There’s a Yiddish word, mensch, that means someone of integrity and honor. An all-around good guy.
Mensch is exactly the word that comes to mind for Howard Sandler, my sister’s father-in-law that passed last week after a long battle with lung cancer.
He was a laid back, super-nice guy with never a bad word to say about anyone. He knew how to go with the flow; probably why he recently celebrated fifty years of marriage to his sweetheart Marilyn.
My girlfriend and I flew into Ft. Lauderdale for the funeral.
Over those few days, I was reminded of the catering opportunities funerals offer.
While I owned my restaurant, we had many bereavement groups that would reserve our private party room for family and friend meals after the funeral.
We even catered a few bereavement meals.
When I looked up the funeral details on the funeral home’s website, they had a section discussing what to provide the family; comfort foods. They had a link to FTD florists with some suggested foods to send the family from assorted nuts and fruits to cheesecake.
I had never seen anything like that before. When I shared the info about the website with my friend Rhonda, she told me about a funeral she had gone to in the last year up in New Jersey.
There was a link to order the family food/meals from Junior’s Deli.
Kyle Agha, a longtime client, ended up locking in an exclusive contract with a funeral home to be their official caterer. Seems like a lot of families are choosing to cater in meals/appetizers for visitations.
Another longtime client, Ivan with The Dutch Oven sends out letters to churches and HR departments letting them know about his drop-off catering for families in grief.
The letter can be found on our members-only website at this link:
http://www.restaurantprofitpoint.com/members/programs/fileinfo.cfm?ID=601&action=Display
And of course there are opportunities to provide frozen meals for families. Long after the funeral is over and family is back home, there is a need for prepared meals.
The road to catering riches lies in the niches. Though some people may think the bereavement niche is a little gauche to pursue, it is a niche with a true need to do good for people.
SEMINAR ANNOUNCEMENT: Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, August 2, 2016, and make plans to attend a full day catering seminar I am putting on in Portland, Oregon entitled:
How To Double Your Restaurant Profits Workshop:
The Ultimate Catering Sales & Marketing System For Restaurants
For complete details, please go to www.CateringSeminars.com/portland
NOTE: Let me encourage you to a join our new Facebook group I created for our industry: Restaurants That Cater. It is open to clients and non-clients alike. Please post your successes and challenges and share your knowledge with our community. There are groups and associations for caterers and for restaurants, but none for restaurants that cater…a very important group that is grossly underrepresented. Click on the link below and request to join:
www.RestaurantsThatCaterGroup.com
Please pass on this link to your colleagues and co-workers in the industry. The more of us, the better!
Well, that’s all for this issue.
To Your Restaurant's Marketing & Catering Success,
Michael Attias
Restaurant Catering Software
P.S. – If you need help growing catering sales, then please go to www.RestaurantCateringSoftware.com and download my free eBook: Cater or Die!
P.P.S. – I make a limited number of time slots available each week for a free Catering Strategy Session with me. (You also get a catering menu critique and free analysis of your website for “Catering Effectiveness”). For complete details and to grab one of the limited spots, please go to:
http://www.restaurantcateringsoftware.com/catering-planning-strategy-session
P.P.P.S. – Please check out my podcast at www.RestaurantCateringSmarts.com
P.P.P.P.S. - Anyone wishing to reprint my articles may do so. Please email me for the bi-line to use for proper author’s credits.
