Forms: Driver Authorization

I understand that, as a (COMPANY NAME) driver, I must wear a seat belt at all times in accordance with the

(YOUR STATE) State Law. I understand that I have no authority to allow anyone to drive a (COMPANY NAME) vehicle or give unauthorized rides to non-employees. I understand that (COMPANY NAME) vehicles are to be used only for (co. name) business purposes. I understand that violation of these rules voids all insurance coverage and

renders me liable for all the consequences of my action.

I understand that if I damage a (COMPANY NAME) vehicle, I will be held responsible. Documentation regarding the damage will be placed in my personnel file and may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.

I understand that if I violate the statutory speed limits in a (COMPANY NAME) vehicle, I may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination. Drivers who receive citations for moving violations will be personally responsible for payment of said citations. Citations for parking violations which are incurred while executing (COMPANY NAME) business will be paid by (COMPANY NAME). Exceptions to this are: parking in front of a fire hydrant and other towable violations. In these cases, the driver will pay for any citation, fine and/or towing fee involved. Excessive parking violations will result in a review of driving privileges.

Failure to report any damages, citations or maintenance problems on the day of occurrence will result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination. I have read the preceding information and consent to the terms and conditions set forth.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Date

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Employee

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Printed Name of Employee

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Printed Name of Supervisor

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Supervisor

NOTE: This form is offered and an example and should be reviewed by an attorney before being used.

Important Reminder: 23 Days To Catersource Conference

It's now or never! I can assure you that the conference, tradeshow and events are going to be amazing and offer great opportunity to borrow, steal and reformat what you see, taste, and learn to enhance your sales and image!


If you wish to go but have not been able to convince yourself or justify the cost, please contact me via email or phone so we can discuss how I can possible help convince you or to make your financial burden less.


You should know that the week we are in Las Vegas it is almost a "ghost" town - we are one of the two only conference going on. Nearby hotels (including Belagio) are priced extremely low in their daily rates. There will no waiting in most restaurants!


So, if  you have even the littlest thought of going to Las Vegas please contact me.


            (773) 549-7210   mikeroman@cateringguru.com

Five Thoughts On Marketing - What do you think?

1. Rank your clients by different values i.e. volume, type, payment record, etc. Then, create customized marketing campaigns to excite each group

2. Announce that a certain percentage of each sale for a specific period of time will be going to a special charity fund...it is a great feeling to help others!               

3. Do you really understand the strengths and weaknesses of your competition? 

4. Reward your best buyers with something small and fun. Send an extra dessert, a lotto ticket or a recipe.

5. Marketing is what a company does to locate new buyers; confirm for past buyers that they are already with the best caterer; and finally, to prepare the shopper for your salespeople!     

Put The Spotlight On Your Culinary Team & Food

One creative way to increase your chances of a sale is by using scripts that demonstrate the value of your culinary team. Your catering kitchen, along with everyone and everything in it, can add important benefits to your sales presentations. After all, the kitchen is the heartbeat of your business, the creator and protector of your image and reputation. An event’s success is tied to what does and doesn’t happen in the kitchen. Yet many catering salespeople never talk about their kitchen when selling.

Most buyers are extremely interested in a caterer’s menus and food quality. Create scripts that offer shoppers an opportunity to understand what makes your kitchen better than the kitchens of the other caterers they are shopping with—letting them see why your catering company is the one they should choose for their upcoming event.

Scripts to be used early in the sales presentation:

“One of the reasons I choose to become part of the ABC Catering team is our professionally run kitchen. As part of my employment interview, I was required to observe our kitchen in full operation. Well, I quickly learned that the level of creativity of our chefs and their assistants was the highest I’ve ever witnessed. I knew that when working at ABC, my clients would be getting the best food possible for their guests.”

“It is important to know that our kitchen is fully licensed and inspected by our city’s health department. In addition, our culinary staff is required to take additional sanitation courses that give them an even better understanding of safe food-handling procedures.”

“I’d like to take a moment and tell you a little bit about our Executive Chef (Name). Creativity is her middle name! My customers consistently tell me that their guests enjoyed our chef’s menus—and even requested recipes. I bring this up because a catering company is only as good as its culinary team—and ours is lead by a proven master.”

Fixed Day Tastings

It is a way of life for many clients: “We wish to taste your food before we make a decision.” Caterers have different views on the question of allowing buyers to have tastings. Some believe that it’s okay for all potential buyers to have a tasting. Others believe that only buyers who have given a deposit are eligible for a tasting. Still others have their unique rules of when to permit tastings.

One solution is the fixed-day tasting. This has proven to be very successful for both on- and off-premise caterers. The caterer sets aside two, three or more days a month to hold group tastings for prospective buyers, or for those who already have given deposits.

Scheduling a tasting for a single buyer, even with a large committee or family, is filled with problems. It’s often difficult to capture the same taste when cooking food for two or three people. The energy during the tasting is usually one of non-excitement. With a fixed-day tasting, a variety of buyers are invited in for a group tasting of your latest and best menu items. 

You can offer buffet, station, or plate-served samples. With a group tasting, a “buyer frenzy” may be established when a variety of strangers, all with a common goal, begin “ooohing” and “aaahing” your food. However, problems may be created if tasters are negative. 

“Yes, we do offer tastings Mrs. Smith. However, we do them in a very special way. We discovered a long time ago, that giving tastings to just a few people didn’t allow our culinary team to shine, since all our recipes are for larger groups.

