gingersnap final

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Lauren Greenfield

Gingersnap

IndexBusiness Overview 3Communication Launch Plan 4

Appendix ANews Release 16

Appendix BNews Release 17

Appendix CTake-out Menu 18

Appendix DWebsite 19

Crisis Management 20Appendix E

Apology Letter 25Media Plan 26

Appendix FMenu Change 32

Employee Communication Plan 33Appendix G

Employee Survey 40Consumer Plan 41

Appendix HT-Shirt Design 49

Appendix ICoupon 50

Appendix JPunch Cards 50

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Gingersnap is a bakery & café that specializes in baked goods, breakfast, lunch and

dinner options. Located in Rockford, IL, Gingersnap will be a local business that will thrive

on its customers wanting delicious baked goods and sandwiches made on fresh daily

homemade bread. Open between the hours of 6 am-8 pm Monday-Saturday and 7 am-7 pm

on Sunday’s, Gingersnap will be able to provide reasonable hours to the people of the

Rockford area. Gingersnap will be able to seat around 30 people at any given time.

Gingersnap will focus mainly on carryout orders of sandwiches and desserts. If you choose

to not carry out, then one of the two waitresses working will assist you and bring you a

menu. While looking at the menu, you will see a variety of options such as traditional

sandwiches and a different sandwich special everyday. All of the sandwiches have the

option of being served on gluten free bread in order to accommodate more customers and

their dietary needs. If you come in for lunch during the weekend and you have your kids

with you, they can order off of the kids’ menu if they wish. Every dine-in or carryout order

will be served with a tiny, snack-size gingersnap cookie. Hopefully, this will entice them to

order more desserts or take some home with them.

In the bakery portion of Gingersnap, there will always be gingersnaps for sale.

There will be cookies, danishes, bagels, and cakes. There will also be gluten free cookies

and cakes. All of the gluten free items at Gingersnap will be more expensive compared to

the rest of the menu. Sandwiches will be $2 extra, cakes will be an extra $1.50 per slice and

cookies will be an extra $1. If you come in during the early hours of the day, you will also

have the option to order a breakfast sandwich/bagel made for you while you eat a danish

and sip on some piping hot freshly brewed coffee. These delicious breakfast sandwiches

and bagels will only be served until 10 am and then the regular menu will begin. The same

menu will be used for lunch and for dinner. Because Gingersnap will not be open very late,

there is no reason to have a separate menu for lunch and dinner. When customers need to

use the restroom, they are located in the back of the restaurant with a single restroom for

women and a single restroom for men. Everything in the restroom will be hands-free so

the customers do not have to touch any of the surfaces in the bathroom.

Gingersnap is a wonderful bakery and café located in Rockford, IL. Customers will

feel welcomed when they step through the door and will receive great service throughout

their entire visit. They will want to return as often as they can for our delicious food,

pastries and wonderful service.

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Communication Launch PlanBackgroundRockford is a town of about 150,250 people and is growing every single day. Opening a business in Rockford would be a wise business decision. New businesses pop up there everyday and they survive due to the large population. Although there are many sandwich shops, I believe that Gingersnap will standout because it would focus on carryout and on sweet bakery treats.

Research I will survey the community around Gingersnap to find the demographics I will find out who my influencing audiences are I will look at other businesses around the area to see how they opened their

businesses The location that I would have for Gingersnap would be on a busy road in Rockford

AudiencesGingersnap will cater to all ages and people who like to live their life gluten free. Advertisements will focus on people that are 15 or older. Kids will have options when they come with their parents so they won’t feel left out and are able to eat more kid friendly food.Customers-

Gluten free customers- catering to these individuals will open up my target audience even more than if I were to just serve gluten filled products. Since there are a large amount of people who choose to live their life this way or are intolerant to it, they would have a restaurant that they would be able to come to and they would be able to enjoy anything on the menu and not have to pay much extra for the products.Customers 15 & older- by having my target audience start at the age of 15, I am looking for people who would be able to drive to Gingersnap to eat the food. A person with their learners permit could tell their parents that they want to go to Gingersnap for lunch and that they could drive there. By having young adults and adults be the target audience, I am not really leaving anyone out of the audience. Gingersnap is a family friendly environment that is appropriate for all ages.Kids- when children come to Gingersnap with their parents, they will most likely want to order off of the kids’ menu, which we will offer. There will also be options for gluten free items on the kids’ menu. Having something that the parents wouldn’t have to worry about their kid eating is a good way for them to not be stressed about what their kid would be able to eat when they go out for a meal.

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First-time Customers- getting first time customers into the door will be a large task. Having them interested enough to come into Gingersnap is a huge part of this. I will always want to attract new customers into Gingersnap so that there is a potential that they will be repeat customers in the future.Carryout Customers- will also be a large part of Gingersnap. I want to attract the people that want to come in for their morning coffee and then they decide that they also want a baked treat to go along with that or a breakfast sandwich. I will always want to attract new carryout customers and to have them be repeat customers.Dine-in Customers- will be valued at Gingersnap. They have come to us for an experience of a relaxing meal. We will give that to them with our quality service and excellent food. Hopefully they will enjoy there time and be repeat customers.Frequent customers- keeping the frequent customers happy is a very important thing to do. By keeping them happy, Gingersnap will have their repeated business. Gingersnap will make their frequent visitors comfortable and feel welcomed. Although that would be done with all customers, it would be nice to do with the returning customers, that way they feel their repeat business is appreciated.Men- I believe that men would be a harder audience to get to come into Gingersnap than women. Men would more likely to come into Gingersnap for a cup of coffee rather than a pastry.Women- would be a good gender to target in the age range that I have selected for my target audience. Women would be more likely to come in for lunch and to get a pastry than men. They may also suggest getting lunch or dinner with their significant others which may make them lovers of Gingersnap. Families- having families come into Gingersnap would be a good way for a family to bond over a delicious meal. Children would be able to eat meals that they would want to eat while parents could have something more refined.College students- Gingersnap would be a great hangout spot for college students because of the relaxed atmosphere. The food and coffee beverages are priced relatively cheap so they wont hurt a tight budget. Punch cards would be great for college students so that they could work their way to a free coffee and cookie to help them while they are studying.Teenagers- Gingersnap would be a good hangout spot for people in high school who want to get out of the house during the weekend for some delicious food and be with their friends. It would also be a good place for them to come with their parents for breakfast on Sunday morning, maybe after they go to church.

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Current employees- being able to communicate with your employees is a very important thing to do in order to run a successful business. You have to communicate with each type of employee differently.

Full Time- since they will be there all day, I wouldn’t have to communicate with them as much as I would have to with part time employees. Although, I most likely would have very few, if any full time employees, I would still need to know how to communicate well with them.Part Time- part time employees would be the bulk of my staff, as I would have two shifts per day. Since they wouldn’t be there all day, I wouldn’t have as much time to get information across to them as I would full time employees. I would have to make sure that they knew all of what was going on and keep them up-to-date on everything.Managers- they would be full time every day and they would be the ones to try and communicate with the rest of the staff. They would need to know how to do that and what works the best way with each group or employees.Cooks- would be communicated with the same way as everyone else but I would most likely have something in the kitchen so that they could have to read with everything that is happening at Gingersnap. Morning- the first shift people would be communicated with through either the manager if they were to get there before opening every morning or there would be notes left for them in an area that is still to be determined.Night- the second shift workers would either be told by the manager or by the same area where the notes for the morning people were left.

Prospective Employees- trying to communicate with prospective employees can be difficult to do but I would put ads in the paper to reach a certain audience, I would advertise on the building itself with a help wanted sign.

