Yesterday Ralph and I took a day trip in search of Italian Markets. We never found the one that Bruce said was next to Publix in Lakewood Ranch. Mind you, Lakewood Ranch has TWO Publix stores! How convenient for them...and how convenient for me that there is no Italian market next to either one. I will have to ask Bruce more about this.
We did, however, find Mazzaro's in St. Pete. OMG! When I die, I want to go to heaven because certainly this is how heaven is going to be, like Mazzaro's Italian Market...and likewise Ralph's Italian Market. When we arrived, two women were sitting outside under the overhang enjoying a cup of espresso. Inside, to the left is the deli case with all the sausages, hams, and other meats. Just beyond that was a cooler with imported beers. The wine and cheese room, really chilled to a cool temperature, is to the right. OK, I won't describe the whole lay-out. Let if suffice to say that Ralph and I were suitably impressed and we definitely have a model for our business. The staff was helpful and pleasant...and there was a lot of staff. Talk about job security in a weak economy. After all, people have to eat, and apparently they are cooking at home. Which I guess I will be also doing, since the restaurant days are numbered. I get a lot of my food from Carmella's Casa Italiana. Hmmmmm, there's hope! Ralph can still cook for me, but at our Italian Market!
We bought two packages of chili pasta; tomato, cheese and garlic sausage; half pound Parmigiano Reggiano; and a loaf of Asiago and chive bread. I already had a jar of marinara sauce in the freezer that Ralph made about two weeks ago.
Ralph and I cooked the most fabulous and simple dinner last night with what we bought. What can I say? We had a true Italian feast! I wish you were there. Later, I wished we had bought dessert. Mazzaro's has the most delightful desserts displayed. I'm sitting here getting fat as I think about it!
At the end of the night, Filippo returned my call. I was so happy I didn't have to go to sleep with the unfinished business of arranging our meeting. We spoke and I told him about our trip to Mazzaro's and how thrilled I was with the whole operation. He shared that Mazzaro's was his vision for the Italian Market when he bought that building at 3700 Lockwood Ridge Road. I told him it's also my vision...how weird is that? Apparently, when he rented the space to the subsequent business owners that I mentioned yesterday, they did not share his vision.
So Filippo and I meet today at 12:30. If things go the way I plan, the Italian Market plan will come full circle.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment