how would we know? The outside should accurately reflect the inside.
   First impressions count.
2. In-service cleaning. There’s nothing worse than having the service staff interrupting my meal by cleaning the recently vacated table next to me with an aerosol spray cleaner. If I want a fine mist of carcinogenic chemicals drifting over my food, I’ll dine at home on my wife’s spring-cleaning day.
3. Customer service. You walk in, you’re completely ignored. You find a table & sit down. 10 minutes later, you’re not sure they even know you’re there. You become agitated & frustrated. Eventually, they hand you a menu- as if they’re handing over their life-savings. You ask for the Chicken Parmagiana, only to be told “We’ve sold out.” So why is it still on the specials board?
   Good wait staff know when to hold off. When we say, “How are you?” we’re being polite. We don’t want their life story.
4. Inadequate staff training. Bad communication between the kitchen and the wait staff. 5 minutes after taking your order, they return to inform you there’s no Sea Bass left. Surely they should have known this before they took your order? Disappointed, the whole process has to start again. On a table of 2 or more, the meals are brought out 10 minutes apart. Surely, we wanted to eat together? You have to ask for the cutlery, then call them back because the salt shaker is empty. The modern trend of the more ‘casual’ dining experience, has been used by many as an excuse for sloppy & unprofessional service. So often, it’s obvious a student has been give a pad & pen, & just told to go & take an order. And please! Don’t greet me with “Hello luv” or “Alright my darlin?” I swear I’ll force my un-shucked oysters up your nose. Sideways.
   Really Great Service seems to be very hard to come by these days. Offer it, and you’re on to a winner.
5. Badly presented food. Surely, there’s more to a basic side garnish than a torn piece of Iceburg lettuce, & a wedge of semi-ripe tomato? I cannot believe the amount of times this is passed off as acceptable- especially in some pub restaurants.
   If the lasagne is burned dry & splattered around the edges, we know it’s been microwaved. Even less discerning diners aren’t stupid. Greasy fingerprints from at least 3 different people, all around the edge of my plate, doesn’t conjure up the most appetizing of images. If the food is this sloppy, what do you think our image of the kitchen, staff & management is? And in these tough economic times, when most of us are even more value-driven, do you think we’ll be back?

5 Things That Make a Good Café or Restaurant

1. Knowledgeable staff. Even if they’re busy, they notice you on arrival. A smile of acknowledgement is all it takes. They know the basics. If you ask what the soup of the day is, or are the eggs free-range, “I don’t know” is not the answer. You expect them to at least know the main ingredients of each dish. When delivering your meals, they don’t call “Who ordered the chicken?” or “Number 59!” like I’m in a bingo hall- and disturbing the conversation. There’s a simple strategy anyone can learn, placing right the meal in front of the right customer. They are able to at least ‘look like’ they’re happy you’ve chosen to dine there.
2. Comfortable seating. So many places make the mistake of choosing their furniture based on ‘trendy’ compromising comfort. Some seating provided has me squirming in 10 minutes, let alone a full evening’s dining. If the owners try out the furniture themselves, with a coffee & newspaper before choosing, they wouldn’t make this mistake. We don’t want to just enjoy our food, we want to relax & enjoy the company.
3. Simplicity. An easy to understand, uncomplicated menu is important. Why some places try to be everything is a beyond me. English fare, mixed with Italian, Indian, Moroccan, Spanish Tapas & French. I don’t want a ‘jack of all trades’ just a single themed menu done very well. So long as there is good variety within that theme; Chicken, beef, pork, duck, game, fish and vegetarian. I’m not a vegetarian myself, but they must be able to offer more than just an omelette or a salad.
4. Entertainment. People don’t just go out to eat anymore, they go out for the whole experience- to be entertained. I don’t necessarily mean a live band or a stage show:
   A specialist coffee shop that grinds it’s own coffee blends w ill have a huge display of all the different roasts of beans with packages for sale, home-grinders for display & for sale. There’s pictures on the walls of the coffee growing process overseas. There might be a printed ‘story’ describing the ‘field to cup’ process of the coffee bean. Other coffee memorabilia will be on display. And there will be soft background music playing, to suit the establishment, helping to create a buzz. All of this adds to the atmosphere & an all-round experience.
5. Personal appearance. It’s always refreshing to see a crisp, professional uniform. Frequently, I see young girls serving, in their uniform colours- but with low hipster trousers & a short top- the whole of their midrift (& piercings) showing. This may be modern & trendy, but if the clientele is mainly mid- to old age, it is more of an offensive turn-off. If the primary trade is students, then it’s probably ok. Otherwise it’s unacceptable. When I see the staff, and even the management in everyday, civilian type clothing, it makes me wonder what the kitchen is like.

In a recent publication of the popular Cornwall Today magazine, (January 2010) there was a feature on the highly successful Miss Peapods, a café on the Jubilee Wharf in Penryn, near Falmouth. I talk a lot about USP’s (Unique Selling Points) and this business uses a combination of some of the best.

It means they have created a great local following especially in the winter, so they’re not totally reliant on the tourism trade.

Firstly, it was a ‘sustainable’ project, which means not only was it cheaper, (reclaimed & 2nd hand furniture & equipment) but it also fits with one of the biggest trends of today.
There are at least 6 other key factors that fundamentally drives this café’s success, including:

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Watch this space!
Keep an eye open on the Forum in the coming weeks for a survey on what customers really want – & like…

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