Employee’s families- communicating with the employee’s families is another important thing to do because they support them and give them the energy to go to work everyday. By communicating with them, I, as a boss, would show that I care about them outside of work as well and that I care about their families.Media- communicating with the media could be a difficult thing to do at first being a new business. I would find some people at the stations and newspapers that are in the area and I would email them and let them know when we will be opening and invite them to the opening to have a delicious meal so that I could maybe receive some coverage or a positive review in a newspaper.Delivery Drivers- I would make sure that I would be at Gingersnap whenever a delivery would be coming in. I would be as nice as I could with them and offer them food periodically so that I could build a better relationship with them.Food Suppliers- having a good relationship with the food suppliers will be very important because the survival of my business will depend on it.

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Produce Suppliers- having a good relationship with the produce suppliers will be very important because the survival of my business will depend on it.

Local Media- I would enlist the local media to do my advertising of course. I would try to find the most popular radio stations and look at their demographics to see which age group they appeal to most. I would also try and find the most widely distributed Rockford newspaper and advertise in there. If pricing is an issue, I would then probably just advertise in the Sunday paper since more people would see the paper. Social media would work for all of my age groups, since it is free I would just have to worry about people finding out about the social media accounts that we will have. On the fliers that I will have printed, I will say that we are on Facebook and Twitter and that people can like and follow us for certain coupons and deals. Catering- having a catering option at Gingersnap will open many more doors for this café. We will be able to increase revenue with it and appeal to more customers & potential customers. We will focus mostly on small and medium businesses. Gingersnap will cater mostly for lunch at these businesses & for parties.

Goals, Objectives, Strategies & TacticsThe main goal will be to have a successful business in Rockford, IL. I want to be my customers first thought when they decide that they want a bakery or café item and I want potential customers to want to come in and eat the food that Gingersnap has to offer.

Have Gingersnap appeal to all customerso Have feedback about Gingersnap be 80% positive

Collect contact information from customers Have employees collect information

o When people order at the register, the cashier can hand them a sheet of paper asking them for their name, address, phone number, e-mail address, gender and how they heard about Gingersnap. The same card will be given to customers who are dining in. Their waitress will give enough for each person at the table when they receive their bill

o When they fill these out, they will receive a coupon for a free medium cup of coffee the next time that they are at Gingersnap

o We would then use this information to send them monthly coupons and surveys that they could take. If a customer takes a survey they will receive a coupon for 10% of a meal their next time at Gingersnap

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Establish customerso Create awareness by 90% in the area

Advertise that Gingersnap is opening Newspaper ads

o The newspaper ads would consist of the logo, general information about Gingersnap, when the opening day is and the hours, address, phone number, it would highlight on the fact that there would be free cookies for every customer and that we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a bakery area. It would also mention that we have everything in available in gluten free options as well

Radio adso The radio ads would consist of general information

about Gingersnap, when the opening day is and the hours, it would highlight on the fact that there would be free cookies for every customer and that we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a bakery area. It would also mention that we have everything in available in gluten free options as well

Fliers o The fliers would consist of the logo, general information

about Gingersnap, when the opening day is and the hours, address, phone number, it would highlight on the fact that there would be free cookies for every customer and that we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a bakery area. It would also mention that we have everything in available in gluten free options as well

News Releases o The news releases would consist of the logo, general

information on Gingersnap, when we are opening, where we are located, phone number, they would include dates for specific events that the news releases are for, it would give more of an overview of Gingersnap and a quote from the owner

o The first news release is going to highlight on the opening of Gingersnap and the fact that there are free cookies for every customer (See Appendix A)

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o The second news release is going to focus on the grand opening that will be hosted about a month after opening day (See Appendix B)

Social mediao We will have our own Facebook page and Twitter

account. We will actively use these to get the word around Rockford that we are a new business and that we offer many types of food and dessert options

Signso The signs will go on the building, by the road, there will

be decals on the door, and another sign inside of Gingersnap. There will also be take-out menus for customers to take home with them (See Appendix C)

Hire employeeso Hire and train 100% of staff by two weeks before opening

Advertise need for employees Fliers

o The fliers would consist of the logo, the address, phone number and the need for employees

Newspaper adso The newspaper ads would consist of the logo, the

address, phone number and the need for employees Social media

o We would put daily statuses/tweets up saying that we are hiring and need people to come in for applications and interviews

On the windows of Gingersnapo We would have a standard “Help Wanted” sign hanging

in the window Have applications ready for when people come in

o Having applications ready to go before we even advertise the need for employees so that we are ready for when people come in asking for them

Create recognition amongst the communityo Have 2 positive reviews in the newspaper

Create professional relationships with people at newspapers and radio stations

Have an open house

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o Having an open house with all of the media contacts & potential media contacts that I have made/ will make would be an excellent way to maintain these relationships. Having it be exclusive to the media would also be a good selling point to them. Unveiling a new product would be an excellent idea at a function like this

Mail them letters/e-mail themo Mailing/e-mailing the media handwritten letters just to

say that I appreciate everything that they have done for Gingersnap is a good way to stay on their good side

Give them goodie basketso If they were to receive a handwritten letter in the mail,

they would also receive a goodie basket full of sweet treats from the Gingersnap bakery. They would get a wide assortment of normal & gluten free desserts

Call themo Calling them with just a simple ‘thank you’ and to see

how they are is a good tactic to stay on their good side. It may brighten their day as well and they are more likely willing to remember that

Invite them to Gingersnap for luncho Inviting the media for a complimentary quiet lunch time

out of the office may be a good way to lift their spirits. If they haven’t had Gingersnap’s food, this would be an excellent way to let them sample the food

Continue those relationships so we receive good coverageo Having these relationships last will be a good way to

ensure that we will have the possibility of receiving good media coverage

o Have signage put up 2 weeks before opening Have 1 large sign by the road, on the building & doors

Have the signage create awareness in the communityo The signage will look like the logo that was created. The

doors signs can feature daily specials and promotions going on that day. Good way to increase awareness

Provide food options that all customers will enjoyo Have 100% of people be able to eat at Gingersnap

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Café and bakery will have a variety of options to choose from

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Gluten free items for both the café and bakeryo Having both normal and gluten free options of

sandwiches and desserts, we are opening our audiences to a whole new group of people

Free snack-sized gingersnaps for every customero Giving free cookies to every customer is a way to let our

customers know that we care about the little touches at Gingersnap and that we value them enough as a customer to give them a free cookie

Provide good customer service to guestso Make sure employees are trained starting 2 weeks before opening

Hire experienced and friendly staff Train them to work well with customers

o Training them to how we want our staff to be at Gingersnap will be time consuming. We want employees to work well with the customers and to give them an experience when they are at Gingersnap. We want the way our employees treat customers to be a reflection on Gingersnap itself

Provide comment cards to customers so they can give feedback on their experience at Gingersnap

o Providing comment cards to customers will give us a chance to see things from the customers’ perspective. If they had a less than satisfactory experience, we want to know about it and we want to do everything that we can not to lose customers

o If we did something right though, we also want to know about it. Receiving positive feedback is a great way to know that we are doing good and it gives us a chance to even better ourselves and to step up our game with customer satisfaction

o The comment cards will be given to all customers and when they are paying or in the bag if they received a take out order

Create a website (See Appendix D)o Have it up and running 2 weeks before opening

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Make sure that it is user friendly Put/say website URL on/in all forms of advertising

o Having the URL on all forms of advertising is a good way for people to come and visit the website. They will see all that the website has to offer and they can find out that we have online ordering that they can take advantage of

Make sure that people know about the websiteo Through various types of advertising, the word should

spread relatively quick about the website

Have a Grand Opening Celebrationo Have 200 or more people in attendance

Create awareness to the Rockford area Have sales and promotions

o At the grand opening, there will be discounts on the food once the event starts. This will be a way for people to try the food if they haven’t before or regular customers can eat a meal for cheaper than they would usually pay for it

Raffleso Customers will be able to enter their name for a chance

to win a $50 gift card to Gingersnap. If they enter, I will use the information that they have provided and it will be put into the system to be used for future reference and coupons. The drawing will be at the end of the celebration and the winner must be present to win

Local artisto Having a local artist come and sing at the grand opening

is a great way to show that Gingersnap supports the arts and the local community. It will give exposure to the artist as well

News Releaseso There will be a news release printed a few days before

the event to create awareness to the community

Implementation

To implement all of these tactics, Gingersnap will follow everything that has been outlined here and we will be looking at these frequently to see if there is anything that can be changed to better Gingersnap as a business.

