Yesterday, I made Finnish Pancakes for Ralph and me for breakfast. I serve them with honey and whipped cream. With the first bite every week, we say, "OMG, this is the best it ever tasted!" Anyway, over breakfast and for the rest of the day, Ralph and I brainstormed about the Italian Market idea.
Ralph is going to call his former employer, James, about equipment and pick his brain for ideas. Ralph is convinced the home-made bread is going to really be a hit. He said that when James' market closed, the customers would ask, "Where am I going to get my bread now? Where are you going to work, Ralph?" These are all good signs.
Sometime this week Ralph and I are going to visit Italian Markets to get additional ideas. There's one in Lakewood Ranch, and then there's Mazzaro's, which is north.
We're making lists of things to do and what we are going to sell. Some things are easy to decide, like canning all our sauces: i.e marinara, meat, Alfredo, a la vodka, and aurora. Then we make our own tiramisu and cannoli cream. Friends suggested making espresso and serving it. Customers could stop in for a quick cup of espresso and enjoy a freshly created cannoli! So, that means we will still have counter seats, but all the tables are going to go. We'll have specialty wines, pastas, cheeses, and meats.
I'll probably need a different beer and wine license and maybe even a different food license. I'll get started on those issues later this week.
Things are moving along in a forward direction! Stay tuned. There's lots more to follow!
August 22, 2010
Our Italian restaurant, Carmella's Casa Italiana, has great food and service, but is failing miserably due to soft sales in a weak economy. I'm Carrie, the owner, and I work with my son, Ralph, who is a cook, and my sister, Deborah, who is the main server. Tim, a friend, is the other cook.
We tried offering breakfast about a year ago, but that didn't work. OMG! We had the best breakfast pizza!
Then, we started making our own bread and have since revamped all the sauce and dough recipes. Everything was already outstanding, but there is no pick-up in sales.
So, I decided to either sell the business or just close the doors and walk away. I tried advertising it as an asset only sale. I also advertised it with an additional fee for including the intangibles. The intangibles would be the recipes, website, customer data base, etc. Couldn't find any serious buyers.
We started telling our customers we were leaving. They begged us to stay on a little longer. Didn't seem like an option because it always felt like I was throwing good money after bad. Plus I was advised by brokers-in-the-know to get out if I couldn't triple the sales. That tripling of sales seemed awfully far-fetched......So guess we are leaving.
I encouraged my staff and other family members to come up with ideas to reinvent the business. Afterall, these are hard-workers and dedicated workers, and really, nobody wants to lose a job, especially since there are so few jobs. Ideas slowly trickled in.
Then last night it came to me! Why not phase out the restaurant part of the business, apply for different licensing, and then reinvent ourselves as an Italian Market. Ralph's Italian Market. Ralph's Italian Market at Carmella's Casa Italiana.
So, that's where we are now. Ralph is enthusiastic. Deborah is cautiously optimistic. I am ecstatic. Later this week Ralph and I are going out to visit Italian markets in Clearwater and Lakewood Ranch. Apparently, there are no Italian markets in Bradenton. We hope to capture the north Sarasota and north and west Bradenton individuals who like to buy and cook quality food/products at affordable prices. Of course, as our reputation expands, we want to capture everyone.
I'll keep you posted! Stay tuned as we move on to our next adventure, at the same location:
5408 26th Street West
Bradenton, Florida 34207.
We tried offering breakfast about a year ago, but that didn't work. OMG! We had the best breakfast pizza!
Then, we started making our own bread and have since revamped all the sauce and dough recipes. Everything was already outstanding, but there is no pick-up in sales.
So, I decided to either sell the business or just close the doors and walk away. I tried advertising it as an asset only sale. I also advertised it with an additional fee for including the intangibles. The intangibles would be the recipes, website, customer data base, etc. Couldn't find any serious buyers.
We started telling our customers we were leaving. They begged us to stay on a little longer. Didn't seem like an option because it always felt like I was throwing good money after bad. Plus I was advised by brokers-in-the-know to get out if I couldn't triple the sales. That tripling of sales seemed awfully far-fetched......So guess we are leaving.
I encouraged my staff and other family members to come up with ideas to reinvent the business. Afterall, these are hard-workers and dedicated workers, and really, nobody wants to lose a job, especially since there are so few jobs. Ideas slowly trickled in.
Then last night it came to me! Why not phase out the restaurant part of the business, apply for different licensing, and then reinvent ourselves as an Italian Market. Ralph's Italian Market. Ralph's Italian Market at Carmella's Casa Italiana.
So, that's where we are now. Ralph is enthusiastic. Deborah is cautiously optimistic. I am ecstatic. Later this week Ralph and I are going out to visit Italian markets in Clearwater and Lakewood Ranch. Apparently, there are no Italian markets in Bradenton. We hope to capture the north Sarasota and north and west Bradenton individuals who like to buy and cook quality food/products at affordable prices. Of course, as our reputation expands, we want to capture everyone.
I'll keep you posted! Stay tuned as we move on to our next adventure, at the same location:
5408 26th Street West
Bradenton, Florida 34207.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Things Happen Over Finnish Pancakes!
Labels:
Bread,
cannoli,
Italian market,
Mozzaro's,
tiramisu
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