Category: Blog

At the latest count, the restaurant industry gathers over $600 million in revenue every twelve months. In addition to this, it’s still growing despite the rumors that people prefer to stay at home or try other things. With this in mind, now is a great time to enter the restaurant industry and it looks as though it will stay this way for many years to come.

Despite this, there will always be competition which means you need to stay ahead of the game at all times. By reading this guide, you’ve taken the first step and we applaud your will to get to the top of your industry in your area. Today, we’ve got seven trends that will get you where you need to be in the years ahead.

Expanding Palate – For a long time, the aim of restaurants was to offer as much as possible and appeal to the needs of everyone and this actually worked. Sadly, these days are coming to an end and the customer is looking for new experiences. Even with classic dishes, such as the cheeseburger and fries, these are being replaced by foods from other cultures and healthier alternatives. Nowadays, the customer is looking to experiment and try something new.

Rather than adhering to the needs of the masses this year, we recommend choosing a niche and honing in on it for the next few months. Although you’ll appeal to a smaller audience, this audience is more likely to enjoy their experience and return in the near future.

Social Media – In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of social media and it has allowed smaller businesses appeal to a much larger crowd through the use of imagery. As an example, Shake Shack is one of the best because they have just 63 locations around the US. Compared to McDonald’s and their 36,000 locations, this is practically nothing yet Shake Shake is 100 times more successful, according to Goldman Sachs, on Instagram.

Elsewhere on Instagram, there are profiles with hundreds of millions of followers just by posting beautifully-composed photos of dishes. With Shake Shack themselves, they earned a name for good-looking food which suggests a new trend in the market. Not only do we want our food to taste great, we want it to look great too so this should be one of your focuses in 2017. Even if it means investing in higher-quality ingredients and foods that can be used to decorate the plate, this investment could just be what you need.

On your menus and other material the customer receives, make sure you encourage all guests to take pictures of their food and share it online. As their friends’ taste buds get going, they see the location of their friend and make a note to visit in the future. As well as taking pictures, get your visitors to follow your page and remember to post regular updates yourself. Whether you’re trying a new presentation for a dish or introducing a new dish, we make decisions with our eyes on social media platforms so get your delicious food online.

Food Trucks – Although this one might sound strange, the mobile food industry is currently booming and it has been for a number of years. Though, we’re talking about high-quality, healthy options rather than a greasy burger and chip van. As mentioned previously, people are looking to expand their palate and mobile locations could be the way to provide them with more options.

With over $1.2 billion in revenue in 2016, this industry has grown nearly 13% within the past five years so why not add a food truck that’s always on-the-go? In addition to providing the locals with an opportunity to enjoy your food now, you give them a taster of what you have to offer if they want to visit your restaurant later.

Before going ahead with this one, we advise performing some market research because not all cities are seeing this boost in the mobile food industry.

No Reservations – For those who have been in the industry for a number of decades, you might be a little hesitant to even continue reading this trend because reservations have been a staple for many years for restaurants. However, the no-show rate has been steadily increasing in recent years and this means restaurants are closing off sections of their establishment for people who don’t even show and this is inefficient.

As a result, many are changing to a first come, first served policy to fill up the tables and keep business booming. When people walk past and see the tables full, they immediately feel the need to visit in the future because this is social proof working first-hand. When customers walk in and there are no tables free, they’ll at least stay for a drink even if they don’t end up waiting for a table and this is revenue you wouldn’t have had if you’d have rejected their phone call due to being ‘fully-booked’.

Interior Design – Next up, we refer you back to Instagram once again because more people are taking photos on their phones than ever before. In fact, the prediction for 2017 was 1.2 trillion pictures worldwide over the course of 12 months. For two reasons, you should improve the interior design in your restaurant and make sure everything looks fresh;

• You want to create an atmosphere where people want to take photos.
• You want people viewing the photos to wonder where the picture is taken because it looks so amazing.

Rewards – As we all know, repeat business is the key to success as a restauranteur so more establishments are now offering special loyalty schemes for regular customers. According to a recent report, regular customers also spend an average of 67% more per visit so allowing them to earn a free dish or a free glass of wine every now and then is the least you can do to keep hold of their custom. Luckily, technology is making loyalty programs easier and some apps allow everything to be done digitally so you don’t need to worry about stamping cards or any other traditional methods of rewarding loyal customers.