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BudgetThis budget report will be for 6 months before the opening and six months after opening, totaling one year of budgets.All of the print advertising was not factored into the grand total.

Tactic TimelineGoal 1Have Gingersnap appeal to all customersThis will begin before Gingersnap opens its doors to the public. I will need to send out surveys to the local area and I will need to find out what the demographics are. Based on some of the survey answers I would invite some of the survey takers to come in and try the food before the opening to see what their opinion is

Resources Time Price

Advertising -Print

--Promotional Flyers

-Social Media -Radio

Website

One yearOne year -Full Page (1 day) - 2 Full Pages + (1 week) 200,000 online impressions

-Half Page (1 day) -Half Page + (1 week) 200,000 online impressions

7 months(2,000 brochures)

One yearOne year@ $500 a week

Start up

Total

$3,000$9,900

$1,600$7,200

$387

Free$12,000

$1,500

$35,587

NewsReleases

One every other month (6)

Total

$800

$4,800

Signs -On building -Street view

1 month before opening1 month before opening

Total

$120$1000

$1,200

Grand Total $41,587

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Goal 2Establish customersTo establish customers I will need to let potential customers know that Gingersnap is opening. I will advertise in all of the media outlets except for television commercials. By generating buzz about the opening, I will hopefully have a customer base soon after the openingGoal 3Hire & train employeesI will need to have the entirety of my staff two weeks prior to opening. They will begin training then so I will need to be fully staffed. I will advertise through newspaper ads, social media, fliers, and signs on the buildingGoal 4Create recognition amongst the communityI would like Gingersnap to have 2 positive reviews in the newspaper. I would like one or two to be submitted and printed before the opening and then a news release to be printed after the opening. I would want to start establishing relationships with someone at each media outlet well before the opening of Gingersnap to ensure the relationship continues after the openingGoal 5Provide food options that all customers will enjoyBy having gluten free options at my restaurant, I am setting myself apart from other restaurants in the area. Although the gluten free “trend” is catching on at many restaurants, I will be different because I would have started that way and not have added it into the menu. I am catering to all of my potential customers by having everything offered in either regular or gluten free. This will continue throughout the entirety of GingersnapGoal 6Provide good customer service to questsBy hiring and training my employees the way that I want to, they will know that Gingersnap customers will be treated with care while they are hereGoal 7Create a websiteHaving a website will be a way for people to learn about everything Gingersnap has to offer. They will be able to learn about the many different options that we have. The website will go live 2 weeks before opening. Advertisements will then have the URLGoal 8Have a Grand Opening CelebrationA grand opening celebration is a good way to create recognition amongst the community. It will draw in customers and media and we will hopefully receive some new customers. The activities that will be taking place at the celebration will be fun for people of all ages

and the prizes & discounts will be a good way to keep customers there and to get some to come in as well

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Evaluation of GoalsGoal 1Have Gingersnap appeal to all customers

Review surveys and determine what is in the best interest of Gingersnap Evaluate idea of letting people try the food before opening day Surveying the community would be helpful to see what they want in a restaurant Having people come in and eat the food could generate positive buzz from them to

the local communityGoal 2Establish customers

By creating awareness in the community before opening day, I would want people that live around Gingersnap to know about the opening

Make sure that advertisements are generating positive talk from the communityGoal 3Hire employees

Having 100% of my staff hired and trained before opening would be helpful for opening day

Make sure that they are hard working employees who won’t quit Make sure that advertisements are working for the need of employees

Goal 4Create recognition amongst the community

Make sure that the news release is doing what it is supposed to be doing Continue to try and forge relationships with the media Make sure the signs are put up in the community to start generating buzz

Goal 5Provide food options that all customers will enjoy

Make sure that the customers like the food enough to be repeat customers Make sure the food is fresh

Goal 6Provide good customer service to quests

Look at customer comment cards to see what could be done to improve Gingersnap Make sure that employees are well trained by opening day

Goal 7Create a website

Determine if it could be better than it is See if the advertising is working and people are going to the site

Goal 8Have a Grand Opening Celebration

Determine if over 200 people were in attendance Determine if the event was a success

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Appendix A - Sample News Release

500 First StreetRockford, IL815-555-8364

www.gingersnapcafe.com

March 14, 2015

Gingersnap to give away free cookies to every customerRockford, IL.—Gingersnap, a café and bakery, located on 500 First Street in Rockford, IL

will open its doors to the public on Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 6:00 AM. On opening day,

each customer will receive a free gingersnap cookie with every order.

Members of the Rockford community are invited to come to opening day to enjoy a

nice meal. Opening at 6:00 AM gives early risers a chance to get their morning coffee and a

delicious breakfast sandwich on our homemade bread or our gluten free bread. Don’t

forget about lunch and dinner though. Gingersnap is open all day long for every meal to

satisfy your taste buds. While here, try a scrumptious dessert from our bakery. The bakery

offers cookies, cakes, danishes, bagels, and gluten free cookies and cakes, there is certainly

enough to choose from.

Lauren Greenfield, owner, says that, “there is no other restaurant like Gingersnap in

Rockford. Come in today to try your new favorite restaurant and to get your free cookies.

See you Saturday!”

For more information, contact Lauren Greenfield, owner, at 815-555-8364 or at

[email protected].

About Gingersnap: Gingersnap is a quaint café and bakery that will entice all of your

senses with the sweet aroma of delicious desserts and freshly made bread. Stop in for

breakfast, lunch & dinner and try our sandwiches and complimentary gingersnap cookies.

With its wonderful customer service from our trained staff, you will not forget your time

spent at Gingersnap.

-end-

Gingersnap

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Appendix B -Sample News Release 500 First Street

Rockford, IL

815-555-8364www.gingersnapcafe.com

April 28, 2015

Gingersnap to host Grand OpeningRockford, IL--- Gingersnap, a café and bakery, located at 500 First Street in Rockford, IL,

will have their grand opening celebration on Saturday, May 1, 2015 starting at 11 AM. At

the grand opening, customers will receive discounts on their purchases, be able to enter for

chances to win a gift certificate to Gingersnap, and they will be able to listen to local artist,

John Doe, sing a variety of songs.

Members of the Rockford community are invited to celebrate the grand opening.

The event will begin at 11 AM on May 1, 2015 at Gingersnap. There will be lots of food &

fun for the whole family. With food options that will satisfy everyone, Gingersnap should

be your destination for lunch on May 1. Offering coffee and a delicious breakfast sandwich

on our homemade bread or our gluten free bread. Gingersnap is open all day long for every

meal to satisfy your taste buds. The bakery offers cookies, cakes, danishes, bagels, and

gluten free cookies and cakes, there is certainly enough to choose from.

Lauren Greenfield, owner, says that “everyone should come to Gingersnap on

Saturday to enjoy a fun-filled day of excitement and good food.”

For more information, contact Lauren Greenfield, owner, at 815-555-8364 or at

[email protected].

About Gingersnap: Gingersnap is a quaint café and bakery that will entice all of your

senses with the sweet aroma of delicious desserts and freshly made bread. Stop in for

breakfast, lunch & dinner and try our sandwiches and complimentary gingersnap cookies.

With its wonderful customer service from our trained staff, you will not forget your time

spent at Gingersnap.

