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Finding a Restaurant Equipment Supplier Crucial for New Restaurant Owners

Keywords:

restaurant supplies and equipments, restaurant, restaurant success

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If you are in the restaurant business, you probably already know just how crucial it is to find a restaurant equipment supplier who can take care of your individual needs. For those who are considering opening a restaurant, finding a reliable equipment supplier should be one of your first priorities.

So many people assume control of an already existing establishment assuming that they have a grasp on the fundamental aspects of proper restaurant management, when very few actually do. Of course, food distributors are a very integral piece of the puzzle that is seldom overlooked. Most new restaurant owners then move on to equally vital matters such as evaluating the current staff, streamlining or changing the menu and advertising the change of ownership locally. What they rarely consider is that at some point, one or more pieces of kitchen equipment will probably fail. Unfortunately, events like these tend to happen on a busy night with the front of the house packed full of customers. This is just one of the reasons to find a competent, reliable restaurant equipment supply dealer.

A good restaurant supply dealer can not only give you proper maintenance tips on your existing equipment, but also give you an idea of how much use you can expect from various kitchen essentials, such as ice machines, ovens, broilers, refrigeration units and freezers. Additionally, some restaurant suppliers offer services to help streamline your kitchen for maximum efficiency and ease during food preparation. They can give you cost estimates on replacing worn or improperly functioning equipment so that you can be prepared for doing so in the event of a failure. They can even make recommendations for cost cutting measures that will help decrease your expenditures.

Successful restaurant owners know that an equipment supplier should be more than just someone you call when something breaks. Find an equipment dealer who can offer you more. If you aren't able to find someone who will take an active interest in helping you succeed by providing the products, service and advice you need, look elsewhere. As with all businesses, cultivating the right relationships can make all the difference.

Fast Food Operator has Found an Innovative Restaurant Marketing System

Stop Wasting Time and Money on Gimmicks and Start Generating Profit from every Restaurant Marketing Dollar.

Keywords:

Marketing System, Restaurant Marketing, Marketing Software.

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This morning Tom Martin was the plumber; by mid-morning he was the accountant. All afternoon he was busy doing research and development and ended his workday concentrating on purchasing. Like many small business owners, Tom Martin wears many hats on a typical day. In 1969 he bought his first Taco Box restaurant. A few years later he opened a second and then a third location. Today he operates the Taco Box restaurants in Clovis and Portales, N. M. Business has been good, but Martin is convinced that it will get better.

Despite all of his responsibilities Martin has recently begun to focus on restaurant marketing in a whole new fashion. “For 20 years I have been working with a local advertising agency purchasing bulk radio ads and print ads. We had a birthday club and had gathered some customers’ addresses, but the account representative didn’t know how to make it work,” says Martin.

He continues: “I once heard the following quote, ‘Half of the money spent on advertising is wasted. I just don’t know which half.’ We were never able to track the results from our advertising dollars. I knew there had to be a better way; but being busy running our stores, I never had the time to get out there and try to figure out other restaurant marketing systems.”

Over the years, Martin has purchased numerous restaurant marketing books and followed several of the restaurant marketing gurus. “I have always been skeptical of some of their claims to get rich overnight. I tend to be a plodder and prefer to build our business sensibly and methodically,” says Martin.

Recently Martin started working with a restaurant marketing group that specializes in helping restaurants to build sound, trackable marketing using marketing software. “I like their philosophy of using a systematic approach to marketing; it matches mine.” The restaurant marketing coaches are helping Martin to begin building and structure his database.

RMG supplies the marketing software that makes it easy for Martin to capture and manage the database. In Martin’s case, he has one marketing employee that works part time doing office work. Part of her duties is to enter the data into the system. She has been amazed at how easy the software is to operate.

In a typical restaurant, 30 percent of the customers are bringing in 70 percent of the business. One of Martin’s goals is to get his existing customers to increase their frequency of visiting his restaurants. In addition, he would like to increase the group size for the guests’ visit and get them to spend more when they come in. By building a database of his frequent customers and offering rewards to those loyal customers, Martin has begun accomplishing his goals using the restaurant marketing software.

In addition, Martin would like to encourage new customers to come to his store. “With the help of RMG, I have put together a new move-in program. Clovis is a military town, so there’s high turnover. Our new move-in program offers them a free meal as an incentive to become a customer. Whether or not they come in with another family member or friend or just drive through for their one free meal, I count it as a winner. The national fast food chains lose another one! I want them to see and taste the difference that we offer. Past research shows that people who have lived in our area for more than two years prefer Taco Box over the national chains. That isn’t the case with those who are new to the community. They first need to try us before we can build Taco Box brand loyalty,” says Martin.

