Category: Blog

Restaurants are a popular place in movies, they’ve been shown for a large number of events ranging from the meetings between two people in love to carrying out hits on the members of the rival gang but what they fail to show is the everything things which go behind the scene at nearly every restaurant at all times. At the end of the day, every restaurant is a business and like every business, there are a great number of things which need to be taken care of. One of the most important ones is the competition which goes on in the restaurant industry but there are things which you can take care of to keep yourself ahead of the competition.

The most important thing is to streamline all the process in your restaurant. This can mean the difference between success and failure. A lack of clarity can result in a waste of time and resources. Everyone must understand their life in the business and know whatever is expected of them.

There are so many things which happen at any given moment in a restaurant that it becomes very difficult to keep a track of them as the issues just seem to be coming continuously. It is important that one stays ahead of the curve by not getting distracted.

Almost everyone on the team is going to have an opinion on every issue the restaurant faces but it is important to keep track of the reasons why you got in the industry. One should never forget his or her true calling and never shirk away from making tough decisions when the time comes. In the restaurant, as is also true in life, one must remain true to his own self.

Consistency is perhaps the greatest requirement for success. It makes the whole process easier and everybody understand their role in the picture. Making too many changes too soon can send wrong signals to both your employees and your customers.

Things like the menu, the bar, and other stuff which are hidden from the customers may not seem so important but they are the framework on which the entire business stands, one shouldn’t stop paying attention to these seemingly boring issues.

The customer should be the center of the entire experience after all he’s paying for it. The food is important too but it is the overall experience which is usually more memorable than the food itself.

Having the right team is extremely important for any business but it is especially important in the restaurant business. Look for people who work on the same frequency as you. Things, like sharing the same work ethic and having similar goals for the business, can make a lot of difference.

Saving money in things like the cutlery, food etc. and people may lead to some short-term savings but customers usually see through these things. It is important to invest in high-quality, both in materials and in people. Good service makes repeat customers which is good for the business.

Restaurants don’t start making money on the first day of their opening, no business does. There should be a safety cushion of money one must have especially for the initial months when cash flow is an issue.

Last but not the least, it is important to find a balance between your restaurant and home life, after all, it is usually the family that we do everything for. If we’re to neglect family life for the sake of our business then there is a risk of losing both in the long-term. Small things matter, it is important to maintain a balance in life.

Over the past decade, Twitter has gone from strength to strength and it now stands as a superb marketing platform for all types of businesses. For restaurants especially, the site is fantastic because you can upload your menu, advertise special offers, communicate with customers, advertise your food with colorful images, and more. Today, we are going to discuss the main features that you should be looking to use in 2017!

Profile – Before we go any further, you need your bio and profile picture to be as good as can be. Remember, the picture is often the first thing people see so use your logo. In terms of your bio, this should contain a brief introduction of what you offer, business hours, items on the menu, and your tagline and logo once again.

Follow Carefully – As well as your profile, you also need to be cautious with who you follow because people will keep an eye on this list. Rather than clogging up your feed and affiliating your business with nonsense accounts, follow only those necessary and treat it like the business account it is. If you need advice in this area, Twitter Analytics gives great recommendations for who to follow in your niche.

Lists – On Twitter, ‘Lists’ is actually a severely underused feature but we are looking to change this fact. On your account, you are allowed around 1,000 lists with 5,000 accounts in each and they can be great for interacting with bloggers and various vendors to create a buzz around your restaurant. In addition to this, they will help you to keep abreast of all latest products and services.

Direct Messaging – If you have a Twitter account already, we can almost guarantee that you disabled Direct Messaging and you wouldn’t be alone because this is something many businesses do. However, leaving it open will allow angry customers to send you a message directly rather than leaving a tweet on your profile for the whole world to see so it is definitely something to consider!

Moments – If you are looking to boost engagement on your page, the new Moments feature is a great starting point. As a tool for content curation, you can share numerous tweets regarding an event, product launch, trend, or whatever you want to bring to your follower’s attention.

Twitter Ads – In recent years, Twitter advertising has improved somewhat and it now allows for targeted campaigns so you can reach out to the people who are most likely to visit your restaurant. In addition to searching for the right Twitter users, you can also search using hashtags so look out for the hashtags being used by current customers. Over time, you could use these to find new customers!

Coupon Marketing – When you choose to go with coupon-based marketing, you know that there are going to be various benefits to experience. As well as offering customers personalized rewards, you will obtain vital information about customers moving forward and the system almost feeds on itself. Using Twitter, you can offer exclusivity to customers to improve the visibility of your brand and boost the loyalty in your customer base. Eventually, the likes and shares will lead to success.

Trending – On the homepage of Twitter, you have probably seen the trending topics section but have you ever used these for your business? As well as breaking news, trending topics can also be planned events through one or multiple channels. If you have enough followers (you can team up with another company, if not), you can try to get a particular hashtag into the trending topics and the awareness of your brand will skyrocket in a matter of hours.

Engagement – With Twitter engagement, many businesses make the mistake of constantly advertising a product or a service but this soon gets frustrating to watch. According to the 80/20 rule, 80% of all your conversations should be simple interaction with followers whereas 20% contribute to the programs and goals of the brand. Essentially, this ensures that customers feel as though their opinions are being taken into account and their kind words are appreciated.

Customer Service – In years gone by, customers would have to talk to you in person or send a letter when they have praise or an issue. With Twitter, it has given them a new platform because they see a response much quicker. Therefore, allow your brand to get a great reputation for responding to customer service issues and all watching will respect your efforts.