-end-

Gingersnap

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Appendix C - Sample Take- Out Menu

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APPENDIX D –Sample Website

[CRISIS MANAGEMENT]24

Crisis Management

CrisisTwo weeks after opening, a food critic at a local paper in Rockford has come into Gingersnap for a review. While here, the critic ordered a turkey sandwich and a bag of potato chips as his side. His complimentary gingersnap however, was burnt to a crisp. He had to wait 15 minutes before being waited on even though it was not busy that day. After he was done eating his lunch, he went over to the bakery area and decided to try a piece of chocolate cake. He had three bites, scribbled onto his notepad, and left.Two days later, the critic’s review was in the Rockford Register Star. The review was anything but positive. He said that although the atmosphere was pleasant, the service and food was anything but. He wrote that the bread was hard, the cookies were burnt and the cake was dry and the good customer service we claim to have was non-existent. The Rockford Register Star has a circulation rate of 36,000 on Friday’s and 45,350 on Sunday’s, so the review was seen by a good amount of people. Business slowed down for two days after the review was published in the paper, but after that, business picked back up to its normal pace.

Research of the Crisis Determine who was working the day the critic was at Gingersnap Find out what happened Find out what the staff thought that they could have done differently that day Research the food critic Look at other restaurants he has reviewed and see if they were positive or not

AudiencesCustomers- being involved in a crisis of having a bad review in the paper would hurt my relationship with my current customers and any potential customers that I will have. To mend my relationship with them, I will put coupons in the paper and do everything that I can in order to fix/keep the relationships that I have.Media- mending my relationships with the media could be tricky. I would contact the food critic personally and make sure that everything is squared away with him. Employees- when a bad review comes out in the paper, it doesn’t just affect my business, and me, it affects everyone that works for me as well. Depending on the severity of the review, I may lose some employees that feel that their job may be on the line. I need to make sure that they know that their jobs are safe and that they won’t leave to go work somewhere else.


Food critic- is an important relationship that I need to fix, and fix quickly. By having a bad review from a critic, I am straining my relationship with that person and they may have a negative outlook on Gingersnap because of the bad experience that they had. I need to do everything that I can in order to fix this relationship so that they end up liking Gingersnap and maybe printing another review in the paper that is positive.

Plan to fix CrisisI would look at my recipes for my bread, cookies and cake and tweak them so they would come out soft, not burnt, and not dry. I would also write a hand written letter to the food critic and explain to him that it was an ‘off day’ for Gingersnap and that he could come back and enjoy a meal anytime on the house. Even though business slowed down for two days, customers were gracious that a week after the review came out; I put a coupon in the paper for a free cup of coffee and gingersnap for 3 days to do damage control on the situation.

Goals, Objectives, Strategies & Tactics Fix relationship with the media

o Have 1 positive review printed after the negative one Contact food critic

Write the critic a letter apologizing (See Appendix E) Invite him back for a complimentary meal

o Try and receive another review out of this meal

Fix relationship with customerso Provide coupons in the newspaper for 3 days

Bring in customers Make sure that the coffee and gingersnaps are excellent for

when people redeem the coupons Make sure the staff is on their best behavior Answer any questions about the bad review from the public in

a positive way

Don’t lose any customers because of the bad reviewo Have 100% customer retention

Provide coupon in the newspaper Make sure that the coffee and gingersnaps are excellent for

when people redeem the coupons Make sure the staff is on their best behavior

Answer any questions about the bad review from the public in a positive way

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Fix relationship with employeeso Have 100% employee retention

Resources Quantity Price

Coupon -To run

-Free coffee & gingersnaps

3 days worth

3 days worth

$250

$600

Two free meals for the critic 2 sandwiches,2 cookies,2 sides2 beverages

$15

Grand Total $865

Have an all staff meeting Let them know that their jobs are not at risk Let them know that Gingersnap will not suffer Calmly ask the employees who were working the day of the

critic what happened Let them know that it is no one person’s fault Ask them of their opinions on what to do in this situation Make them feel valued & appreciated

Have a successful employee crisis communication plano Have employees trained 100% in this by opening day

Start training them 2 weeks before opening Teach them the basics Have them voice any concerns they have about their job or the

opening Have a fake crisis to see how they would react to see if any

further training would be needed

Implementation of the Crisis PlanI mailed the letter to the critic at the Rockford Register Star to show my appreciation that he took the time out of his day to come and review Gingersnap. I put the coupon in the newspaper and hoped that people would cut it out and receive their gingersnap and coffee.

Budget


Tactic TimelineGoal 1Fix relationship with the mediaContacting the food critic is a big step in trying to fix this crisis. Having a bad review in the paper is not good for business and the critic could make or break the success of Gingersnap. These steps would all take place one week after the review was printed in the paperGoal 2Fix relationship with customersProviding coupons is a way to bring customers in and mend what had happened with the critic. The coupon would run for three days in the paper and would start about the same time as the letter would go to the criticGoal 3Don’t lose any customers because of the bad reviewHaving the coupon in the paper hopefully means that more people would be coming into Gingersnap. Having the coffee and gingersnaps ready will take time to prepare but it is worth trying to get more customers in the door and the bad review out of their mindGoal 4Fix relationship with employeesHaving the employees tell me their side of the story helps me understand everything from all parties involved. This conversation would take place the day that the review came out so that the employees wouldn’t have to wait very long and wonder what their future at Gingersnap would look likeGoal 5Have a successful employee crisis communication planHaving a certain crisis plan in place ensures employees of Gingersnap that they know what to do if a certain event like this were to happen. It would give the employees more confidence in how to act in this type of situation


Evaluation of GoalsGoal 1Fix relationship with the media

Determine if the letter to the critic was successful Determine whether or not a second review is possible Determine if the relationship with the critic is damaged

Goal 2Fix relationship with customers

Determine if coupon was successful Determine if 3 days is too long to run a coupon Look at coupons brought in and determine how many people utilized the coupon Taste the coffee and gingersnaps each morning while the coupons are in print Evaluate employees behavior during the next week or so after the crisis took place

Goal 3Don’t lose any customers because of the bad review

Determine if coupon was successful Determine if 3 days is too long to run a coupon Look at coupons brought in and determine how many people utilized the coupon Taste the coffee and gingersnaps each morning while the coupons are in print Evaluate employees behavior during the next week or so after the crisis took place Evaluate what was said to the customers that asked about the review

Goal 4Fix relationship with employees

Determine which employees were involved in the crisis Teach them how to act in the future when a critic comes in for a review Make sure they understand that they are not going to be fired Evaluate the staff meeting to see if it was productive or not Evaluate any suggestions that employees had

Goal 5Have a successful employee crisis communication plan

Determine if the plan is a success Determine if employees understand the plan Make sure I evaluate any concerns the employees had Make sure that the employees know what to do while they are working


APPENDIX E - Sample Apology Letter to the Food Critic

Mr. Food Critic April 30, 2015Rockford Register Star123 Sixth StreetRockford, IL

Dear Mr. Food Critic,

I want to thank you for the time that you spent at Gingersnap last week. It was a

great privilege to have you in the restaurant.

I would like to apologize for the experience that you had with us. After reading your

review, I have talked with my employees and have received their side of the story. I would

love to chat sometime and hear what you have to say about the things that didn’t have the

chance to make it into your article. Our food is not usually of this nature and it is

unacceptable that it had to happen to you.

I would love for you to come back anytime so that you can have a complimentary

meal on us. It is the least that we could do.

Enclosed, is a voucher for a free meal.

