We’ve been open 10 months. Dinners have really picked up, but lunches have not. I work the lunches with 2 others to save on labor, but I want to be able to get away for lunches more and I can’t afford the labor until lunches begin to pick up.
We’re not really in an office area. We have some big box stores around us, as well as one office park which I get orders from frequently. There are a few factories withing 5-10 miles which I would deliver to for large orders.
We offer dine in, carry out, and delivery. I was just wondering if anyone had any proven lunch marketing for getting people in the door-or on the phone.
do you have any sandwiches? anything similar? People who go to lunch want a quick hot meal, you’ve gotta market to that demand. Try personal size pizzas, pastas, salads, come up with some specials and send out fliers to the businesses in your area.
This is a subject that we have discussed many times at great length. If you search the Think Tank Archives I’m sure you’ll find alot of useful information.
I think we’ve come to a collective conclusion that there is not one ‘magic key’ to be your fix-all. Rather it takes trying alot of different ideas to find which ones will ‘click’ with your customers.
def add some sandwhiches you can even buy those grab bag chips in a box from sams club… add them as a meal combo with a sandwhich … people love having a little side thing to eat… maybe fries?? menu expansion is key. something that will provide a good add to the lunch menu and has a decent shelf life.
We have really struggled with this and had the first few months with many days at $40 for lunch.
We get aggressive - constant flyering, taking pizzas into businesses to sell directly at a lower cost ($5 medium 1 topping, $6 large), and have started “lunch basket” where we make up deli sandwiches and have the daytime driver go into businesses for immediate lunch sales. They buy on the spot (quick & cheap), then they get our menu/magnet and have started calling to order. We’ve built our average lunch up to $180. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but from where we started we’re thrilled!
DO YOU HAVE A FAX MACHINE?
Lunch time faxing worked great for me!
it trippled my business
the company that I hired found all my fax numbers and we have always been in the black!
best thing I could have done for lunch time sells!
email me at pizzbarn at yahoo dot com
Lunch time sales should generally focus on businesses, hospitals, churches, schools, senior residential areas, and industrial. As an earlier poster pointed out- quick is key. Slices, sandwiches, heck even salads usually make for great lunch items. Discounting is not as key as continually reminding people that you DO serve lunch and that you DO deliver. Being able to promise a 5-minute delivery window improves your chances of getting those customers who only have a 15-30 minute break.
Identify if any other pizza shop in town is open for lunch and if not, promote the fact that you are.
If others are, then spend some days following their drivers to see who they are delivering to. Spend your efforts trying to steal that customer. Flyers, magnets, coupons, free food, other marketing, etc.
Also look into contracting with those hot food delivery vehicles that go to the business parks and industrial areas to serve food during breaks. You will most likely need a USDA certification but that’s relatively easy to get after a $50 application fee. I call them roach coaches. Get ahold of some in your area and find out the prospects of joining up with them. They will naturally expect steep discounts to carry your product, but their volume is generally high enough to justify it.