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Can Fernando's survive after the donations?
13 years ago
After reading Kage's journal, I would like to point out again, that the donation doesn't solve all the problems, however, since the donations did cover more than what was required the question now becomes what can he do with the remaining $17,000 that will keep his business going well beyond AC.
Here are my suggestions;
1. Start replacing old equipment. Old cash registers, old stoves and burners, old tables.
2. Invest in a large advertising campaign. Target print and visual media. Hold some sort of annual cooking event where city officials will judge the competition all while being televised.
3. Start cutting overhead. Look at changing portion size. Find out how much food and ingredients are lost to spoilage, and consider buying per day rather than stocking for a full week to a month. American Airlines cut one olive from their martinis an salads, and it saves them about $10 million a year. Look at changing the menu to be smaller, or decrease the hours of operation.
4. Start looking at renovations. Changing the decorations, lighting, or coloring of a restaurant will change the atmosphere.
5. Start looking at changing the occupancy. The more chairs you can fill, the better. Sometimes customers leave because they think there isn't enough room to sit down.
6. (Almost forgot about this one) Get a liquor license and if you already have one, expand the bar. Lots of restaurants will expand the bar or get a liquor license because alcohol sales go up in a depression, and they can greatly increase sales and sometimes can surpass food sales or compliment them.
Here are my suggestions;
1. Start replacing old equipment. Old cash registers, old stoves and burners, old tables.
2. Invest in a large advertising campaign. Target print and visual media. Hold some sort of annual cooking event where city officials will judge the competition all while being televised.
3. Start cutting overhead. Look at changing portion size. Find out how much food and ingredients are lost to spoilage, and consider buying per day rather than stocking for a full week to a month. American Airlines cut one olive from their martinis an salads, and it saves them about $10 million a year. Look at changing the menu to be smaller, or decrease the hours of operation.
4. Start looking at renovations. Changing the decorations, lighting, or coloring of a restaurant will change the atmosphere.
5. Start looking at changing the occupancy. The more chairs you can fill, the better. Sometimes customers leave because they think there isn't enough room to sit down.
6. (Almost forgot about this one) Get a liquor license and if you already have one, expand the bar. Lots of restaurants will expand the bar or get a liquor license because alcohol sales go up in a depression, and they can greatly increase sales and sometimes can surpass food sales or compliment them.
You can blame the economy all you want....but there are MANY small business's that have survived not because of their reputation, but for the way they were willing to change for the good of the business.
I lived in reputibly small city and there is a diner thats is on the square that has been in business since the 1920s, maybe even earlier. Its small, but they get TONS of business because they were willing to change a few things up and make it look fresh, NOT because of reputation.
Im sure Fernando's is an awesome place to go and have a good time and has good food......but if he's been in business for over 30 years and hasnt changed a damn thing, he's gonna fail. People LOVE fresh and new scenary, seeing the same thing over and over gets BORING. Now, the furs that only go there ONCE a year, cant see how monotonius it has probably gotten. People who have seen the place EVERY DAY for their majority of their lives, dont want to go because, nothing is new.
Restaurants across the country have been changing their advertising and look to bump up sales.
So, No, I dont think Fernando's will make it if they dont change something to bring in more people.