Have a great day,

Lauren Greenfield

Owner

[MEDIA PLAN]32

Media Plan BackgroundTo communicate with my target audiences, I would use the radio, television, newspaper, social media and fliers to spread the word about Gingersnap. I would have occasional news releases as well before the opening and then one or two after the opening so that people can still find out about Gingersnap being a new business in Rockford

Research I would find out what my target audience would like to see most in an

advertisement for a new restaurant I would look into local media outlets and see what my best options would be for the

price points that I would want to pay When looking for prices and where I should put my advertisements, I will look at

press kits and media kits to learn more about the businesses and what they stand for and their demographics

I would also contact similar restaurants to see what they did when they were opening and how they continued to advertise after they opened

I would look at the fact if they were a successful restaurant or not I will try and make new contacts within the media to help further my relationship

with people within the media & I will watch to see who leaves and who comes I would try and find out what people are listening to and watching to get their

information from I will watch for what stories the media is reporting on and try and have pieces that

follow that angleAudiencesLocal Media- I would enlist the local media to do my advertising. I would try to find the most popular radio stations and look at their demographics to see which age group they appeal to most. I would also try and find the most widely distributed Rockford newspaper and advertise in there. If pricing were an issue, I would then probably just advertise in the Sunday paper since more people would see it. Social media would work for all of my age groups, since it is free, I would just have to worry about people finding the social media accounts that we will have. On the fliers that I will have printed, I will say that we are on Facebook and Twitter and that people can like and follow us for certain coupons and deals.Customers

Customers 15 and older- teenagers would most likely respond more to the radio and to TV advertising. One month before opening I would have mostly radio and newspaper ads to promote the opening. I would try to get them by the comics

33

because most people read those, even if you are a teenager. I would use social media would attract new customers to Gingersnap.

[MEDIA PLAN]34

Customers 30 and older- they would respond well to all forms of advertisement and I believe that newspapers and radio would be the two outlets to reach this audience most.Potential customersadvertising is a huge marketing strategy to bring in potential customers. By having advertisements that appeal to potential customers, I will potentially increase my customer base. Advertising and word of mouth are the best ways to get new customers through the door.Frequent customers- when customers who frequent Gingersnap hear or see our advertising, it reminds them again of why they enjoy our food and beverages so much. Hopefully it will make them want to come in soon for a hot beverage or a meal.

Goals, Objectives, Strategies &TacticsThe main goal with the media plan is to attract media from all angles. I want to always have something being advertised and I always want it to be bringing in new customers. I want to create relationships within all different forms of the media so that I have a contact in all areas of the media

Utilize relationships made within the mediao Have contacted 100% of key media contacts every year

Find different ways to make contact with each person Have an open house

o Having an open house with all of the media contacts & potential media contacts that I have made/ will make would be an excellent way to maintain these relationships. Having it be exclusive to the media would also be a good selling point to them. Unveiling a new product would be an excellent idea at a function like this

Mail them letters/e-mail themo Mailing/e-mailing the media letters just to say that I

appreciate everything that they have done for Gingersnap is a good way to stay on their good side

Give them goodie basketso If they were to receive a handwritten letter in the mail,

they would also receive a goodie basket full of sweet treats from the Gingersnap bakery. They would get a wide assortment of normal & gluten free desserts

Call them

[MEDIA PLAN]35

o Calling them with just a simple ‘thank you’ and to see how they are is a good tactic to stay on their good side. It may brighten their day as well and they are more likely willing to remember that. When I call them, I can also find out what their interests are and incorporate that into my relationship with them

Invite them to Gingersnap for luncho Inviting the media for a complimentary quiet lunch time

out of the office may be a good way to lift their spirits. If they haven’t had Gingersnap’s food, this would be an excellent way to let them sample the food

Gain media attentiono Have 3 stories in the local media

Submit pieces that would interest the media Advertise menu changes

o Advertising menu changes in the newspaper would be a good idea because the public would be intrigued by it and hopefully, so would the writer of the story. They would be invited into Gingersnap as well to try the new item(s) so that they could incorporate that into their story (See Appendix F)

Have human-interest pieces about employeeso If there is an employee that has a disability or if they

have a close relative that does, there could be a story on them in the paper. It could tug on the heart strings of the public & media and they may want to come in to try the food or meet the employee

Sponsor an event at for a local charity o The event could be for a local hospital, raising money

for a disease, etc. Sponsor it to be on all of the advertisements for the event so Gingersnap will receive more recognition amongst the community

Increase awarenesso Increase awareness by 20%

Continually increase awareness by 10% each year Advertising

o Continually advertising amongst all different mediums will always help in increase awareness amongst the Rockford community

36

[MEDIA PLAN]37

Community worko Being involved within the local community is a great

way to receive recognition for the work that has been done, but people would be more willing to eat at Gingersnap because of it

Word-of-moutho Hopefully we would be able to rely on our customers

and employees for this. Word-of-mouth advertising is a very effective way to increase awareness amongst those that don’t know about us

Budget

Resources Time Price

Advertising -Print

--Promotional Flyers

-Social Media -Radio

One yearOne year -Full Page (1 day) - 2 Full Pages + (1 week) 200,000 online impressions

-Half Page (1 day) -Half Page + (1 week) 200,000 online impressions

7 months(2,000 brochures)

One yearOne year@ $500 a week

Total

$3,000$9,900

$1,600$7,200

$387

Free$12,000

$34,087

NewsReleases

One every other month (6)

Total

$800

$4,800

Signs -On building -Street view

1 month before opening1 month before opening

Total

$120$1000

$1,200

Grand Total $40,087

[MEDIA PLAN]38

ImplementationTo make sure that all of my goals will be implemented, I will be following my tactics very seriously and coming up with better ones as the business progresses. I will make sure that all of my advertising is up to par and I will make sure that my relationship with each business I use to advertise with is good.

Tactic TimelineGoal 1Utilize relationships made within the mediaThis will begin before Gingersnap opens. I will want to have a good rapport with the media before opening day. I will do my best to continue these relationships with them. By sending letters, baskets and calling, I believe that they will not want to end the professional relationship either

Goal 2Gain media attentionIdeally I would have their attention before the opening based on the relationships that I will have with them. I would like to have the human-interest piece come out within 3 months of opening. Sponsoring an event will happen after we have been established for a little while and have enough revenue to sponsor an event. Menu changes most likely wouldn’t happen until after about 6 months after opening. It could bring in new customers and hopefully attract media attention

Goal 3Increase awarenessIncreasing awareness will happen over time but it can’t take too much time. A regular customer base needs to be established fairly soon after opening. After that, awareness needs to increase and new customers need to be brought in

Evaluation of GoalsGoal 1Utilize relationships made within the media

Determine if open house was a success or not See if any media coverage came from the open house Determine if mailing or emailing people in the media is an effective way of

communication Determine if the goodie baskets are a good idea and if the media people enjoy them Determine if the goodie baskets could be different and filled with different things Determine if calling people in the media is an effective way of communication Determine if inviting them to a complimentary lunch is working

39

See if any media coverage came from the complimentary lunch

[MEDIA PLAN]40

Goal 2Gain media attention

Determine if putting the menu changes into the media is an effective way of advertising and spending money

Determine if there are enough employees that could have human-interest pieces written on them

Look at sales after the piece has been printed and see if sales have gone up within that month

Determine what event to sponsor Determine would kind of publics they have Determine how I could serve and cater to those publics to bring them in to

GingersnapGoal 3Increase awareness

Determine if advertising is bringing in enough customers Determine what other areas I could be serving the community in See how the local area is reacting to the community work that Gingersnap is doing Determine how new customers found out about Gingersnap by having them fill out

their contact information when they come in

[MEDIA PLAN]41

Appendix F - Sample Menu Change Advertisement

500 First Street Rockford, IL 815-555-8364www.gingersnapcafe,com

We now offer smoothies!Peach, Strawberry, Banana, Mango, Kiwi

Come in today and use code word: Snappy10

To receive 10% off of your smoothie!