Email List – Over the past few years, you might have heard a good amount regarding email lists and this is for a good reason. By having an email list, you have a list of email addresses belonging to people who have shown some form of interest in your business. With email marketing offering a strong conversion rate, it shouldn’t be long before you see a return on your investment. According to a recent study, nearly two-thirds of us check emails daily so a nice little email (or even a regular newsletter) could attract people to your restaurant.

If you manage to build a list of 1,000 email addresses, you need just 2% to take action after an email and you have 20 extra tables visiting this evening. The more emails you have, the easier it’ll be to fill your restaurant each night.

Conclusion – In the year ahead as we move into 2018, why not utilize these key metrics and marketing trends? Sure, delicious food is important but customers are looking for an experience these days whether that comes from Instagram, loyalty programs, interior design, or even the chance to taste the food of a brand from a food truck. Once you include one or more of these tips into your marketing strategy, there’s no reason why you can’t push a little closer to success.

This past year in 2016, the Cameo team had one objective – simply put; “At Cameo. We do what we say”. Goals of this nature are easy to say, but their success requires a lot of hard, consistent effort.

We are proud to focus our effort on our goals to provide reliable, high-quality customer service, to every customer, every day. Cameo produces and markets high-quality, durable and affordable commercial-grade dinnerware throughout Canada. Our commitment to customer service and efficient, timely delivery are the keys to our continued success. Again in 2016 we maintained a fill-order rate of 99.9% in 3 to 5 business days.

In 2017 Cameo will endeavour to maintain our dedication to our core philosophies.

All our distributor partners and valued customers can rely on our attention to your needs every day. When an extra effort is required, you can count on us to ensure your satisfaction.

All of our efforts would be wasted without your loyal support and your continued interest in our products. We promise to continue to strive to improve Cameo in every thing we do.

Our mission continues:

AT CAMEO. WE DO WHAT WE SAY

When it comes to restaurants, no guest ever wants to get angry because they’re simply enjoying a night out with their friends, family members, or colleagues. However, Murphy’s Law tells us that things go wrong sometimes and the atmosphere within a restaurant can very quickly change which is why all restaurant owners need to pay attention to this.

In recent years, modern technology has allowed us to move on to a modern point-of-sale (POS) system with iPads and other devices. If you’re still following the traditional methods of taking orders, you could fall into the trap of annoying all your customers with these four simple mistakes.

Problem #1: Lying

While small mistakes are often forgivable within a restaurant, outright lies can be detrimental not only for the customers’ experience but for the entire brand. For example, suggesting a dish doesn’t contain any dairy only to find that it’s covered in a cheese sauce. As another example, we recently saw a business meeting visit a nearby restaurant for dinner where they were told company cards were accepted. After running up a huge tab, they were then notified their chosen card wasn’t allowed and this meant a huge inconvenience and ten or more families who will never visit the restaurant again.

Solution? – If you’re looking for a solution to this problem, we recommend investing in a modern POS because it’ll have all the information your servers need. Whether it’s gluten in a particular dish or knowing what cards are accepted, your servers won’t have to guess and you can keep all customers as happy as can be.

Problem #2: Messing the Order

After hearing their belly rumbling and waiting for their food to be cooked, nothing is more frustrating than seeing an error on the plate. From the customer’s point of view, they’ve booked a table, gone through work looking forward to the meal, driven home from work, driven to the restaurant, ordered a meal, and then waited. With one simple step left to go, they feel angry, disappointed, and let down when the wrong dish sits in front of them.

Solution? – Once again, a modern POS can fix this issue because the order is punched through on the iPad immediately rather than relying on the server and their quickly scrawled handwriting. Considering your wait staff have got a million and one other things to remember, a modern POS allows them to read back all orders and the customer can even watch as it gets sent through to the kitchen.

Problem #3: Allowing an Dish You Haven’t Got

Whether the chefs forget to tell the wait staff a dish has been 86’d or they simply forgot, a customer having to change their order after setting their mind on something will not keep them happy. If it happens a second time, which we’ve seen and even experienced before, it leaves the customer feeling helpless and they end up choosing something they don’t even want.

