Joshua
Philoctete
ENT3003
What’s Next?
Existing
Market
My goal is
simply to expand my customer reach and to cement a menu that appeals to a wide
range of people. Eventually I would like the grow the menu to include all sorts
of fast foods so it could be a one-stop-shop for quick and affordable food.
Interviews
The first
person said that I cementing the menu is a really important part of what I am
doing, because the restaurant, at least in the beginning, should be identifiable
for specific menu item (McDonald’s for the Big Mac, Burger King for the
Whopper). They said I should get more into branding and developing the
aesthetic of the restaurant that way it can be more likeable and have more
people wanting to be there (for the “vibes”).
The second
customer believes that I should try speaking to some local businesses, and
attempting to collaborate with them on coupons or purchasing deals.
The third
customer said that I should consider making a sort of punch card for visits so
that, when someone visits, say 5 or 10 times, they would get a free menu item
or something like that, which would encourage people to keep coming, eventually
looking to get their “prize”.
All of the
customers interview gave me some great feedback, and personally I think all of
them were useful. I think the idea of a calling card item, our own sort of Big
Mac or Whopper, would be a great item to push and to help give us a good name
in the process. It would be our “friendliest” item on the menu, and people
would immediately know what they are coming to try or to have again.
I also think very highly of the idea
of a punch card. When this person was saying this to me, it occurred to me how people
go out of their way to win the prize at the end. It is a sort of mental
programming that will have someone coming back to eventually win something,
like a kid buying cereal boxes to get the prize at the bottom.
New Market
Being that
this is predominantly vegan restaurant, a significant portion of my customers
will be vegan. In the future, I would like to have developed our food to where
even meat-eaters frequent because of how great the burgers are.
The first
person said that I would be fighting an uphill battle, because getting
customers to eat fake meat when they could simply have the real thing would be
very difficult. They said that I would need to really develop a strategy to get
these people in door otherwise they will not come.
The second
person also had a response similar to the first, but they presented an idea as
well. They said I should do something like a “challenge” where I challenge meat-eaters
to eat our burgers and test how good they are.
I think branding is key in fast food restaurants these days, as everyone knows the McDonald’s and Burger King logos. I think a punch card is a good idea, they have that at many places around town these days. Your idea to strive to reach people who are not vegan, just because the food is so good, is interesting and I wonder how you will make the food taste this good to meat-eaters.
ReplyDeleteHey Josh, I believe your new market idea really correlates with the success of your existing market. I believe that your existing market can attract new customers by the use of word-of-mouth. I believe that the promotional strategy you are offering can really attract existing customers to visit as well attract new customers to your place. If you can really make the food taste as good to meat eaters than I believe you have an extremely successful plan in hand.
ReplyDeleteHi Joshua,
ReplyDeleteThe branding idea is really key to becoming one of The Companies. I also think that your new market doubts were true that it is hard to get meat-eaters to choose your product over real meat, HOWEVER, there is a huge market of people who want to be vegan for moral or health reasons but find themselves unable to commit. Personally, if being vegan was easier I would do it for the animals but with my busy schedule, I tend to need to cook easy meals like eggs or chicken versus tofu which I butcher every time. I have a friend who has tried going vegan several times but always gives up. Though she isn't vegan, like myself, she tries to choose the vegan option when she can. That's where your business would succeed. There's something to be said for us in-betweeners who are conscious but lazy.
Tess