Post by chrisharris on Oct 24, 2016 11:07:44 GMT
Apologies as this is as long as Ed's ladies first team proposal.
I wrote this for the last fanzine, trawl through it and see what you think.
Charlie has asked for ideas of raising funds, here is one.
CATERING.
I took over a run down kitchen operation 15 years ago. On a Sunday we would do up to 300 covers and in tandem sometimes a marquee wedding.
A substantial operation, not a hick operation.
On a limited budget I revamped the kitchen, the staff, the service, the branding, increased the gross profit and average spend to such a successful degree we were able to franchise the operation out, a concept previously alien to the ailing establishment.
Here are some ideas on how we could maybe move forward
To see success at catering at Lewes FC means the creation of a forward thinking and highly profitable catering concern not as a branding tie up with a mineral waters firm.
We need to get our a into g and start to unravel the puzzle that is creating a highly profitable catering experience at Lewes FC
Two basic aims.
Serve the existing customers of Lewes FC in a more profitable and productive way
Bring in new customers, use our fortuitous location near a station, school, college and leisure centre to expand our catering arrangements and profitability
Our catering is adequate, the food very much above average, the speed of service unacceptably low. The bar with the antiquated machinery and levers is perfectly respectably run by Johnny and the Southover Bonfire Society team.
But we are a self sustained community club and the catering, bearing in mind the crown jewels of location and wealthy area, could and should be the largest income stream and fund the first team (ahem….or ladies)to higher achievement and glory. It shouldn’t be, as I have seen over time, criminally ignored. If there are plans afoot why are these ideas not being thrown around ?
I presume there are none.
Going through the club accounts the income from catering is not inconsiderable and the club have to be congratulated on extracting what they do through the current arrangements. But it is a small slice of what we should be earning.
On a slump, now is the time for a radical rethink. If, as is the general idea, Lewes FC are to grow and shoot up the leagues our catering needs to adapt and grow with it and help fund recovery and progress. Changing the catering arrangements if, supposing, we were in the Conference would lead to major problems and would be an absolute nightmare. Not insurmountable, but take advantage of our lowly position and relative low gates, in comparison and build a superb catering enterprise as now with the gates low and disruption inevitable is a good time.
Do we hire in a catering manager and all the numerous problems associated with DIY catering at this level, or franchise it out? Let the heady responsibility fall to those with the skills and experience to make an immediate impact.
Yes, I would franchise it out. There are so many problems in setting up an amateur set up and trying our hardest and whoever does it this way will fall short. Maybe not in our current lowly position but as we have seen previously, on pitch success at Lewes means large gates and a huge potential financial catering windfall. Long term continuity is what we need and we need to search thoroughly to find some catering bedfellows who will make themselves and the club a name and a success. Put it out to tender and attract forward thinking companies or groups of individuals with experience with big ideas. Frankly an imaginative pitch should bring in so many new and profitable income streams it will far outweigh the revenue a DIY effort would do, the product superior, the service superior and an ability to create their own brand in conjunction with that of Lewes FC.
What are we aiming for? With the redevelopment of the Pan and if you believe the hype about us attempting to achieve football league with excellent new facilities, we need a long term partner. Somebody ideally with experience of bulk catering but not too submerged in other projects. This has to be their big shot at the big time.
What we can offer a franchisee?
Joining a thrusting team of people who have established the club as a ‘cool’ if somewhat misfiring but vibrant brand. There is very much a proven track record at the helm of getting things done, forward thinking, this would attract the right applicants
In the Pan is an established client base, gosh what new catering concern wouldn’t want that.
Location location. I went to Haywards Heath 6th Form College. Before Sainsbury was built nearby it used to be a market with a café. It was rammed lunchtimes with students. It made a bomb. With a school, college and leisure centre adjacent to the club and a stones throw from the station it has probably the most envious situation of any non league football club with potential foot fall and paying customers..
As the club grows more and more events will need to be catered for, who knows the Board may condescend to have an end of season bash for all supporters.
As a new franchise there are no premises costs, no enormous investments. A great opportunity but also for the club an excellent hook to get a lot of parties interested. The club should not shy away from an application brimming with ideas but no financial back up and help fund that.
