Fun with movable feasts
WE have added the title of removal men to the job descriptions of all our staff, following a recent spate of outside catering functions.
The largest, a conference for 130 delegates given lunch and dinner over a three-day period, gave a wonderful boost to our turnover, particularly as it came at the beginning of the week, when things are usually desperately quiet.
The meals were held in three different buildings, with no kitchen facilities available for the buffet luncheons. This meant we were faced with the arduous task of loading dirty crockery, cutlery, tables, etc into the van, racing the six miles back to the restaurant, washing up and chasing back for the dinner!
It was just the sort of booking we have been trying to get, with the outside catering side of the business now contributing about 20% of our total turnover. This is all the more gratifying when we originally began the operation as a favour to our regular customers.
The sheer physical effort of undertaking these functions is not to be underestimated, however, and bearing in mind the recent back problems we have found it vital to have a supply of youngsters to assist at such events. Thankfully, this function coincided with the school holidays so we had many eager hands on deck.
The competition for trade of all kinds continues to hot up, with both the local Wymondham hotels under new ownership and local coffee shops and restaurants conducting vigorous advertising campaigns in an attempt to gain a share of our very local market.
While being very confident of our dinner trade, there is no doubt that our morning coffee and lunch trade is under pressure, when quality and variety is not as much of a priority as speed and cost.
In an effort to compete, we have introduced lunch for a fiver and put more work into our "tea and cake" trade. I have to admit, knowing the minimal profit involved in such an operation, it has been an effort, but the opportunities of selling the restaurant at such times is invaluable.
It also gives the waiting staff an ideal opportunity to get to know customers on a personal level, and make them feel guilty about daring to dine elsewhere!
The situation in Norwich city centre continues to astonish, with new eating houses opening virtually every week. Seafood, Mexican and pasta restaurants, a Pierre Victoire outlet and tea-rooms are all either open or in the pipeline, which means we will really have to work hard to ensure we don't get swamped!
I have been working on a concept for Wilsons, which will hopefully offer something slightly different and entice the diners to us, but obviously I'm not going to tell you until next month, in case somebody gets there first (again!). n