Solution? – Although our solution may not surprise you, we believe a modern POS will make a huge difference because they can actually show how many of each dish is available. As long as the inventory has been kept up-to-date, the number of dishes available should count down as each waiter puts one through. As soon as there are none left, or perhaps if the chef 86’s the dish, it will show on the iPad and this problem cannot arise.

Problem #4: Being Made to Wait to Leave

Finally, guests are normally happy to wait for their food because they know it’s being cooked and made with care before they enjoy it. However, as soon as they ask for the check, their mind is made up and they’re ready to go. Generally speaking, asking for the check is the international sign of being ready to leave; the conversation has dried up and they want to get home. When terminals aren’t free or the waiter is busy with other tables, this can actually turn a positive experience into a bad one in a matter of minutes.

Solution? – With an iPad POS, there are certain features that allow the end of the evening process to run smoothly. Whether it’s mobile payment processors for the table or weekly/monthly tabs, they can allow the customers to leave when they’re ready as opposed to when the waiter is ready. With the tab option especially, customers can simply get up and leave and the monthly option will encourage customers to return multiple times to make it worthwhile.

Summary – As soon as one of the four problems above arises, it can ruin an otherwise positive evening and it probably ensures the customers won’t return in the future and repeat business is essential within the restaurant industry. If you can remove these four things that annoy all customers, you keep them happy and put your business in a strong position moving forward!

Thank you to everyone who came to visit our booth at the recent at the Enercare Centre in Toronto. We were glad to have the opportunity to talk with you about the success of our Cameo brand dinnerware and to share the exciting news about our new coloured dish selections. Visitors from Halifax, NS to North Bay, On. were very impressed with the enduring quality and varied selection of products that Cameo has to offer. People from a very wide variety of business establishments, from Pubs to Hotels to fine dining restaurants, saw items that fit their needs and were very happy to hear that everything was in stock in Toronto. Starting in June 2016 we are adding colour to your favourite pieces. Check back here in the near future to see some pictures and read about the details on availability and special order delays.

Hello! Cameo China is proud to be an exhibitor at the Restaurants Canada Show, February 28^th to March 1^st 2016. Cameo is quickly becoming the reference for commercial dinnerware to the foodservice industry. Visit us at Booth #1000 and we will be glad to meet you and discuss all your dinnerware needs. Cameo has creative, economical and durable solutions guaranteed to impress your customers with innovative presentations. The Cameo team is always ready to help all year long with award-winning customer support and efficient, timely delivery due to our impressive inventory management. If you are unable to attend the show contact us for an appointment to visit our modern showroom located at 2 Select avenue in Markam. Hope to see you at the show!

For many years Cameo China has been working extra hard to gain your trust. We truly believe in one simple philosophy: Do what you say.

This simple four word Mission statement is easy to say, but takes a lot of hard work to achieve. Every day we tell our customers that the items they would like to purchase are in stock at our warehouse in Toronto. We dedicate our efforts to preparing and shipping orders with the shortest delay possible. The entire Cameo team will set aside their regular tasks to help fulfill this promise. We do this because, as a company, we said we would.

The results of this dedication and hard work have been calculated. Cameo China has achieved a 99.9% Fill-order-rate* within 3 to 5 business days. Simply put – we do what we say. We receive process and ship your order with an efficiency unheard of in the foodservice industry. Why do we work so hard? The answer is right in front of us. We do it for you, our loyal and valued customers. You told us that you need products immediately at any time of the year. A simple request that we are proud to say we have satisfied 99.9% of the time.

Trust Cameo to continue to deliver high quality, durable and economical dinnerware to you. We did what we said we would do!

From the entire Cameo team, thank you for your support.

( * Refers to Canadian operations only )

亲爱的朋友们,

和客户。 Cameo祝您度过一个充满友谊与和平温暖的节日！我们希望新的一年能为您带来健康和繁荣.

非常客户和amis，

Cameo vous offre ses meilleurs voeux d’amitié et paix en ce joyeux temps des Fêtes et vous souhaite une nouvelle année remplie de santé, de bonheur et de prospérité.

来自Cameo团队

De l’équipe Cameo

2010年上海世博会烹饪大队在加入加拿大队期间获得了许多宝贵的经验。终身关系是伪造的，加上无数的灵感和动机，促使许多团队成员在餐饮业发展令人兴奋和有益的职业生涯。