“Now we offer group tastings three times each month. These tastings usually have between fifteen and thirty people, who, like yourself, need to decide on their menu. The group tasting lets our culinary team offer an incredible range of menu items for all to try.

“This month we can offer you a group tasting on Saturday, the 10th at noon, or Wednesday evening the 14th at 6:30, or Tuesday morning the 20th at 10:30. Which of these tasting times is best for you?”

Three Thoughts On Pricing - What do you think?

!. Caterers often hesitate to talk about their pricing when meeting with shoppers. Ultimately all shoppers want to know the approximate price, but they often hesitate in asking because they feel that the salesperson will gain an advantage over them. Being proactive about sharing prices will put your shopper at ease! 


2. Unfortunately, the catering salesperson is usually the only one who thinks their company's prices are too high.

3. By creating a middle priced menu you make it easier for the shopper to choose it without feeling that they are either spending too much or too little. While some will choose the higher price and some will choose the lower price, surveys show that most shoppers buy in the middle! 

Register By Midnight On January 31st To Save Money!

Oval Banquet Tables

Oval banquet tables are popular in the midwest. My consulting client this week Philip Switz of Catered Elegance in Bedford, Ohio uses them. They are able to seat ten (10) guests and do create a unique feeling for guests. By the way, Philip won two days of my consulting as he was the winner of the early registration contest for Alumni at Catersource. 

Leadership For Managers

Owners tend to spend hours thinking and rethinking their business. At the top of the list of concerns is the need to create sales that result in proper profitability, followed by anything and everything that deals with staff.

Profitability and staff are the heart of all successful companies. You can add in timing, location and a lot of luck, but the real leadership targets are dollars and people.

You’ve probably heard that old saying “Sales cure everything.” This is not necessarily true. A catering company can have lots of sales volume and at the same time, lots of unhappiness because of staff problems. I once asked a client, “What is more important to you—making money or having less tension with your staff?” My client answered quickly, “Having staff who are competent and understand what they are supposed to do.”

Staff members have good days and bad days—but customers expect every day to be a good day. Two of the most important elements of a manager’s daily activities are providing direction and providing support the team needs. There can be no bad days for managers. Well, hopefully that is!

Off-Premise vs. On-Premise Catering

Most off-premise caterers would like to have an on-premise venue they can call their own, but most on-premise caterers have little desire to become involved in off-premise catering. It’s more complex, filled with exceptions and much, much harder work. In an on-premise banquet facility, the owner knows where the circuit breakers are when the lights go out. 

On-premise caterers are steps away from their walk-in coolers and other supplies. On-premise caterers don’t need directions to get to the event! Off-premise caterers always play away games, while on-premise caterers are always the home team. On-premise catering isn’t boring because everything is familiar and runs smoothly. On-premise banquet facilities have their own challenges and need constant oversight by managers.

Both on- and off-premise caterers can make vast amounts of money from their efforts. Shoppers calling an on-premise caterer are looking to buy a location, event space and a specific time period more than food. It’s not that the food isn’t important, it’s just that the other things are more important. Shoppers calling an off-premise caterer are looking mainly for food. Shoppers first ask on-premise caterers if they are available, while they ask off-premise caterers what their price is. Off-premise caterers often have difficulty obtaining deposits and final payments, while on-premise caterers get money much more easily. No money, no guaranteed hold on the event space.

On-premise banquet facilities sell romance, photo ops, fountains, fireplaces, gazebos, bride’s rooms, built-in bars, beautiful views from windows, tree lined lawns, dance floors and menus. On-premise shoppers will pay more for a facility that permits guests to exit their cars under overhangs that prevent them from getting wet. Off-premise caterers mainly sell menus and service. Off-premise shoppers want to haggle down the price. The exception would be when an off-premise caterer is on a list of approved caterers at a public or private venue or when they have an exclusive venue. 

Overall, however, shoppers are looking for different things when they buy from off- or on-premise caterers. In most cases, shoppers give more respect to the on-premise caterer. Sometimes after an off-premise caterer spends hours working with a shopper, the shopper won’t even answer the caterers follow-up phone calls or emails.

Shoppers of off-premise catering will not give a deposit check until the menu is determined and approved, while on-premise caterers receive deposits to hold the date and space with the menu not being selected until a short time before the event date.

Don’t Act Like Other Caterers

The average prospect calls between three and five caterers to get information for the event they are planning. This means they are, more than likely, hearing the same questions from each of these caterers: “What is your budget?” or “How did you hear about us?” and other routine statements. It also means the chances are high that the responses they have received either by phone or email from the caterers they called have been very similar and may have left them with a bad feeling.

Why? Many caterers tend to pay little attention to incoming information requests. Most caterers put their most inexperienced or newest staff on the phones and these inexperienced staff often give the wrong first impression to the caller. When people call four caterers, they soon learn that they all sound and act alike.

Anything you do to sound different, more caring and more professional is good. Your positive attitude will jump out and grab the callers. A prospect who has called four other caterers opens his call by telling the caterer that they are looking for information on a wedding. All they get is some qualification question like, “What is your budget?” When they call you, the first thing you say to them is, “Well a wedding, that means that your family is going through an exciting time right now!” Do you see the difference?

A caterer stands out from the rest through handholding, caring, empathy, truthfulness—and using scripts that make it easier for the prospect to become involved in the selling process.

I'm So Sorry... I just had to do this!

What can I say? After all the talk in the news media about the makers of Ding-Dongs and Twinkie going out of business I just had to take this photo. So many memories! For better or worse, I've done first-hand research on the entire product line of Hostess since pre-school days.