RMG provides a weekly restaurant marketing coaching session for Martin. During that phone interview, Martin and the coaches develop the details for upcoming campaigns. In addition to the New Move-In Campaign, Martin developed a “Boxpitality Club” after the VIP Club concept where customers are asked to fill out a card indicating their birthdays and anniversary. As members, they are offered free products on their special days and receive other redeemable offers throughout the year.

“My coach is a pro and truly understands marketing. Besides the coaching, one of the things that I like most about the Restaurant Marketing Group system is that it is fully trackable. By offering redeemable offers that are time sensitive, I will know within a short amount of time exactly how profitable the promotion was and what the return was on my marketing investment,” adds Martin.

He continues: “At this point in my career, after having spent 35 years building my business, I need a shot in the arm. I believe I have found that with the RMG system. I can’t believe all the creative campaign ideas that have been presented to me. Once we have the New Move-In and our Boxpitality Club off the ground, we’ll add additional campaigns.”

Martin is starting to look at his exit strategy and plans to retire in another six years. Before he does that, he wants to see how far he can build his business with a sound marketing plan and a little help from the folks at RMG

Buying and Selling Restaurant Equipment Equals Big Money

If you are looking to make a lot of money in a field that few people dare to dive into then you should look at buying and reselling restaurant equipment.

Keywords:

beverage air, used beverage air, beverage air cooler, resaurant equipment, restaurant equipment

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If you are looking to make a lot of money in a field that few people dare to dive into then you should look at buying and reselling restaurant equipment.

You can go out to local auctions or store closeouts and purchase used restaurant equipment for pennies on the dollar. You can find items such as Hobart Mixers or Beverage Air Coolers and steal them away for a couple of hundred bucks. You will need about a thousand to get a decent start in the business, but you might look for an investor to really give you business a huge push. Once you have purchased your first lot of items from your local auction then it is time to clean up the equipment and then test it. A little elbow grease will go a long way, and you can increase the worth of your product just by taking the clean the grease off of it. Then plug the item in and check to see if it works, if it does you will pull in double to triple what you paid for, and if it does not work then you can just sell it broke, and still make a couple of bucks off the item.

The biggest problem with selling restaurant equipment is space. You need to move the equipment fast enough so that you are not wasting space, and you are profiting even with the cost of storage. With that said you can always start with your garage and work up to a storage unit, and then when you are up to the big boys you can purchase a warehouse.

If you are looking to get started in business then you need to learn about the different brands, and also you need to learn everything you can about ebay. Ebay is the easiest way to branch out nationwide. You will also need to learn about freight and how to freight an item, and be sure to watch you cost. You can many times shop the different freight companies and find one that will work with you at a discount if you are going to give them a lot of return business.

I think this is one of the biggest money making businesses that you can start with low capitol, and build up. I don't believe in starting in the hole, so I would start with one auction and build up from that. I have friends in this business that I work with and they can do 25,000 in sales in a couple of days on eBay. It is important that you understand this business is a lot of hard work. But, if you work it correctly you can reap the benefits of success.

So, if you are looking for a huge return on your money, and don't mind working for it, then you should take interest in restaurant equipment. Remember buy used because it's cheaper and has a higher profit margin. EBay is your best friend in this business, and I would advise you to find someone that is doing this already and see if they will show you the rope of the business, and try to get a jump start.

Finding the Right Equipment Supplier Paramount to Success in the Restaurant Industry

Keywords:

restaurant supplies and equipments, restaurant, restaurant success

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Most companies with any degree of overhead know that finding the right supplier of products necessary to run their business is of the utmost importance. For most businesses, it can mean a substantial savings and reduce the headaches often associated with searching for a reliable equipment dealer. For restaurants, however, finding the right equipment supplier can mean the difference between success and failure in the industry.

Restaurant owners, perhaps more than any other business owners, rely on their equipment to ensure that they will be open for business each and every day. Because most kitchens are limited in space, there is usually only room for one piece of each major type of equipment. If an ice machine or oven goes down, it can cause problems that will affect the entire operation. Restaurant equipment is made to endure the ravages of everyday use, but will eventually break down often enough that it will need to be replaced. While replacing a piece of equipment in and of itself seems simple enough, like most things in the restaurant business, it isn't. Restaurant owners often rely on their equipment dealer to determine whether a new piece of equipment will meet the growing needs of the establishment. They may also rely on the equipment dealer’s product knowledge to determine what will and won't work in their particular setup. With most large scale restaurant equipment costing thousands of dollars, considerations of this nature are rarely left to chance.