TODAY ONLY(May 6, 2015)

Gingersnap

[EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION PLAN]42

Employee Communication Plan

BackgroundTo make my employees feel at home and the most comfortable while they are at work, I plan to create a very friendly and hospitable work environment. I want my employees to not really feel like they are at work and that they can call Gingersnap a home away from home.

Research I will look at other restaurants in the area and see how they hired their employees I will look at what the other restaurants pay their employees and if they have

benefits or not I will see what other restaurants in the area’s retention rate’s are and what they do

to make their employees want to stay I will find out what my employees want to get out of working at Gingersnap I will survey my employees to see how they wish to learn of things at Gingersnap

and if they want their to be any changes at all

AudiencesCurrent employees- being able to communicate with your employees is a very important thing to do in order to run a successful business. You have to communicate with each type of employee differently.

Full Time- since they will be there all day, I wouldn’t have to communicate with them as much as I would have to with part time employees. Although, I most likely would have very few, if any full time employees, I would still need to know how to communicate well with them.Part Time- part time employees would be the bulk of my staff as I would have two shifts per day. Since they wouldn’t be there all day, I wouldn’t have as much time to get information across to them as I would full time employees. I would have to make sure that they knew all of what was going on and keep them up-to-date on everything.Managers- they would be full time every day and they would be the ones to try and communicate with the rest of the staff. They would need to know how to do that and what works the best way with each group or employees.Cooks- would be communicated with the same way as everyone else but I would most likely have something in the kitchen so that they could have to read with everything that is happening at Gingersnap.

43

Morning- the first shift people would be communicated with through either the manager if they were to get there before opening every morning or there would be notes left for them in an area that is still to be determined.


Night- the second shift workers would either be told by the manager or by the same area where the notes for the morning people were left.

Prospective Employees- trying to communicate with prospective employees can be difficult to do but I would put ads in the paper to reach a certain audience, I would advertise on the building itself with a help wanted sign.

Employee’s families- communicating with the employee’s families is another important thing to do because they support them and give them the energy to go to work everyday. By communicating with them, I, as a boss would show that I care about them outside of work as well and that I care about their families.Media- communicating with the media could be a difficult thing to do at first being a new business. I would find some people at the stations and newspapers that are in the area and I would email them and let them know when we will be opening and invite them to the opening to have a delicious meal so that I could maybe receive some coverage or a positive review in a newspaper.Delivery Drivers- I would make sure that I would be at Gingersnap whenever a delivery would be coming in. I would be as nice as I could with them and offer them food periodically so that I could build a better relationship with them.Food Suppliers- having a good relationship with the food suppliers will be very important because the survival of my business will depend on it.Produce Suppliers- having a good relationship with the produce suppliers will be very important because the survival of my business will depend on it.

Catering- having the catering option at Gingersnap is another way to add extra revenue. I will need to teach employees how to take orders over the phone and what they need to do when they need to complete an order.

Goals, Objectives, Strategies & TacticsThe main goal with my employees is to create a hassle free environment where my employees feel comfortable and I want to communicate with them well enough that they always know what is going on.

To have successful employee retention o To have an employee retention rate of 85% within the first year of business

Have happy employees Make them feel comfortable at work

o Feeling comfortable at work is a necessity if you want to have a happy job and stay working for your company. Making employees feel like they are comfortable at work is one way to have employee retention

Don’t create too hard of a work environment


o Being the ‘mean’ boss is not a good way to have employee retention. Being laid back most of the time is one way to let employees know that it is okay to have fun at work but that they need to work when it is needed of them

Let them know that it is okay to have fun while workingo Creating a work environment that is not too demanding

is a great way to have happy & healthy employees. Sad and grumpy employees don’t send a good message to customers. If employees are happy behind-the-scenes, that happiness will overflow into their work ethic and they will be polite to customers as well

Give them incentives to want to work hardero EX: An extra paid vacation day, a gift card to a place of

their choice, a menu item named after them for a month, employee of the month, etc.

o These incentives will hopefully make employees want to work harder so that they are able to receive one of these rewards. If they work hard enough for a reward they will be an excellent employee who will be great with customers and with their co-workers

Pay them a decent salary Start out at minimum wage and depending on business and

budget, give some raises out to deserving employeeso All employees will earn minimum wage at first and they

will have the option to have their salary grow. If they show that they are dedicated employees, they should be rewarded for that service. The salary increase will be gradual and depending on the quality of service and dedication that they show to Gingersnap they may even have the opportunity to be promoted

Find out how employees want to be notified about things that are happening at work

Implement as many of these ideas as possibleo By cooperating with the employees on ways that they

want to receive information I would be more willing to reach them. If they wanted email, mass texts or bulletin boards, these would be evaluated and possibly implemented into Gingersnap


To have an employee manualo Have employees know 100% of the manual by opening day

o The manual would consist of policies of sick and vacation days, fire-able offenses, how to properly deal with customers; especially rude ones, payroll information, contact information, company information, sexual harassment policy, maternity leave policy, etc.

Once they are hired, give them the manual Once training starts, give them quizzes on the manual to see if

they know things about the policies that are instilled at Gingersnap

o Giving the employees quizzes on the manual is a way to make sure that employees read the manual and know the standards that Gingersnap has and how they are expected to act when they are at work

They will need to keep taking the quiz until they receive 100% on it

o If they don’t receive a 100% on the quiz, they will need to take the quiz until they do. This ensures that they know the manual

Give them quizzes once every 3 months after openingo Continuing the quizzes after opening will also ensure

that employees wont forget the content of the manual and that they will remember the standards that are expected of them while employed at Gingersnap

Have a way to easily communicate with employeeso Have 2 bulletin boards in Gingersnap for employee communication

One will be in the kitchen and the other in a hallway in the back Whenever someone of staff or management has something that

is needed to know by all, they will post it on the bulletin boards so that the employees can see it all day while they are working

o Having bulletin boards to communicate with employees is a way to ensure that employees and managers see the important content that is on the board. If it is on the board then it is important for employees to know. It will be their responsibility to remember to look at the boards

o Having one in the kitchen and one in a general area also ensures that all employees see the important information. The workers in the kitchen may not go in

48


the hallway very much so they should be able to have their own bulletin board

Teach employees about the catering aspect of Gingersnapo Start teaching them 2 weeks before opening

Make sure they know about it 100% During training, teach them about catering

o Customers will be able to call orders in and come pick them up later that day, in a few minutes or the next day. They will learn how to take orders over the phone, how to take payments over the phone, when delivery is appropriate and when they should put me on the phone with a customer

o They will learn how to make the food and have it packaged and ready for when the customer comes in to pick their food up

o Teach them that it is extremely important that they include a take-out menu in each order that is received

o Teach them how to check online for the orders that were sent in through the website

To find out employees thoughts and ideaso Have employees complete two anonymous surveys a year on Survey Monkey

It will be the same survey twice a year (See Appendix G) This is to ensure that Gingersnap is up to their standards, to

see if they are happy, what could be improved, what do they want more of, if they have any suggestions for anything

o By giving employees surveys twice a year, I will be able to determine what issues there are in Gingersnap that I may not know about. It will give the employees a chance to express their opinion without feeling that they will be reprimanded for their thoughts and ideas

Budget

Communication Tools Price

Employee Manual x20 at $100 each

$2,000

Employee training/Crisis training $10,0002 bulletin boards at $10 each $20

2 surveys on Survey Monkey $0Total $12,020

50


ImplementationTo make sure that all of my goals will be implemented, I will be following my tactics very seriously and coming up with better ones as the business progresses. I will make sure that my employees are still meeting my standards and that I am meeting theirs as well.

