First Week of Operations

hi,

are there any colleges around the area?

have you tried parking near where all the fast food joints are located/construction sites/etc....?

Location, Location, Location.

Figure out a way to get to the vehicles. Put up signs about "free samples" or things that will entice them.

Also, to those I know that vend like you do, once you have a location, keep it. If you move around too much, they won't come looking for you.

What are you selling? How big a menu. Think about that as you build. Make things that will reheat well and go for customer loyalty.

Coupons good for repeat customers.

Coupons to give to friends.

Contests for free dinner.

If you were buying BBQ, why would you stop at your place?

There are some GREAT pros in here, hope to hear from them.

Smokin'

Some great points Smokin', especially about the moving around too much; I've made that mistake trying to find the "ideal" location. Unless you can park by a University or Hospital or downtown where thousands of people are walking around looking for lunch, you've got to build your ideal location, it appears.

For more information, check-out my website at www.CKJerkShack.com.

rootsman,
let's start with the positive.
from your pic your rig is certainly top notch and inviting to any customer. that's half the battle right there. it says this is a quality product made by someone who cares.
as far as the business end goes when peg and i were 1st thinking about this i tapped my old german chef's brain. chef achatz advised us if you don't have 3 years capitalization don't even try it. when we showed him our "backdoor method" he gave a green light on it. this method is everything paid for, doing things like farmers markets and festivals and fundraisers and competitons but only enough to get a varifiable reputation. all money plowed back into the company for the 1st 2 years. from that generate enough money to get the resturant.
we have sold for 4 months now at the farmers market. we have a core of people that now expect to see us and their orders are increasing every week. to build a customer base is a long term thing and that is the reason behind our 3 year capitalization. also be mindful that you need to stick in one place long enough for people to get used to you being there.
are there any truck stops nearby??
mike mills in his book wrote about a couple that sells 30,000 pounds of pork a year out of a winnebagoe that is near a crossroads. maybe that might work for you.
but after one week please don't lose hope. your rig is great. your concept is good. and if you just forge ahead i am sure that you will be a success.
or to put it into more earthy terms that we service guys used in 1969 "it don't mean nothin, drive on"
hope this helps cause we are sure pulling for you
jack and peggy
ps. if it helps any i am working 7 days a week. 4 days part time at a bbq joint and 3 days for us. have been beaten twice on a catering bid by people who are not licensed but that is to be expected.

Rootsman,

Where are you located in Orlando. I drive and work over there and if it is accessible I will certainly give you my business.

Preston D

Never mind, I just saw your website and where you are located, I am near the Orlando Airport. I will try and see you tomorrow!

Preston D

Keep at it...it is a tough go.
If you have a good product and you market yourself well, it will eventually start to fly.

We do catering, festivals, rodeos etc so it is a bit different than the roadside thing but still we are basically talking restaurants. When I don't have anything else I have a sweet deal worked out with a bar that has no food...we set up and sell to the bar patrons. That might be another possibility for you.

Thanks all for the words of encouragement and suggestions.

With regards to additional sales avenues, does anyone know the requirements in order to sell cooked meats to other restaurants?

hi rootsman,
i was wondering why you decided to go for your particular setup? im also deciding on how i want to take my first step into the realm of business,
mobile food truck or a small bbq/fried chicken joint.

where you are from, is it a neccessity to have a commisary?

are there any major companies near your area like banks, defense contractors, etc... you can also find out where all the construction and landscape workers hang around at. where im from, every morning and lunch, this convenience store right near my house, is loaded with workers, mostly landscapers and construction wokers, getting a quick bite to eat. i think if i ever setup shop near there, i could probably serve 100 heads just in the morning...

food for thought.

Hi All,

Sorry for the long post...

Met Mark (Rootsman) at his truck and trailer for a very short time (short lunch break) and had to go back to work.


My Impression:

1. Mark is a very nice gentleman that runs a tight ship with a very immaculate operation.

2. The food is excellent, I got to try jerk coconut chicken, jerk chicken wings and a nice sample of jerk shrimp. None of it was overly spicy (like I was expecting and can handle) and it all had great flavor. Everything was great, perhaps the best blend of Jamaican seasonings and bbq yet that I have had!

I am definitely going back and if any of you are in the Orlando area stop by as he is right off Hwy 528 (Beeline) on Orange Blossom Trail (Hwy 17-92)just about 1/4 south of the Hwy 528 (Beeline).


