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I need some Markting help,Tips and Advice

We donate dinners cooked on site to the school where my wife teaches
Its been very positive for us
 
$13 pp is not too high for onsite BBQ Cooking
We work from $18 to $25 pp

I probably could do a Grilling menu at $13
 
i dont see how anybody can say 13 dollars a head is high for slow cooked meat, you want quality, you gotta pay for it. Chit, burgers and dogs on long island ny will run you 10 a head for onsite grilling.
 
I want to show you guys a Quot for 75 people we sent to a Law Firm a week ago and we never got a call back...

APPETIZER​
FRESH FRUIT ​
(Seasonal)​
(CANTALOUPE, GRAPES, HONEYDEW MELON, STRAWBERRIES, WATERMELON)​
*ALL FRUIT IS CUT FRESH*​

MAIN ENTRÉE ​
(MEATS)​
*TRI TIP​
*RIBS (BABY BACK)​
*CHICKEN (THIGHS)​

SIDES​
*POTATO SALAD (Chef Recipe)​
*CHILI BEANS (Cooked Fresh day of event)​

(THE ABOVE WILL BE SERVED WITH GARLIC BREAD)​
Spread…Butter, Roasted Garlic, Fin Herbs.​
2 Meats (Tri-Tip, Chicken)​
2 Choices (Chili beans, Potato salad)​
Garlic Bread​
$14.25

​
3 Meats (Tri-Tip, Ribs, Chicken)​
2 Choices (Chili beans, Potato Salad)​
$15.50

​
 
Check with some local parks and rec's to see if you can rent out the concession stand during some type of athletic tournament - sand volleyball, softball, little league, soccer, etc.
 
nicerackbbqteam said:
I want to show you guys a Quot for 75 people we sent to a Law Firm a week ago and we never got a call back...


APPETIZER​



FRESH FRUIT ​



(Seasonal)​



(CANTALOUPE, GRAPES, HONEYDEW MELON, STRAWBERRIES, WATERMELON)​



*ALL FRUIT IS CUT FRESH*​




MAIN ENTRÉE ​



(MEATS)​



*TRI TIP​



*RIBS (BABY BACK)​



*CHICKEN (THIGHS)​




SIDES​



*POTATO SALAD (Chef Recipe)​



*CHILI BEANS (Cooked Fresh day of event)​




(THE ABOVE WILL BE SERVED WITH GARLIC BREAD)​



Spread…Butter, Roasted Garlic, Fin Herbs.​



2 Meats (Tri-Tip, Chicken)​



2 Choices (Chili beans, Potato salad)​



Garlic Bread​



$14.25​



​



3 Meats (Tri-Tip, Ribs, Chicken)​



2 Choices (Chili beans, Potato Salad)​



$15.50​



​
Click to expand...

IMHO - Don't know if this is how it was sent (format, etc), but it seems a bit busy and confusing. Before you "quote" I think it's best to have some telephone or F2F discussion with the "decision maker" or commitee and reaffirm who is making the decision, budget, and any special dietary issues for the employees. Also helps to know the following:

  • Whose idea was BBQ? Workers? Owner? Hr?
  • What sort of event is it? One time or recurring (Safety meeting, employee appreciation, etc). Look to bundle events over time.
  • Is this a budgeted lunch or ad hoc?
  • Who catered it last time? Why aren't they being asked back?
  • Other Caterers being considered and type of food?
  • When will decision be made and how will you be notified?
Realize this may be a "best case" scenario, but dislike sending quotes to help the customer hammer another caterer down.
 
The other way to do it is work backwards ...
"How much do you charge?"
Response: "What do you want to spend?"
Then present them with a quote within their budget.

You want to be carefull to protect your name and not serve one rib and a teaspoon of coleslaw. But some people are just looking for a cheep (inexpensive) lunch. It's not always how much you are charging ... but what you are selling.
 
i just got an Email to do a Birthday party for 40-45 people.. i ask her what is her budget and she said between $10-12pp... so i replied back with

1apptizer(fresh fruit platter)
2meats- pulled pork and chicken thighs
2 sides- [FONT=&quot]POTATO SALAD (Chef Recipe)[/FONT]
BBQ baked beans
Garlic French Bread
for only $12.50 the $.50 is a trip charge pp because she live 1hr away from me and gas is going up we drive V8s baby haha...

so any tips on how should i fallow up on this?
....i gave her my number to call but she hasn't so i am just wondering if we are just being mystery shopped because she only contacted me by email

Thank you guys for all your help
 
If you're permits/local laws allow... Smoke for free at Church functions, retail sidewalk sales, car/cycle dealerships, chamber of commerce meetings, lions club functions, any where that business folks or families needing cooks would hang out. Offer flyers /cards with each serving that include what size party you can support. Worked for a friend I've learned from. He also got deals with local BBQ shops that did not cater to refer people to him and he gave the owner an incentive to do so. He no longer is able to do that as he's working jobs full time now.
 
There is a great article in the WSJ about people that have taken their show on the road. "Roach Coaches" as I knew them when growing up on the jobsite. They use twitter and facebook to let followers know where they will be. They serve everything imaginable and have a good following from the article. You need to check local food service laws and HD criteria to cover your "butt".
I scanned over your menu a couple of pages back and have some suggestions. A line item on a menu or quote is also a sales pitch...dress it up a little. Words like succulent, delicious, decadent, etc. invoke a response in the brain releasing endorphins therefore making the reader salivate(hopefully). Be descriptive but be careful of foreign terms..ex. My wife served "scallops of veal" last night and a carryout customer called to complain there were no scallops in there dish; She ran the customer some scallops and took the chance to educate the customer on the term(French in origin and accurate) Also, look for a local food critic to feed and pitch them to do an article for you...this yield amazing results! Good luck to you,
Rooster
 
The "Rolling Grease Pit" is i good idea but we are just starting out and trying to build Capital by "trying" to land Catering Gigs.. but! thats a great idea on useing those Keys words im a goin to redesign my Menu and Post it back up

Hey! thank you soo much every one on this site is AWESOME!
 
WE! booked our First Event for 45 people this Saturday.. we landed it by using ALL of your Tips and Advice!!

thank you Guys!!
 
If they did not like your food you probably would have heard about it. Try giving your customers "feedback" cards....just a simple postcard with a few questions and comment box. This shows the customer that you really do care about their experience, whether they fill it out or not. Congrats on the gig, many more to ya!
 
HEy! thanks man i feel good about it and i will do that and send a post card ...i might just have some made up
and thank you
 
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