Sustaining a successful food business isn’t easy. You can have a passion for cooking and delicious recipes; however, overcoming stiff competition is one of the most significant challenges. Home-based operations, food trucks, and other affordable solutions have caused an increase in newly-established restaurants, creating more options for customers.
Not to mention, same-day delivery apps allow residents to have whatever they want to be delivered to their front doors. So, how can you ensure your small food business survives? One suggestion is to use traditional promoting platforms such as community events.
The Community At Your Fingertips
Community events are pre-planned gatherings in a public space open to residents, visitors, and tourists. Some examples include parades, festivals, carnivals, street fairs, concerts, and sports competitions. The free or affordable admission price and the variety of activities often draw large audiences, making it the perfect place to acquire and sustain loyal customers. Let’s take a closer look at how attending community events can benefit your food business.
Brand Awareness
You can’t expect to get customers if no one knows that your food business exists. You must build brand awareness. While having an eCommerce website and social media profile can help, there’s something about offering a tangible experience that makes a difference.
When you set up a station at a community event, you can mingle with locals, answer questions, give out samples, and get instant feedback. It allows people to put a face to the name and use their senses to see, touch, smell, and taste your products.
Customer-Friendly Environment
Although ordering takeout has become a common practice for modern households, many people still enjoy the in-person experience they receive from eating at a restaurant. Of course, most home-based food businesses are take-out or delivery-only establishments. Similarly, food truck owners have to deal with issues like zoning, parking permits, and limited access to dining areas and restrooms.
Attending a community event can reduce many of these issues. For admission or entry fee, food business owners have access to the following:
- A Designated Lot or Parking Space – All vendors receive a designated area to set up the shop. You won’t have to worry about zoning restrictions or finding a location with the best foot traffic.
- Dining Areas – Everyone knows that the best time to enjoy a meal is just after it’s been prepared. All community events have dining areas for attendees to sit in and enjoy food. You can have customers place their orders and allow your servers to bring their meals to the table to give them a full-service dining experience.
- Porta Potty Rentals – It’s not uncommon for customers to need to use the restroom while dining out. If they can’t find a place to wash their hands or relieve themselves, they’ll quickly go to another service provider. Luckily, you won’t have to worry about restrooms at a community event. If there aren’t restrooms on the premises, organizers will rent from a California, New York, or Chicago porta-potty rental company.
Free Advertising
There are various ways to promote your food business, but free advertising takes the cake. Registering as a vendor for a community event will incorporate your brand into every promotional effort. Every time the event organizers make an announcement, send out flyers, post to social media, or upload on their sites, it will encourage their followers to attend. Sometimes, they’ll add your company name to promotional materials, increasing brand awareness.
New Connections
Attending community events won’t just enable you to connect with customers; you can also meet new business connections. You could meet a new supplier, server, chef, or delivery driver to help expand your food business. Who knows? You could secure a business opportunity to cater or attend another event in the future.
Modern advancements have made starting a food business easier than ever before; however, they also create an environment with stiff competition. Ultimately, if you wish to survive, you must think outside the box to find ways to acquire and retain customers. Attending a community event is a practical, affordable, and fun solution that can open the doors for your food business to reach new heights.