Any applicant will need to work with someone at the club, I would suggest the community manager, to introduce a whole platter of fund raising events throughout the year to raise revenue for their firm, Lewes FC and bringing in new slices of the community into the club….end of season gala’s, cup exit gala…add some fun, fund raisers
The incredible location and space has to be a blank canvas for an enormous platter of ideas, end of season events, community events
It truly is an amazing opportunity.
So what do we do ?
Put the word about, contact catering magazines, write to all local Lewes, Brighton and Eastbourne area catering businesses offering them the chance of a franchise and the chance to build an incredibly successful business. Given the nature of catering a Lewes based operation would be a preference.
So what do we want.?
We want a shed loads of proposals. We do not want anyone to look at our existing client base and come up with an unambitious plan to cater for them. No we want applicants to come up with a thrusting innovative imaginative plan that will develop the catering side and help develop and influence local eating trends.
Any applicant must be set a number of covers per minute per game at peak times to serve. Days of knocking out 8 burgers, scrummy as they are need to replaced by a competent team that can knock out 50 covers in that period boosting profits and customer satisfaction. Adjust the product and gear it towards speed and ease of service. If we are to cater for peak periods, this will bode well for pre education and leisure, after education and leisure and lunchtimes visits and income from the local schools and leisure centre too.
We need ideas ideas ideas, applicants need a plan of how they think they can make a roaring success.
Any potential franchisee will need to put in a proposal for turning the Rook Inn into a buzzing destination.
A living wage for all paid catering employees
Why not posh teas, coffees and ice creams on top of the Mountfield Road with all those beautiful views
How does it work for us ?
We can either charge a nominal rent and a small percentage of turnover or we can charge a fee based on turnover. The second option encourages Lewes FC and the franchisee to work together to gain maximum profit.
Any franchisee I would suggest must work on a GP of 70%, 30% of which should go to Lewes FC. What better way is there to ensure the franchisee makes maximum profits at maximum speed.
Look, these are just some ideas of mine with a bit of vision thrown in.
And it really will be a tough call to set up.
But we have all stood or sat at the Pan and thought, why don’t they do this re catering.
Now is surely the time for us to stop avoiding the enormous challenges of setting up an amazing catering vision and to knuckle down and be fearless
I wrote this for the last fanzine, trawl through it and see what you think.
Charlie has asked for ideas of raising funds, here is one.
CATERING.
I took over a run down kitchen operation 15 years ago. On a Sunday we would do up to 300 covers and in tandem sometimes a marquee wedding.
A substantial operation, not a hick operation.
On a limited budget I revamped the kitchen, the staff, the service, the branding, increased the gross profit and average spend to such a successful degree we were able to franchise the operation out, a concept previously alien to the ailing establishment.
Here are some ideas on how we could maybe move forward
To see success at catering at Lewes FC means the creation of a forward thinking and highly profitable catering concern not as a branding tie up with a mineral waters firm.
We need to get our a into g and start to unravel the puzzle that is creating a highly profitable catering experience at Lewes FC
Two basic aims.
Serve the existing customers of Lewes FC in a more profitable and productive way
Bring in new customers, use our fortuitous location near a station, school, college and leisure centre to expand our catering arrangements and profitability
Our catering is adequate, the food very much above average, the speed of service unacceptably low. The bar with the antiquated machinery and levers is perfectly respectably run by Johnny and the Southover Bonfire Society team.
But we are a self sustained community club and the catering, bearing in mind the crown jewels of location and wealthy area, could and should be the largest income stream and fund the first team (ahem….or ladies)to higher achievement and glory. It shouldn’t be, as I have seen over time, criminally ignored. If there are plans afoot why are these ideas not being thrown around ?
I presume there are none.
Going through the club accounts the income from catering is not inconsiderable and the club have to be congratulated on extracting what they do through the current arrangements. But it is a small slice of what we should be earning.
On a slump, now is the time for a radical rethink. If, as is the general idea, Lewes FC are to grow and shoot up the leagues our catering needs to adapt and grow with it and help fund recovery and progress. Changing the catering arrangements if, supposing, we were in the Conference would lead to major problems and would be an absolute nightmare. Not insurmountable, but take advantage of our lowly position and relative low gates, in comparison and build a superb catering enterprise as now with the gates low and disruption inevitable is a good time.