Tactic TimelineGoal 1To have successful employee retention Retaining my employees is a good way to have a successful business. If you have new employees all the time, customers may wonder why this is and may not want to eat at Gingersnap. All of the tactics that I have implemented would all begin before the opening and they would continue throughout the entirety of GingersnapGoal 2To have an employee manualThe employee manual would need to be done and in the store 3 weeks before opening. If I am going to have all of my staff hired and starting to train them 2 weeks before opening, I need the manuals in time for when that beginsGoal 3Have a way to easily communicate with employeesThe bulletin boards would go up about 2 weeks before opening, when the employees arrive for training. During training they would learn about how the boards work and that they always need to look at them for new information. I will periodically ask employees what they think of the boards and if they think they could improve in any wayGoal 4Teach employees about the catering aspect of GingersnapThe catering part of Gingersnap will bring in extra revenue. Having a successful system is dependent on the people that are involved in it. By training employees how the catering side works, they will become familiar with it and they will be comfortable taking orders over the phone. The website will be a large place for orders as well and teaching employees how to access that will make them more dependent at GingersnapGoal 5To find out employees thoughts and ideas Having anonymous surveys, this gives my employees an outlet for their thoughts if they don’t feel comfortable sharing them with me. As of now, the surveys would be in January and June. Taking the same survey twice a year ensures that I can fix problems or know that I am doing something good at Gingersnap and that my employees are happy with how things are going


Evaluation of GoalsGoal 1To have successful employee retention

Determine if my employees are happy working at Gingersnap Make sure that the work environment is suitable for employees Determine if employees are having fun while they are employed at Gingersnap Determine if the incentives are actually working If the incentives aren’t working, think of new ones to put in their place Determine which employees are eligible for a raise or a promotion

Goal 2To have an employee manual

Find out if the employees know the manual Determine how the employees did on the quiz and if people need to retake it Determine which employees are better at the quiz than others Determine if the quizzes are a good idea for employee morale

Goal 3Have a way to easily communicate with employees

Determine if the bulletin boards are an effective way to communicate with employees

If it isn’t, find a new way Determine what is bulletin board appropriate material Determine which employees utilize the boards the best and which ones do not

Goal 4Teach employees about the catering aspect of Gingersnap

Determine if the catering is a successful part of Gingersnap If it is, try and increase it If it isn’t, find ways to market it better Determine which businesses to market to, to let them know about the catering and

that the catering is great for lunch meetingsGoal 5To find out employees thoughts and ideas

Determine if the surveys are a good way to find out what the employees views are Determine if the survey itself is up to par Determine if the survey needs to be changed Determine if Survey Monkey is an acceptable way to distribute surveys


Appendix G - Sample Employee Survey 1) Are you happy as an employee of Gingersnap?

Strongly disagree 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 Highly agree

2) Do you think that the communication amongst management & staff is acceptable?Strongly disagree 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 Highly agree

3) Do you think that employee training prepared you well?Strongly disagree 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 Highly agree

4) How old are you?a. 18-25 c. 36-40b. 26-35 d. 40+

5) How many years have you been with Gingersnap?a. Less than 1 c. 2-4 yearsb. 1-2 years d. 5+ years

6) What is your position?a. Waitress c. Kitchenb. Cashier d. Clean up

7) Please rank your 3-favorite/least favorite promotions to deal with (coupons, ads, etc.)

Favorite Least Favoritea. a.b. b.c. c.

8) Do you think that the bulletin boards are a good way for receiving information?a. Yesb. NoIf no, please explain__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9) Do you have any suggestions?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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[CONSUMER PLAN]55

Consumer Plan

BackgroundLearning what my customers want will be a successful part of making Gingersnap the place to be in Rockford, IL. By figuring out which customers would fit in the best with Gingersnap, I would be more likely to find the right audience and have a higher customer retention rate.

Research I will survey the community located around Gingersnap to find out what their

demographics are I will survey the customers to find out what they think could be improved about

Gingersnap I will survey my customers to see what they think would be the best way to issue a

customer complaint I will find out who my influencing audiences are I will look at surrounding restaurants target audience demographics I will look at how surrounding restaurants keep their customer retention I will find out when people usually decide that they want to try a new restaurant and

why they want to I will research what is the best way to get the word out that Gingersnap is

opening/has opened

AudiencesCustomers- this will include all of my customers old and new. Being able to find out what my customers want will be a large part of the consumer plan

First-time customers- these will be the most important customers to try and keep. Having first-time customers come back to Gingersnap would be a huge success. Connecting with them enough so that they want to come back again is one of the main outcomes that I want to have.One-time customers- if customers only came into Gingersnap once, then something must have been wrong. By attempting to contact these people, maybe I could find out why they decided to never come back to Gingersnap.Frequent customers- keeping the frequent customers happy is a very important thing to do. By keeping them happy, Gingersnap will have their repeated business. Gingersnap will make their frequent visitors comfortable and feeling welcomed. Although that would be done with all customers, it would be nice to do with the returning customers, that way they feel welcome.

[CONSUMER PLAN]56

Men- I believe that men would be a harder audience to get to come into Gingersnap than women. Men would more likely to come into Gingersnap for a cup of coffee rather than a pastry.Women- would be a good gender to target in the age range that I have selected for my target audience. Women would be more likely to come in for lunch and to get a pastry than men. They may also suggest getting lunch or dinner their with their significant others which may them make them lovers of Gingersnap. Families- having families come into Gingersnap would be a good way for a family to bond over a delicious meal. Children would be able to eat meals that they would want to eat while parents could have something more refined to eat.College students- Gingersnap would be a great hangout spot for college students because of the relaxed atmosphere. The food and coffee beverages are priced relatively cheap so they wont hurt a tight budget. Punch cards would be great for college students so that they could work their way to a free coffee and cookie to help them while they are studying.Teenagers- Gingersnap would be a good hangout spot for people in high school who want to get out of the house during the weekend for some delicious food and be with their friends. It would also be a good place for them to come with their parents for breakfast on Sunday morning, maybe after they go to church.Gluten free- Since I am having gluten free options, I am opening up my audience to more people. I am not limiting myself to only people that can eat yummy gluten filled bread but I am catering to those who either cannot eat it or choose not to. By charging more money for these products, I will also be making a higher profit than I would by just selling normal bread and desserts.

Media & Advertisers- The media and potential advertisers would be good to reach out to in order to generate some media coverage. By emailing them or inviting them to come to Gingersnap for a complimentary meal, I would be creating a relationship with them and maybe receive some coverage out of it.

Potential Advertisers- locating the advertisers that I would be using would be a good step to forging a relationship with them. Being on the advertiser’s good side would be beneficial when I need advertising and the contact that I would have there could potentially help with cutting a deal as well.

Employees- Gingersnap employees are going to be daily consumers of the food and beverages while they are working. They will be able to eat there for breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on their shift and they will be able to say if the food is good enough or not for customers to consume.Community- Being involved in the community and getting the word out that we are a new business would be one of the first steps to having a good customer base and be a successful business in the Rockford area. Being amongst a good respected area of the community

[CONSUMER PLAN]57

would go a long way during the opening stages of Gingersnap. Having the support of local community members too would be a good way to thrive and have repeat customers.

Goals, Objectives, Strategies & TacticsThe main goal would be to have good relations with my consumers and to make sure that they always want to be frequent customers of Gingersnap and that they will successfully spread the word about their new found love for Gingersnap.