A good equipment supplier not only carries a wide selection of products for the restaurant industry, but can also provide information on how those products can be used to streamline kitchen areas for maximum efficiency. Restaurant owners have long known that while anyone can sell equipment, only the best equipment dealers are able to sell the right equipment that will help restaurateurs by adequately addressing their individual needs. Finding a resource for information along with a competent and reliable supplier of equipment is never an easy thing to do. Most restaurant owners who establish a good working relationship with a credible equipment supplier will maintain that relationship throughout the life of the business.

Finance Your Restaurant Business With Someone Else's Credit Card

Getting funding for restaurant businesses is far from easy. Here's a few ways of financing your restaurant that you should consider.

Keywords:

restaurant,funding,financing,restaurants,loans,loan,finance,business

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If you are in the restaurant business, you certainly won't need me to tell you how tough it can be financially.

While you are building up the reputation of your establishment, money is often tight and one bad night can mean an unprofitable week. As for cash flow - well, the cash certainly flows, doesn't it? You just wish that more of it was flowing in than out. And what about those slow periods? What do you do if they last longer than you anticipated? How do you get the funds you need to get your restaurant business over that hump.

OK, I'm painting a negative picture here, but funding can be a problem for even the most successful restaurant, especially if you wish to expand quickly. The question remains: what is the best way to get financing for your restaurant?

LOANS

A loan may be an obvious way to raise finance for your restaurant business, but look at it from the point of view of the lender.

The 2004 Restaurant Industry Operations Report published by Deloitte & Touche LLP indicates that average pre-tax profit margins range from 4-7%. This means that, from the lender's point of view, even a profitable restaurant is a big risk. The bigger the risk, the bigger the interest payments - that is, if you even get approved for a loan at all. High interest rates, of course, can bring their own problems, particularly for a very low margin business such as the restaurant trade.

Lenders will, admittedly, look more favorably on you if you also own your premises. However, you need to be aware that funding your business using real estate as collateral means that it is the potential resale value of the property that lenders are looking at. The purpose of the property itself may actually reduce its resale value as there would be a smaller pool of potential purchasers. Thus, many lenders set very high minimum loan amounts, which may not be suitable for your particular circumstances.

If you do decide to go the loan route, then speaking to a specialist lender with expertise in the restaurant industry is essential.

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FACTORING

Factoring is a form of commercial finance where a business can accelerate its cashflow by selling its accounts receivable at a discount. This means that the business doesn't have to wait for outstanding invoices to be paid in order to receive the cash necessary to finance the business moving forward.

For many service based businesses, accounts receivable factoring is an extremely good way of quickly accessing cash. However, restaurants rarely have much business of this kind.

What they do have, however, is a high volume of credit card transactions. By leveraging these, budding restauranters can - literally - fund their restaurants with other people's credit cards.

CREDIT CARD CARD FACTORING

Essentially, restaurants can sell their future credit card transactions and receive an advance on that money - usually up to around $120,000. The money can be used for any purpose - from expanding premises to buying new equipment or whatever you want. This isn't a loan, so there is no personal guarantee needed. It's simply an advance against future credit card settlements.

The company purchasing takes a small, fixed percentage of future credit card transactions until the advance is repaid.

The advance cash can often be made available within 14 days, so - for the restaurant business that is in need of a quick injection of funds - this is a good option. Of course, there are restrictions on who can apply. Generally speaking, a restaurant would have to be running for over 1 year, take over $5,000 per month in Visa/Mastercard transactions and have more than 1 year left on their lease to qualify.

For the restaurant that has been in existence more than one year, this represents the best method of further growing your business at minimum professional or personal risk.

COMPANIES PROVIDING RESTAURANT FINANCING

There are a number of companies out there offering financing of this kind to restaurants. The main points to watch out for when selecting such a company are as follows :

i) Application Fee - Companies charging an application fee should be avoided. To be honest, there isn't much paperwork involved in this process, so an application fee is unnecessary.

ii) Closing Costs - Again, companies charging 'closing costs' are best avoided. There are enough companies out there competing for your business.

For the young or established restaurant business, credit card factoring is the most effective way of getting the funds you need to expand your business. So, fund your restaurant using someone else's credit card !