Do we hire in a catering manager and all the numerous problems associated with DIY catering at this level, or franchise it out? Let the heady responsibility fall to those with the skills and experience to make an immediate impact.
Yes, I would franchise it out. There are so many problems in setting up an amateur set up and trying our hardest and whoever does it this way will fall short. Maybe not in our current lowly position but as we have seen previously, on pitch success at Lewes means large gates and a huge potential financial catering windfall. Long term continuity is what we need and we need to search thoroughly to find some catering bedfellows who will make themselves and the club a name and a success. Put it out to tender and attract forward thinking companies or groups of individuals with experience with big ideas. Frankly an imaginative pitch should bring in so many new and profitable income streams it will far outweigh the revenue a DIY effort would do, the product superior, the service superior and an ability to create their own brand in conjunction with that of Lewes FC.
What are we aiming for? With the redevelopment of the Pan and if you believe the hype about us attempting to achieve football league with excellent new facilities, we need a long term partner. Somebody ideally with experience of bulk catering but not too submerged in other projects. This has to be their big shot at the big time.
What we can offer a franchisee?
Joining a thrusting team of people who have established the club as a ‘cool’ if somewhat misfiring but vibrant brand. There is very much a proven track record at the helm of getting things done, forward thinking, this would attract the right applicants
In the Pan is an established client base, gosh what new catering concern wouldn’t want that.
Location location. I went to Haywards Heath 6th Form College. Before Sainsbury was built nearby it used to be a market with a café. It was rammed lunchtimes with students. It made a bomb. With a school, college and leisure centre adjacent to the club and a stones throw from the station it has probably the most envious situation of any non league football club with potential foot fall and paying customers..
As the club grows more and more events will need to be catered for, who knows the Board may condescend to have an end of season bash for all supporters.
As a new franchise there are no premises costs, no enormous investments. A great opportunity but also for the club an excellent hook to get a lot of parties interested. The club should not shy away from an application brimming with ideas but no financial back up and help fund that.
Any applicant will need to work with someone at the club, I would suggest the community manager, to introduce a whole platter of fund raising events throughout the year to raise revenue for their firm, Lewes FC and bringing in new slices of the community into the club….end of season gala’s, cup exit gala…add some fun, fund raisers
The incredible location and space has to be a blank canvas for an enormous platter of ideas, end of season events, community events
It truly is an amazing opportunity.
So what do we do ?
Put the word about, contact catering magazines, write to all local Lewes, Brighton and Eastbourne area catering businesses offering them the chance of a franchise and the chance to build an incredibly successful business. Given the nature of catering a Lewes based operation would be a preference.
So what do we want.?
We want a shed loads of proposals. We do not want anyone to look at our existing client base and come up with an unambitious plan to cater for them. No we want applicants to come up with a thrusting innovative imaginative plan that will develop the catering side and help develop and influence local eating trends.
Any applicant must be set a number of covers per minute per game at peak times to serve. Days of knocking out 8 burgers, scrummy as they are need to replaced by a competent team that can knock out 50 covers in that period boosting profits and customer satisfaction. Adjust the product and gear it towards speed and ease of service. If we are to cater for peak periods, this will bode well for pre education and leisure, after education and leisure and lunchtimes visits and income from the local schools and leisure centre too.
We need ideas ideas ideas, applicants need a plan of how they think they can make a roaring success.
Any potential franchisee will need to put in a proposal for turning the Rook Inn into a buzzing destination.
A living wage for all paid catering employees
Why not posh teas, coffees and ice creams on top of the Mountfield Road with all those beautiful views
How does it work for us ?
We can either charge a nominal rent and a small percentage of turnover or we can charge a fee based on turnover. The second option encourages Lewes FC and the franchisee to work together to gain maximum profit.
Any franchisee I would suggest must work on a GP of 70%, 30% of which should go to Lewes FC. What better way is there to ensure the franchisee makes maximum profits at maximum speed.
Look, these are just some ideas of mine with a bit of vision thrown in.
And it really will be a tough call to set up.
But we have all stood or sat at the Pan and thought, why don’t they do this re catering.
Now is surely the time for us to stop avoiding the enormous challenges of setting up an amazing catering vision and to knuckle down and be fearless
