Blog posts from August, 2016

The most common problem that folding cocktail tables have is the spring inside the locking pin will break – making it impossible for the table to be properly locked into a setup position. This causes a stability issue with the tables that rental companies, hotels, banquet halls and golf courses obviously want to avoid. We have the locking cotter pins in stock should this happen to you and have documented in the below post how to go about replacing the locking pin (cotter pin) on your folding cocktail table.

The locking cotter pin is comprised of three parts: the pin itself (A), the spring (B) and the ring (C).

You will need to remove the damaged locking pin by folding up the table and then removing the ring from the pin. This will allow you to slide out the pin with broken spring to the left out of the hole.

Here is what a new pin will look like when you receive it.

In order to install the pin, you need to remove the ring from the pin – similar to removing a key from a keyring.

To install the new cotter pin, slide the spring and pin into the hole of the folding cocktail table. The spring should be between the hole and pin with the pin’s eye on the right.

To get it working properly, you need to push and use your strength to hold the pin + spring in so that the pin’s eye is showing on the right side of the leg.

From here, you will put the ring on through the eye. I just put it on a little bit so the cotter pin wouldn’t shoot out to the left.

This allowed me to use both hands to put the ring fully on.

There you have it – a fully locking cotter pin for your folding cocktail table.

Becoming a preferred or exclusive caterer to a wedding venue is a great way of getting referred business to your location without a need for heavy marketing. More often than not, venues comes with space to hold an event but no in-house catering team to feed the events – making catering / event venue partnerships an important aspect to special events. Here’s how to become a preferred or exclusive caterer for venues.

1. Based on your cuisine, figure out which venues in your area are the best fit.

If you offer casual fare, steer clear of fine dining establishments like expensive upscale wedding venues. Also, if your preference is to cater to the corporate world instead of weddings, choose to target convention centres and other venues that are focused on mostly corporate meetings.

2. Of venues you choose for your list, list all of the preferred or exclusive caterers on their partners list

You have a higher chance of getting on a preferred caterers list and receiving business if the venue has less caterers on their partners list. Choose the ones that you have the best existing relationship with, or the ones with the least amount of caterers on the list.

3. Make the “ask”

Contact the venue directly and ask what their standard process is for becoming a recommended caterer on their list. Some venues don’t have a process and will be happy to recommend you as a preferred caterer to their guests. Other venues have a very standardized process including an application process. Regardless of their process you want to ensure you come across as extremely professional, and put your best foot forwards.

4. Be prepared to offer extras

According to legendary Catersource consultant Bill Hansen, you should be prepared to offer any (or some or all) of the following items:

• Pay the venue a percentage of revenues when you cater at their facility.
• Pay a flat fee per year.
• Provide free or at-cost catering for venue-sponsored events.
• Promote their venue on your website, in your e-newsletters and in your tweets and blogs (you should ask for the same in return).
• Agree to pay for certain improvements to the venue (you should ask for agreement to pay any upgrades your equipment might need as a result of their guest wanting specific items).
• Help the venue’s event manager as needed (and the event manager help you as needed).
• Link your catering site to theirs (and you should expect the same in return).

5. Ensure you don’t stop this process once you become a preferred caterer

Venues will go out of business, venues will change ownership, get bought out and/or preferred vendor responsibilities transferred. New caterers may come in and overtake you. There’s a lot that can happen in the events business. You need to entrust a member of your staff or yourself to be constantly working to maintain these existing relationships as well as hunting for new venues that you can work with. It is the networking and maintaining of these relationships that will get your catering business the revenue and return customers.

Food trucks are the best! They allow restaurants to use them as another (portable) revenue stream to attend festivals and be hired to serve special events like weddings and corporate picnics. They tend to continually push the envelope on menu items – inventing new and innovative flavour combos or ways to serve the food so people can take it to go or eat it standing up. What if you were able to bring some portable furniture along with you so that your customers had a place to rest their meals/drinks, bums or both? This not only helps your customers but also creates a crowd which can equal a bigger buzz and a bigger potential walk by visitors will stop and take a second look. Check out some suggested portable furniture for food trucks:

High Folding Cruiser Table

This is a great table that easily folds down for a smaller storage footprint. When set up it measures 43” high from ground to the top of the table and is the perfect place to rest a drink, meal or both. Placing 2 – 4 of these in front of your food truck is a great way to provide standing places for gathering.

