Recently I had the pleasure of catching up with a good mate of mine Peter Roby from BP Chinderah (not the big one on the highway, the one with the view of the river in town). When I arrived Peter had just finished the smoko rush and was gearing up for his lunchtime customers. Peter said one of the keys to a successful food offer is to keep your displays full!
I have known Peter for many years and have always admired his efforts when it comes to Food. BP Chinderah is not on a major highway but Peter is making an effort to provide his customers with fresh, top quality tucker.
Peter has a bit of a head start on most of us being a qualified Chef. He was good enough to spend a couple of hours with me sharing his expert advice when it comes to Food. Peter has proven that his customers want food that is ready to go and he is planning on re-doing his displays to improve the overall look of the food offer.
Currently, Peter sells around 25 Turkish Rolls, 12 Salad Rolls, 120 Coffees and 250 pies & sausage rolls per day. His main customers are mainly Truckies and Tradies. Pete reckons we all need to get over the fact that we might have to throw out some food, he currently works on about 20% wastage which he thinks is acceptable.
Peter has tried doing hamburgers and barista made coffee but it just didn’t work at his site. He believes you just need to start with the basics and grow it from there. Pies, Sausage Rolls, Dim Sims, Chiko Rolls etc. are a good starting point.
Other tips to having a successful food offer include making sure your drinks are ice cold, and stick to the big brands. Peter is also big on building relationships with his customers. All his staff have name badges and are encouraged to engage in conversation with the customers.
Peter is more than happy for any ServoPro members to call in and see him to have a look at his site.