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Selected stories 2011-2021
"Customer experience is the new battlefield for differentiation."
"Customer experience is the sum of discrete moments that work together to strengthen or weaken a consumer's preference, loyalty and advocacy for a brand." - Gartner Restaurant guests don't want cheaper prices......
....they're really looking for a better experience. (hey there, dealers and wholesalers......your customers feel the same; oh....and tabletop manufacturers - ditto) "When done well, F&B can be a great experience, instantly rewarding, and create lasting impressions and memories."
- Wolfgang Lindlbauer Chief Discipline Leader, Global Operations Marriott International From Lindlbauer's "Mai Tais and My Take: Changing the Hotel F&B Industry"
To learn more about Walco and the wide range of flatware, holloware, and buffetware for the hospitality industry, go here:
http://www.walcostainless.com/ - DJames We sometimes hear of new ideas…new products….new companies, that claim to “change the world of tabletop” and rarely do they ever quite measure up to the hype. One that, in fact may exceed the hype is GIFRE, from Girona in the Catalonia region of Spain. Through the concept of “biomimickry”, founder Pere Gifre has created what might have been thought of as nearly impossible interfaces - serving pieces - all for the purpose of placing “food” on them and creating an elevated dining experience for the guest.
Always mimicking the local nature beauty of the local area, the journey to develop experiential tabletop serving pieces for the hospitality segment continued. And then, in 2013, the team at GIFRE started a collaboration between Celler de Can Roca, for the project elSomni.... With elSomni, the image, the art, the music, the taste and smell, are united in a cross-media work piece....an opera-dinner about the cyclical journey of human existence. A dream through twelve emotions that takes the particpant to the table where the dinner will be held, where the kitchen and video creation are transformed into a new artistic experience. With GIFRE pieces used throughout, elSomni is truly a sensory culinary journey, with each of the imaginative serving pieces playing a protagonistic role.
Using a wide-ranging variety of materials like brass & silver, terracota, resin, stainless steel, glass, ceramic, and even methacrylate polymers to achieve a closeness to nature's artistry, GIFRE then uses trial and error, graphic design, and 3-D modeling to achieve many of their shapes which so closely mirro the natural beauty of Catalonia which surrounds the company.
GIFRE - Mimicking nature. Indeed. You can learn more about GIFRE and its wide range of innovative serving pieces by going here: http://www.gifretable.com/ In an article describing restaurant industry traffic in the U.S., Bonnie Riggs from industry research firm NPD Group states: “…offering a good product at a fair price is no longer good enough. To attract them will take a deeper understanding of what they want when dining out…....the fact remains that Americans still make billions of visits to restaurants each year, but they are more conscious of their spending and want to be certain that the return on their investment in a restaurant meal is a pleasurable dining experience that meets their needs and expectations.” More than ever before…..#TabletopMatters. To read the entire article from NPD Group, go here: https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/income-gap-and-shrinking-middle-class-take-a-toll-on-restaurant-industry-reports-npd/ Recently, Sales and MarketingManagement.com published an article ”5 Ways to Differentiate Your Company During The Selling Process”. Adapting the SMM principles to the hospitality tabletop industry, TabletopJournal discusses these five principles and why they are important to tabletop suppliers….whether you are a manufacturer, manufacturer's rep, or a dealer. 1. Make proactive recommendations. When responding to a customer request for a quote on a new tabletop product, make recommendations beyond what the customer is requesting that you feel will benefit the restaurant operator in some way. Will it save money? Perhaps there’s a single piece that will take the place of two others? Or, maybe you can recommend a glassware piece or a serving piece that will better merchandise a particular menu item? You will often know of new products that will better meet the needs of a customer and can differentiate yourself and your company by making these helpful recommendations. So, think beyond the original customer's request for information. 2. Define your niche. Don’t let your company categorized with multiple other suppliers. Make sure that the customer knows that while many companies have glassware, you are THE specialist for craftbeer glasses, for instance. Or, if the customer is looking for showplates, make sure they understand that your selection of glass showplates is the widest range available and your large inventory allows quick re-supply. Make sure you tell the customer why working with your company and products is very different than others….not by disparaging your competition, but by showcasing your company's and your product's strengths.
4. Sell your culture.
Every company has a different culture. Make sure you articulate your company’s culture and why it aligns well with this potential customer’s company culture. Whether it is your company’s structure, it's flexibility, or simply the style in which you conduct your business….the SMM article is correct – often these “soft” issues are the true differentiators in the selling process. 5. Communicate benefits by audience. The benefits of buying your products or working with your company (versus competitors) will be different for the owner, the food & beverage director, the chef and for the accountant. Make sure you sell your company and product benefits to each of those constituencies. Often we simply sell one overall list of benefits and hope they fit all the various decision makers on the customer end. Make sure you tailor your presentations to the audience who is listening…and having input to the final decision. Decision-making in the food service/hospitality/catering industry is complex and often unique in each situation. Tabletop products often appear to be similar and therefore the decision-making process gets quickly to whose products are the cheapest. Only by differentiating your company and its product strengths and then showing how your company or product aligns best in solving the customer’s problem can you avoid the downward spiral “race to the bottom” of price. Differentiation in the hospitality tabletop selling process is key to adding value and showcasing your company and its product's true value to your customers. If you are interested in reading the SMM article - its a great read and we think you will enjoy it, you can read it in its entirety by going here: http://salesandmarketing.com/content/5-ways-differentiate-your-company-during-sales-process
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Ment'or Inspiring Culinary Excellence Archives
November 2021
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