Can You Brand
Service
Like You Brand Your Products?
By Jim Sullivan
W
2015 Issue 1 |
THE
SCORE
18
hat’s a tougher industry to successfully operate in:
foodservice or retail? Which industry has better
margins: foodservice or retail? And which industry
faces less competition from Internet competitors: foodservice or
retail?
As someone who speaks to, consults with and designs
products for both industries, the answer to all three questions
is foodservice. The short list of reasons why the restaurant business is tougher than retail include:
1. The factory and the store are under the same roof.
2. The hours are long, the margins are thin and the competition
is stiff.
3. You must both manage and serve a Freudian smorgasbord of
personalities.
4. In the restaurant business, there are more ways to lose
money than make money.
Due to increased quality, value, convenience and a timestarved consumer, the foodservice industry has grown steadily
to become America’s Kitchen, despite the challenges we face
daily. As traditional retail bricks-and-mortar crumble to the
Internet’s click-and-order, the foodservice industry continues
to grow brands, careers and opportunities. The U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics