A friend, Susan, who lives in my home-town of Conshohocken, PA, posted something on Facebook about we need to get over it if we are still blaming our parents for our lot in life. Of course, my sisters, Deborah and Donna, had to comment. I'm equally as guilty, because I posted that I blame my parents for me being a workaholic who also wants to be a business owner. And that segues into my thoughts for today!
When I'm not working in or on the restaurant or on my latest idea of Ralph's Italian Market, I work in the cardiac cath lab at Manatee Memorial Hospital. I got some good hours in yesterday because I was on-call. Today, not so much. It's still a good day because I treated myself to coffee at home and now I have time to pursue my Italian Market idea.
Last night Deborah mentioned to some customers that we would be evolving into an Italian market. Deborah assessed the news was not well received, so we are scrapping the plan to tell our customers. I'm thinking the people who routinely eat out are not interested in cooking and eating in. Makes sense. So, we will be appealing to a new and different customer profile.
And speaking of customer profiles, we had a VIP Program in place that was managed by Pat Griswald & Co. When I canceled the service, they took my on-line customer data base. Now, that just doesn't seem reasonable. They were hard to deal with in the end, so I elected not to make a stink about it. In any event, if you ever get a business and decide to implement a VIP Program, don't use this company.
Moving right along, as I envision the Italian market, it occurs to me that my current space isn't going to be large enough. Bruce, a guy I used to date 10 years ago, mentioned this right off the bat when I told him my plan. Ralph and Deborah agree, so today I'll be looking for new rental space. I'm going to speak with Filippo, of Fillippo's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, because he is offering rental space on Lockwood Ridge Road, where former Italian markets were situated: Filippo's Italian Market, Franceso's Italian Market, and Miccio's Italian Market.
I'm sure you're thinking that if the Italian Market business is so successful, why aren't those Italian markets still there. And that is a really good question. So, while I do my research, I will delve into it and keep you posted. Be sure to stay tuned, and as always, take care!
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.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Be Sue to Read It!
Labels:
Filippo's,
Francesco's,
Mazzaro's,
Miccio's,
pizzeria,
restaurant,
VIP Program
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