Goodwin & Associates Blog
The most trusted name in hospitality.Archive for January 20, 2012
Client Spotlight: Pret A Manger
Pret A Manger is headquartered in London, where they opened their first store in 1986. With a kitchen in every store, Pret creates handmade, natural, preservative-free ingredients prepared fresh from scratch every day. Pret A Manger means “Ready To Eat” in name and concept. It is fresh, convenient food – fast.
With an established base in the UK, Pret is now aggressively expanding into the US, with 10 new stores opening within just the past year in New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC. Pret is a privately held company and now has over 250 store locations in the UK, Hong Kong, New York, Washington DC and Chicago. 41 of those stores are located in the US, with the majority (32) in New York City.
Goodwin & Associates is proud to partner with Pret during this expansion by providing mystery shopping and management recruiting services to all US stores. To learn how your company can benefit from our services, please contact Brian Calderone at bcalderone@goodwin-associates.com or 603-223-0303 x132.
Effortless Marketing
Get New Customers in Your Door!
You’ve all heard how Mystery Shopping can help promote a positive culture within your company and help identify how your locations are performing, but how about the influence they have from a marketing standpoint?
Mystery Shops are not just a training tool any longer. They’re an effective way of introducing new business to your locations. Each shopper is a potential long-term customer, and shopper programs introduce brand new customers (shoppers) to your business every month.
Consider this scenario; a shopper is introduced to your business by accepting an available shop in their area. They’ve never been to your location since it was halfway across town. They are pleasantly surprised with their experience and excited to come back. A long-term customer is created. They share their experience with family and friends, and introduce even more new customers to your business!
Another scenario; A shopper accepts a shop at your business. They were a customer of yours in the past, but haven’t been back since they had a poor experience 5 years ago. They complete the shop and are surprised at the level of service, cleanliness, offerings, etc. Because of the shop, you were able to win a customer back!
Or this scenario; a shopper accepts a shop which reimburses expenses for 1 person. The shopper is aware of this, but chooses to bring their family of 5 along with them. The shop reimburses $15, but they easily spend $50 at your location. These extra dollars equal more money going into your top line sales! The shopper could actually be spending more money into your business than you are spending for the shop, resulting in you making money with the program!
If you’re currently utilizing our shopper program, give us a call to see what our shoppers are spending into your business, compared with what you’re spending on the program. We know you’ll love the results! Or, if you’re not utilizing our shopper program, give us a call to see how we can start introducing more customers (and sales dollars) to your business today. 603.223.0303 x150 or jbattershell@goodwin-associates.com
2012 Menu Trends for Quick Service
With the turning of the year, many operators have fresh ideas and new initiatives they are rolling out to stay ahead of the competition and keep guests coming back. One of the areas that often affects guests most directly is the food that is served so here are a few expected menu trends for the coming year.
According to research compiled by Mintel Menu Insights, five of the biggest menu trends for 2012 include: “American regionalism, double-sided menus, consumer control, slow it down, and importing ideas.” Mintel states that their trends are predicted based on research done that the consumer level, areas other industries are shifting towards, and current movement within the restaurant industry.
American regionalism is described as embracing favorite cuisines of various regions around the country. People are expected to look for what is famous, well known, or recognized as the best when dining in a particular area. Double-sided menus means an expectation for more choices, including a fair representation of healthy options side by side the standard restaurant offerings. People are looking for more variety when dining out; a response to this trend will enable a restaurant to appeal to a wide array of people and allow a party with varying preferences to all have something to enjoy. Consumer control refers to options. People will be looking to customize their orders and have the ability to be in charge of what they choose to eat. While many consumers have been trading to quick service and fast casual, they will be looking for restaurants to slow it down in the coming year. While they appreciate the consistency and speed, people will be looking to get a sense that food was prepared with care just for them. There is an expectation to see an increase in descriptions referring to items being home style or hand prepared. Lastly, importing ideas will not necessarily mean a shift to global cuisine, but picking up on ideas that have taken off in other areas of the world that could translate well to what American consumers are looking for. While this trend may be harder to pinpoint, it’s a macro view approach that companies with forward thinkers could really embrace.
In the coming months there will surely be many more trends revealed for varying segments, but for those looking to get a jump on what’s expected, we hope these ideas may be helpful. http://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/five-menu-trends-2012?utm_source=jolt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20111216µsite=9342
Taking Questions to the Interview
Every interviewer has the magic moment in the interview when they turn the tables and ask “what questions do you have for me?” Don’t be fooled, this is a test, so don’t respond that you don’t have any. The interviewer is curious to see what research you’ve done, how seriously you’re taking the interview, and what kind of preparation you’ve done. Show up with a typed or hand written list of questions you want to learn about.
When you do get a chance to ask questions, there are a few areas you should not ask about in the first interview. We recommend avoiding asking questions about compensation, work schedule, benefits, bonus, etc. This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the company culture and opportunity to ensure it’s a great match as opposed to just looking for the money. Focus on questions that will educate you on the company’s growth plans, training, career path, management turnover, etc. Also ask the person interviewing you why they like working for the company. This will surely get you an honest response and give you a more personal insight along with building better rapport with the interviewer.
Distinguish Yourself by Working with a Recruiter
Searching for employment is always a challenging task, but when there are more people seeking jobs during this time than we’ve seen in recent years it becomes even more important to distinguish yourself from everyone else out there searching.
One of the best ways to distinguish yourself is to have a partner in the search advocating for you. Find a recruiter that you connect with, trust, and feel does have your best interest in mind. If you choose to partner with a recruiter, it is essential that you feel you can be open and honest and truly partner with them in your search efforts. A recruiter will be able to understand where you are coming from and where you are looking to go, enabling them to create options that will actually help you move forward in your career and not just find you a job. A recruiter will be able to present options to you that you may have never thought of on your own, introduce you to an emerging concept, or open the door of a confidential search that isn’t advertised anywhere. Additionally, a recruiter has a relationship with the hiring manager and can directly present you to the person making the hiring decisions. This direct access is priceless as the amount of people applying on their own is continually growing and it’s important that you are not being lost in a sea of resumes. Having someone representing and advocating for you is an endorsement that cannot be missed.
With all of the support a recruiter can provide, it is essential to your success at finding the right position and getting the right offer to be 100% on the same page with your recruiter. Treat them as a trusted advisor and share all of your excitement, concerns, nerves, and questions. Their role is to support you and get you the information you need to make an informed decision that is best for you. Without complete candor, the relationship can only go so far and you may be limiting the recruiter’s ability to truly bring everything to the table for you.