Pictures – Ever wondered why Instagram is so popular? As a species, humans react well to photos and they instantly grab our attention. As a business, you need to utilize this information and add images to your posts. According to a recent study, tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those that don’t. Furthermore, interaction is also stronger with images so upload these along with videos even if it is something taken quickly on a smartphone; these can be just as effective as professional shots.

Influencers – On Twitter, you will find ‘influencers’ who are people with a significant following. Along with celebrities, the list has grown to include bloggers, vloggers, and many others in recent years. Once you have found the ones in your niche, reach out to them every once in a while to see if they want to visit your restaurant and get involved with helping your brand. Considering they have potentially hundreds of thousands of followers all trusting their word, this could be a good strategy this year.

Twitter Analytics – How are you supposed to progress if you don’t analyze the success of previous posts? With Twitter Analytics, you can see how many impressions and clicks your posts receive which allows you to learn the most successful posts as well as posting times throughout the day.

As you can see, Twitter is pivotal in a marketing strategy and these thirteen tips will have you progressing this year. As long as you pay attention to this advice, there is no reason why your brand can’t increase in popularity in the months ahead.

When running a restaurant, you will have goals and margins you need to hit over the coming weeks, months, and years. When all is said and done, most of this comes down to money and increasing your revenue. When you increase revenue, you increase your profit (depending on costs) and this allows you more funds for marketing or just improving your business as a whole. On a more basic level, more revenue allows you to keep trading for a longer period of time.

Nowadays, we are aware that some marketing techniques are just too expensive. If you are a small business, you might not be able to afford TV ads and huge billboards but these aren’t necessary as long as you are clever. Below, we have compiled a list of the 12 best tips we have seen through the years. If you want to be successful in 2017, follow this advice and you won’t go far wrong!

Snapchat Geofilters – Driven primarily by millennials, these filters are like overlays that show location or even branding. With this, pictures will be sent between friends and they show where they are located. For example, your customers could snap a picture of their meal before sending it to friends with the overlay. Not only does the meal look appetizing, all who receive the meal will know where to buy it from.

Direct Mail – Whilst technology brings huge benefits, you should never forget the roots of marketing because there is still something to be said for direct mail. Considering it can be extremely affordable, it is superb for restaurants because it is the locals you want to convert into regular customers. If you add coupons to the mail, you will have the attention of the community and this can only be a good thing.

Influencer Marketing – On every social media platform, we have what we call ‘influencers’ and these are people will a huge following. Since they have so much support, their followers trust what is being said and they have a certain influence over the market (hence the name). As a restaurant, you will be in a great position if you can have the influencer talking about your brand. Because the followers trust the word of the influencer, you will gain credibility if they enter your restaurant.

Sometimes, people say that this is hard to do but it can all begin with a simple message. When contacting them, say that you love their blog and that you think they will enjoy your food. From here, you can make arrangements if they show an interest; of course, the influencer needs to be in the food niche.

Delivery – Sure, you might not have the manpower to deliver yourself but there are now superb services that act as the middleman. If your locals enjoy your food, there are services that will deliver to homes and businesses on your behalf. Although they will receive a cut, these are customers you wouldn’t have otherwise had. If you can afford it, having someone visiting local homes and businesses can be a good move because you are actively marketing your brand.

Social Media – Every day, we spend millions of hours on social media but you cannot just expect people to visit your restaurant after one little post. Instead, you need to be creative by starting competitions or providing genuinely interesting content. If you move away from the pure advertising posts, you will capture the imagination of your followers. Furthermore, the funny or clever posts will also see more shares and then people will be interested in your brand. When you just post about your business, everyone gets bored (even you!) so be creative.

Coupon Drops – For landlords, they are always looking to add more value to their tenants because this allows them to justify the price. Therefore, get in contact and offer them a coupon drop program. As long as they live locally, you can regularly drop coupons and special offers and all those inside the building can benefit.

Text Marketing – Nowadays, we have our mobile phones permanently attached to our bodies in some way or another. If you utilize text messaging, you can persuade your existing customers to come back. As long as you don’t spam their mobile phones, you can be helpful with great offers and rewards.

Email Marketing – Despite now being considered an ‘old’ piece of technology, people still check their emails nearly every day so this is a great location to drop some advertising. Once again, you can send special offers or email-only deals for all the customers who have provided their email address.

Radio – Although you can benefit from paying for a radio spot, you will benefit even more from a long-term relationship with a station. Therefore, why not get in touch and see what you can do together? As well as sponsoring their events, you could create a combined Facebook contest, live on-air promotions, live broadcasting, ad vans, and more. In recent times, radio has received a lot of negativity but it is something we still listen to in cars and offices regularly.

Special Events – With some restaurants, the regulars stop coming because every night is exactly the same and you can’t blame them for this. If you want to recapture the attention of your locals, hold special events where certain demographics receive a cheaper dinner. For example, we recently saw one restaurant doing a ‘Daddy/Daughter night’ where all dads and daughters received a discount from their meals. Additionally, you could do ‘End of Week Friday’, ‘Wine Wednesday’, or whatever you fancy!

Give Back – If you operate within a community, the locals will love it when you give something back. As an example, you could run an event for a local charity or even for a local school. Online, you can advertise this event and you suddenly become a leader in the community.

Watch the Competition – Finally, we never advise copying the competition in your niche but you can certainly watch what they are doing. As well as their menu, you can also assess their marketing techniques and special offers; they could be advertising on a local website and seeing success!

There we have it, some simple steps for increasing your revenue. If you combine a few of these tips, you could start seeing more customers very soon and, with any hope, they will become long-term visitors to boost revenue!

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 )

Dear friends,

and customers. Cameo wishes you a holiday season full of the warmth of friendship and peace! We hope the New Year will bring you health and prosperity.

À tous nos clients et 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.

From the Cameo Team

De l’équipe Cameo