High Folding Pedestal Table

Similar to the high folding cruiser table it has a different silhouette if you’re putting a spandex tablecover overtop of the table or if you want to leave sitting room for legs. It also folds differently than the high folding cruiser table – though still folding down to a smaller storage footprint. When set up it measures 42” high from ground to the tabletop. You could also use these in groups of 2-4 in front of your food truck.

Folding Bar Stools

Folding bar stools can be used in conjunction with the highboy tables above to provide seating for your customers. They fold down for easy storage and are water resistant. They fit up to 4 bar chairs around one of the tables above.

Spandex Table Cover

Available in 11 different colours, if you want a more polished look you can purchase these easy to use spandex cruiser table covers to fit over top of either the folding cruiser table or folding pedestal table. They are wrinkle resistant and as easy as wash and wear. For extra longevity, you can purchase a corresponding spandex topper which is cheaper than the full tablecover – and ensures if a stain can’t be removed – you only have to replace the topper instead of the full tablecover. Plus you can mix and match colours to your brand.

The restaurant industry makes it notoriously hard to maintain a successful restaurant. Food and labour costs are by far the highest costs to take into consideration and not knowing your expenditures are one of the reasons restaurants often fold. But there are many other factors that go into creating a successful restaurant besides just your costs. Check out this video from Bloomberg on the Top 5 Secrets to a Successful Restaurant.

One of the most proven ways to increase your average cheque size in the restaurant business is utilizing up selling techniques both on your menu and through your wait staff. All wait staff should be knowledgeable in up selling techniques to entice customers to order more than they originally intended to spend. The key is riding the fine line between making it appear natural and upsetting the customer / making the customer uncomfortable. The best restaurants understand how to naturally work upselling into the customer service experience for an exceptional dining experience. Here are some tips and strategies to improve your profits immediately.

Specify timing and items to upsell

The easiest upsell happens with beverages and sides. For example, the server can suggest a wine pairing to accompany an entrée with or suggest additional sides that the table can share during the dinner portion. Simple methods for doing this includes describing the wine or side as a not to miss addition that would render the meal incomplete without the extra purchase. Coffee, tea and aperitifs should be offered immediately following the meal while the dessert menu is being perused. Along with these items, colder drinks and beverages should be offered in the summer time while warmer beverages offered in the winter time. Also work out your most profitable items and get your staff to try to push the most profitable items the most. You are more likely to get a lot more added to your bottom line if you’re upselling the most profitable items on your menu. You can sell less of them and still make more money.

Offer Dessert before the customer has a chance to think about it

Lead with a mouth-watering description of one of the desserts that makes the dessert sound tempting as possible. If you lead with “Do you want some dessert?” this gives the customer a chance to think about it with their head and carefully weigh their options. Leading with “would you care for some of our legendary key lime pie? It has been a carefully kept secret recipe for generations featuring the creamiest key lime filling, rich vanilla bourbon whipped cream and a raspberry drizzle.” Makes the sell much sexier and much more likely to tempt a person. Other ways to offer dessert includes asking if the diners want to split desserts amongst themselves or offering dessert to go. The Cheesecake Factory in the United States has made a killing offering their desserts to go. My family and I regularly are too full to have dessert but almost always take dessert to go from the restaurant. This is a great way for the restaurant and server to include an extra 5-10 dollars per person just by upselling dessert.

Make Suggestions and Assumptions

An example of making assumptions is if a customer asks for a chardonnay, assume they want the more expensive wine by asking “are you looking for the Kendall Jackson, Robert Mondavi or Santa Rita?” Also by making assumptions based on your read of the guest, you’re more apt to get a higher cheque. A couple on a date is more likely to indulge in alcohol and / or dessert while a mother with her kids is more likely to want kid-friendly specials. As far as suggestions go, if you offer sizing options, suggesting the larger beverage with a nod tends to work well – with customers often forgoing their original order for your suggestion. Additionally, recommending specials using descriptive language also helps.

Upsell Equipment to help FOH Staff

Of course we can’t forget the useful equipment that front of house staff can use to upsell or subliminally upsell. Tabletop tents are a fantastic way to leave beverage, appetizer, entrée and event specials on the table for diners to view. Specials printed and included in the menu cover are also a great way of promoting specials and other items you would like to upsell and a Chalkboard Specials Menu in a prominent position in the restaurant is another piece of equipment to help your staff succeed.