To have successful customer retentiono To have a customer retention rate of 90% within the first year

Have happy customers Make them feel comfortable while at Gingersnap Create a fun and relaxing environment that they can enjoy

themselves in Give them incentives to come back

o Punch cards for buy 9 coffees get the 10th one free plus a free cookie or gluten free cookie

o Turn in 10 fully punched punch cards and you receive a free t-shirt (See Appendix H)

o Start a loyalty program where they can earn points for every purchase they make

Surprise upgrades The computer would randomize it and

every 50th customer or so would receive a free item from the bakery

Excel at customer service Train my employees during training week so that they are the

best at interacting with customers Provide ways that customers can give feedback if they are

happy or upset with something that happened during their visit

o Comment cards provide customers with ways to voice their opinion & concerns about Gingersnap

Have new customers always coming ino Have 70% new customers within the first 3 months

Have ways that interest potential customers Newspaper coupons

o Newspaper coupons are always a good way to get customers to come in. If they read the paper, they are going to find the coupon and come into Gingersnap

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Newspaper Advertisingo Normal newspaper advertising will attract the same

customers that will bring in the coupons. They may be more inclined to read the paper if they know that there will be coupons in the paper. The newspaper ads would consist of the logo, the address, phone number, and list a sandwich that they could eat at Gingersnap

Radioo Radio is a certain audience. To attract the younger

crowd, I will advertise on the popular pop radio station in Rockford. The radio ads would consist of general information about Gingersnap, when the opening day is and the hours, it would highlight on the fact that there would be free cookies for every customer and that we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a bakery area. It would also mention that we have everything in available in gluten free options as well

Flierso Fliers around town are powerful too. They could catch

the eyes of someone who doesn’t listen to the radio or read the newspaper and they may want to come in and try Gingersnap. The fliers would consist of the logo, general information about Gingersnap, when the opening day is and the hours, address, phone number, it would highlight on the fact that there would be free cookies for every customer and that we serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a bakery area. It would also mention that we have everything in available in gluten free options as well

Social Mediao To attract more of a younger audience, I will post on

social media in hopes that they will come in and have a meal with us. The posts would have tidbits of information to appeal to customers

Have a good relationship with media & advertiserso Have 95% of media coverage be positive during the first year

Keep the media people happy

Make sure that the food is at its best on the days that they come in to Gingersnap

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o Make sure to tell the cooks that important people are coming in to Gingersnap that day and that the food had to be at its best

Keep a good relationship with them when Gingersnap is not receiving media coverage

o Have an open house Having an open house with all of the media

contacts & potential media contacts that I have made/ will make would be an excellent way to maintain these relationships. Having it be exclusive to the media would also be a good selling point to them. Unveiling a new product would be an excellent idea at a function like this

o Mail them letters/e-mail them Mailing/e-mailing the media letters just to say

that I appreciate everything that they have done for Gingersnap is a good way to stay on their good side

o Give them goodie baskets If they were to receive a handwritten letter in

the mail, they would also receive a goodie basket full of sweet treats from the Gingersnap bakery. They would get a wide assortment of normal & gluten free desserts

o Call them Calling them with just a simple ‘thank you’ and to

see how they are is a good tactic to stay on their good side. It may brighten their day as well and they are more likely willing to remember that

o Invite them to Gingersnap for lunch Inviting the media for a complimentary quiet

lunch time out of the office may be a good way to lift their spirits. If they haven’t had Gingersnap’s food, this would be an excellent way to let them sample the food

Have current advertising bring in customerso Have a 70% new customer rate within the first 3 months

Make the advertising look and sound appealing to potential customers

Have more coupons in the paper to attract customer

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o Coupons attract customers and customers bring money Sell on the fact that there are free cookies for every customer

o Everyone loves free cookies. Let Rockford know that we have them for free

Market that we have the option of take-outo If people are on the go they want to have the option of a

fast meal. They can get that here and their food could be ready by the time that they get here if they called in ahead

o Catering needs to really be advertised in any media form possible

Have the money that was spent on advertising before the opening be made backo Have 100% of the money be made back in 5 months

Have more coupons in the paper to attract customers Have the customers spend more money in order to get the free

item on the coupon (See Appendix I)o EX: Buy 2 Danishes get the third one free!

Have punch cards for ‘buy 9 coffee’s get the 10th one for free and a free cookie’ (See Appendix J)

o Hand these out to every single customer as they are paying at the counter if it is just a bakery item or as they are paying the check for dine-in service

To have the customers that come in within the first month be returning customerso Have a 90% retention rate of these customers

Give them impeccable service & have the food be at its best to ensure that people would want to return

Train the staff so they know to work well with the customers and each other so that things go smoothly as much as possible

o At this point, the staff should be well trained and they should be treating the customers with respect

Train the cooks to cook the food to the specifications that already would have been set

o The cooks should already know too that their efforts should be the best that they can give

Implementation

Gingersnap is going to make sure that all of these plans are laid out and executed to the best that they can be. We will try and make our consumers have a great experience

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while they are at Gingersnap so that they will continue to come back and be lifelong customers

Budget

Consumer Tools Price

Punch Cards x 1,000 $30

Newspaper Coupons x one week every month $100

T-Shirts x 80 at $12.58 each $1,006.40

Website $500

Total $1,621.40

Tactic TimelineGoal 1To have successful customer retentionAttracting customers will begin before Gingersnap’s opening day and we will always want to have customer retention. Frequent customers will be what drive Gingersnap and the more customers that we can get through the door; the longer Gingersnap’s doors will stay openGoal 2Have new customers always coming inAdvertising will always draw in new customers. The advertising that Gingersnap will produce will start before opening day and there will always be advertisements runningGoal 3Have a good relationship with media & advertisersHaving a good relationship is the best way to stay on the good side of the media. I will try and forge these relationships before opening day and I will do everything that I can to keep the relationships alive and to create new onesGoal 4Have advertising bring in customersAdvertising will always draw in new customers. The advertising that Gingersnap will produce will start before opening day and there will always be advertisements runningGoal 5Have the money that was spent on advertising before the opening be made backBeing able to make the money back that was spent on advertising before opening day will be a lengthy process. I will want to do it by the time that Gingersnap has been open for six monthsGoal 6To have the customers that come in within the first month be returning customer

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Being a repeat customer says a lot about a business. If you see that same customers come in all the time, it means that we are doing something right at Gingersnap. Trying to have new customers become frequent customers will be a little more difficult but it will be a good challenge

Evaluation of GoalsI believe that the consumer plan that I have implemented would help Gingersnap be a successful business. Through staying in contact with the media and trying to get in touch with the customers, I think that they will help Gingersnap thrive. With the reasonable objectives that I have in place, Gingersnap will make its money back; have good customer retention and good media coverage, which will all help Gingersnap in a positive way.Goal 1To have successful customer retention

Determine if customers enjoy the atmosphere at Gingersnap Determine if the punch cards are a good investment Determine if the coupons in the newspaper are worth the investment Look at the number of punch cards turned in Look at the number of coupons turned in Determine the number of people that used these forms of advertisements

Goal 2Have new customers always coming in

Determine if all of the advertising is working Determine if there is one form of advertising that is better than the other

Goal 3Have a good relationship with media & advertisers

Determine if I should keep relationships with certain media people Determine if I should be forming a relationship with anyone else in the media

Goal 4Have advertising bring in customers

Determine if the advertising looks more appealing than it did before Determine if the advertising is bringing in customers Find out how many people come in only for the free cookies

Goal 5Have the money that was spent on advertising before the opening be made back

Determine if the coupons that were used for this were turned in Look at the number of coupons turned in to see how many people came in

Goal 6To have the customers that come in within the first month be returning customers

Determine if new customers like the food or not Make sure the staff is working at their best

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Make sure the cooks are cooking at their best

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Appendix H – Free T-Shirt Sample

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Appendix I – Sample newspaper coupon

Appendix J – Sample punch card design

Buy 2 danishes get one for freeExpires April 30, 2015

815-555-8364 www.gingersnapcafe.com Rockford, IL

Gingersnap

815-555-8364 www.gingersnapcafe.com Rockford, IL

Gingersnap

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6 7 8 Free9

gingersnap final

Documents

appendix f menu

appendix c

appendix h

kids menu

separate menu

regular menu

bakery portion of gingersnap

communication launch