Suggestions:
You posted here on the forum some of your concerns and here are some suggestions based on my observations after I visited you:

1. Be consistent in your schedule. Yesterday you werent able to make it and were a little late in setting up today. It didnt bother me at all but to develop a customer base you need to be there at your location on a consistent basis. If you dont show up a couple of days people think you are out of business. I know you are just getting started and its hard, but its just what you got to do if you want to establish a customer base, otherwise you are just going to get the hit or miss customer who might give you a try. You want the repeat customers...


2. Menu only has like 3 items on it at a time. 2 regular items and a special you told me. I think clients would like a more varied menu with more choices. While you were in the trailer preparing my order, one of your customers said "is that all on the menu he has?" and he left. I would really recommend adding a couple more different sides too (I was looking for beans and rice, plantains, etc.)


3. Speaking of the menu, it wasnt clear in what you were selling, what was available and what the pricing was. I think if you have the menu setup more organized, customers wont have to wait in line and try to figure out what your product is. Its ok to have a dyamic menu that changes, I think thats what you want, but it has to communicate clearly what it is, whats included, how much it's gonna cost.


4. Instead of being called Jamacian Jerk BBQ, you may want to consider calling it something less product specific like for example: Caribbean BBQ.

Something like this:

-----------------------------------------------
Caribbean BBQ
-----------------------------------------------
Specializing in:

Jamaican Jerk(ribs, chicken, pork)

Caribbean Shrimp Cuban Pork

Cuban Sandwich Southern BBQ

Puerto Rican Chicken
(ala Martin's BBQ)
-----------------------------------------------

Those are hooks which sell well in the Orlando area, for example Martin's Family BBQ restaurants are popping up all over and you can hone in on that market...Puerto Ricans love that roasted chicken and there are a ton of these restaurants now..whats good for them is good for you. Hone in on that market potential.

Cubans love their pork...with some mojo on it they will come. You can also offer cuban sandwiches.

And of course you can add standard southern bbq pulled pork sandwich. The bbq sauce you had was great and it could be added and used on your pulled pork sandwich. You could use the same pork source for your jamaican pork as well as for your pulled pork and with different spices meet and provide 2 different products...

Not a lot of items that you can add, but just a few. And you can use the same chicken for your jamaican chicken and do the roast chicken for the Martin's knockoff, just different spices.

I guess what I am saying here is that with Jamaican Jerk, you are limiting your market potential to a small subset of customer, by expanding your market appeal you can be more attractive to a larger customer base and not lose your wonderful Jamaican roots. Some folks driving by the road may not even know what "Jerk BBQ" is...God only knows what they are thinking they may have never heard of it.

And one more thing I noticed time and again and not only at your place. When there is a car or 2 at your place it will attract customers. An empty parking lot doesnt do anything for a customer's confidence. When I was there, more cars pulled up, I see this time and time again in restaurants. If you can get one or 2 people at the shopping center that works there to park near your trailer and give them a free lunch or major discount, that would help. I bet it will attract customers.

The main things to remember are:

1. Know who your customers are (present and future potential)

2. Know where your customers are (time, location, opportunity)

3. Know what your customers want (meet their needs and expectations)

Sorry for the long post, I hope you do well and I hope to swing by and get lunch again...

Regards,
Preston D

Rootsman,
Congratulations on your opening!
Preston's post brought up a lot of things we've been thinking about.
I think if you're in a parking area that has other draws, such as a drug store, a grocery store, etc. you should get some walk-over type customers. If you're there on a consistent basis, you'll get repeat customers.
I agree with Smokin, you shouldn't move around too much.
Now, with the gas prices going up....I'm thinking of bumping up our prices, but don't want to scare people away.
I think your rig is very nice looking. I'd check it out if I passed that way!
Peggy

Preston,

Thanks for the visit, your business and your generous gift of feedback. It takes a special person to take the time to do this.

You make excellent points many of which I'll implement ASAP, and others I'll need to process a little.

Thanks again and it was a pleasure meeting you.

Rootsman.

Hi,

Mark's rig is fantastic and the food was fantastic too. I want Mark to be successful because the quality of his product needs to reward him with success.

Probably the easiest thing for Mark to start with is the menu posting on the back of the rig. Even if its only 3 things post what he has, price for each and what you get.

The other thing is to see about some of the employees at the stores parking for a freebie or big discount. Making yourself look successful is the first start to being successful.

I was at Estes Park in Colorado one time, walking through the streets looking for a restaurant and found a bbq place. Went in and it was empty. The owner asked us to sit at a table in the front visible from the storefront window for free beer. We did (free beer?!? cmon!!! we had to!!!)). When we left the whole restaurant was full. Smart man, we couldnt drink his profit margin with a full restaurant.

Take care and hope to see you at Jerk BBQ in Orlando.

Preston D