Appendix 1
Cobtree Manor Park Café Business Review January 2017 Update
Problem Area |
Detail |
Solution |
Action taken |
Further action |
January 2017 update |
1. Limited opening hours |
Not enough staff to rota later closure, missing out on early evening trade.
|
Build pool of casual staff on contract and open later when weather is good. |
· Simplified recruitment process agreed with HR. · Continuous recruitment process with adverts in window. · Opening hours increased from 4pm to 5pm since mid-June. · Weather dependent opening until 6pm during summer holidays |
· Regular advert in local paper and Jobs in Kent. · Work with Mid Kent College to engage students from their Catering Courses as Casuals and apprentices. |
· Continuous recruitment has resulted in 4 appointments · 2nd recruitment drive in October resulted 2 successful appointments. · Pool of 10 casuals maintained |
2. Reliance on agency staff |
High cost of agency staff as compared to contracted staff and inconsistency in quality affecting bottom line. |
Recruit more directly employed staff.
|
As 1 above |
As 1 above |
Decreased reliance month on month on Agency staff as casual pool has increased |
3. Staff shortage at busy periods |
Unable to cope with demand at very busy times and losing some customers. |
As 1 and 2 See 8 |
As 1 and
2 |
As 1 and
2 |
Second reactive point of sale for ice creams and soft drinks successfully reduced queues. A permanent second point of sale would allow sales of ice-creams, drinks, pre-packed sandwiches and confectionary to be sold. Extension of existing sales counter currently being investigated. |
4. Not able to take card payments |
Customers can only pay by cash and as a result a lot of business has been turned away. |
Install merchant services machines.
|
Machines installed 19/07/16 |
Agreed minimum transaction i.e. £5 or card charge of 50p. |
Card machine introduced mid-July 2016, now accounting for an average of 28% of payments
|
5. Recruitment advertising not effective |
Not getting a lot of applications to job adverts. |
Review advertising methods and focus adverts in most appropriate place/s.
|
Advert for Casual Catering Staff displayed in the Visitor Centre with application forms available. |
Local papers. Council social media. |
Adverts displayed on site has led to enquiries into vacancies |
6. Recruitment process too long |
Even with a simplified recruitment process staff have not taken up appointments due to the length of time taken to issue contracts |
Investigate with HR feasibility of ‘subject to references’ which is standard in the industry. |
As 1 above. |
References by email. |
Variable results with some staff in post within weeks and some over several months |
7. Weather |
The daily take correlates to the weather and in 2016 to date this has been poor.
|
Investigate indoor family activities that could be offered in the Visitor Centre on poor weather days |
|
|
Discussions with child-minding network identified that the space would be used but would not increase business from this group. Under 5’s paid activities eg music, yoga, art being researched.
|
8. Ice cream points of sale |
Customers who wish to make quick purchases of e.g ice cream and soft drinks are being deterred by length of queues at busy periods. |
Requires additional staffing and is time consuming. |
Additional point of sale is now operational at busy periods. |
Ice cream bike to be introduced during the summer holidays |
Second point of sale inside the café proved effective but additional items to ice-creams and soft drinks i.e sandwiches, cakes, confectionary required. Extension of existing sales counter currently being investigated. |
9. Inconsistent mark up on sales |
Standard industry mark-up not being achieved on all lines.
|
· Review pricing structure and increase where appropriate especially on low value items such as water and confectionary. · Review portion control. |
Pricing review undertaken. This will be introduced when new EPOS management system is operational – target date 01/08/2016 |
New menu for school holidays. |
Winter menu reduced and price rises calculated. Delays by Spa-EPOS full usability and providing training have led to a delay in implementing. Price increases. This is now close to being dealt with. |
10. Menu too long and may not reflect average customer.
|
At busy times delivering the full menu can be challenging as everything is cooked to order. |
Review menu and simplify/shorten to a standard menu with regular changing ‘specials’. |
Menu review undertaken. This will be introduced when new EPOS management system is operational – target date 01/08/2016 |
Carry out market research with MPC customers to refine offer. |
EPOS analysis identified popular and non-selling items. Streamlining of offer to refine stocking and preparation processes.
|
11. Some customers unaware of takeaway service.
|
Takeaway service not promoted or visible as all food made to order. |
· Put up signs to advertise takeaway service internally and externally. · Produce fliers for local industrial area to increase telephone orders · Introduce pre- made sandwiches, salad boxes and children’s packed lunches and an express till for takeaway.
|
|
Consider vending machines from drinks and confectionary.
|
Takeaway signs and information on menu
Fliers produced but telephone fault not repaired until November to allow distribution of fliers.
See 3 |
12. Change float not sufficient |
Currently operate with a £200 cash float imposed by Finance. Turning many customers away as don’t have change exacerbated by inability to take card payments. Causing a high number of complaints. Staff wasting time going backwards and forwards to the bank for change. |
Increase cash float to £1,000 |
£1,000 float agreed 12 July 17. |
Monitor if sufficient once card payments enabled. |
Float increased to £575 sufficient for change management. Regular change orders with Lloyd’s bank entails one Manager bank visit per week |
13. PR and Marketing
|
The café is not receiving enough exposure outside the park.
|
· Develop dedicated page on Visit Maidstone website. · Step up social media activity around offers and seasons. |
|
|
Website created but not yet launched. Marketing activity will increase substantially related to the website |
Other ideas to increase trade and monitor trade
|
A. Free WI-FI for customers This is now operational |
B. Add park footfall figures to daily takings record along with weather report Footfall recording 3 monthly therefore currently only delayed analysis possible |
C. Introduce loyalty cards In conjunction with website |
D. Refund car park ticket on sales over £? – tear off portion required on parking ticket This has not been implemented and is not seen as an issue. Customers are regularly visiting just for food without visiting the park. |
E. Develop special offers and marketing campaigns i.e. OAP early dinner fish and chips; parent and toddler offers. In conjunction with website |
F. Develop retail sales such as children’s toys, dog food, sun screen, CMP merchandise. Toys successfully sold during summer months |
G. Develop catering for parties Several children’s parties catered for profitably, some community and business meetings booked. Catering menu produced and to be promoted on website. |