Well only way to put it i belive that right now im at the point where i fell that my shop can def be taken to the next level meaning as far as how much we do a week.
When we first got the shop it was doing about 10k-13k a week
currently we are doing16k-20k a week.
As far as advertising we do a very little or hardly any advertising but looking to change that and start .
We offer pick-up, dine-in, delivery, and catering also
Basically looking for some ideas to toss around and see what will fit us and our area i have in mind i want to take my shop to 25k-30k a week.
As far as staff we have a full staff and after years of pain this crew is a really good crew compared to some people we had in the past ( i know we can all relate) i know i will need to get more people as it gets busier i dont want to hurt customer service just because its busier.
All imput good or bad welcome.
What are your stats? Population, avg wage, demographics etc
One word: Signage. I just installed a 3x5 LED reader board and neon signs in all of my front windows and my place looks awesome.
First of all, you are doing well already. I assume that you are profitable at the level where you are. Some thoughts:
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Put in a solid effort to refine systems and tighten expense controls while you are at a stable and profitable level. Get those things really solid before you add complexity and the added craziness of higher volume.
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Sales growth can come from different places. There are different ways to go after sales depending on where you want it to come from.
A. Increased ticket average on the orders you are already getting. This produces the greatest profit per dollar of added sales. You already have the customer, they are already ordering, you just focus on up-selling and additional items. This is largely a training issue but your menu design and marketing of the variety of product you offer plays a role as well. Advantages: inexpensive growth and high-margin growth. A 10% bump in sales will drop about 5 points to the bottom line. This is a lot more important than it sounds. If you are making 15% on sales overall this represents a 33% increase in profit.
B. Increased order frequency from existing customers. This is less expensive than finding new customers because you already are in contact with them and you don’t have to go find them. Margins are pretty similar to your overall business. Can you get your average customer to go from 3 orders per year to 4? It is pretty hard to get your three times a week guys up to four, but a concentration on service, customer contact, active feedback can remind your customers that you are there, you are convenient and that you care about the business. Double digit sales growth is available here and is less expensive than finding new customers.
C. Finding new customers. First of all, you have to do this all the time to replace the ones you loose. Customers move, die, change habits, go on a diet etc and you need to be prospecting all the time just to stay even. Growing your business this way is the most expensive. On the other hand this is the largest growth opportunity. Make sure you have a handle on what it costs and are measuring results. Going back to my first suggestion, make SURE that your systems are smooth and the product is great so that when you actually get them to try you they have the experience you want them to have.
If you come up with separate tactics and goals for these three avenues of growth and ways to measure and evaluate success you will find that, in short order, you will know what works and what does not and also what is worth doing and what is not. I can drive sales with endless mailers, but in my market, the cost of doing it is not worth the return. In other words, I can spend $2000 to generate $4000. After food and labor, I would be better off not doing it unless I get a LOT of new customers out of it. Do you think that I go back and figure out how many new addresses I got after a mailing? You bet I do.