by Marisa Cioffi | Aug 24, 2022 | Press
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill has quietly emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing small restaurant chains in recent years, in part by offering a higher level of service at a time when many customers are focused on takeout.
The chain menus classic Mediterranean cuisine like Gyros, Lamb Souvlaki and Falafel. While customers order at the counter, they wait at a table where the meal will be staged out to them, starting with appetizers. When customers are finished, they simply get up and leave while employees clear the table….
by Marisa Cioffi | Aug 15, 2022 | Press
On Monday morning, August 8, the City of Crown Point introduced a new restaurant, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, to Crown Point. City officials, restaurant staff, and owners of the new business gathered to celebrate another eagerly awaited addition to a fast-growing city.
“This is one of those restaurants that as it was getting closer and closer to the opening date I was getting flooded with a lot of good questions. ‘When’s it going to open? When’s it going to open?’ Well, today’s the day,” said Pete Land, Mayor of Crown Point…
by Marisa Cioffi | Aug 4, 2022 | Press
WEST PALM BEACH, FL (July 13, 2022) – With impressive growth reflecting the continued popularity of its fresh and delicious cuisine, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill® has been named to Entrepreneur magazine’s 2022 lists of the Top New and Emerging Franchises and The Best of Mediterranean Food Franchises. The brand was ranked 106 of 150 on the national magazine’s annual list of the newest and hottest companies, (offering franchise opportunities since 2017) and it was also ranked second in The Best of Mediterranean Food category.
by Marisa Cioffi | Aug 3, 2022 | Press
I’ll start out with a confession — I love franchising as a vehicle for growth. I think it’s the best business model that has ever been created. In fact, it’s the strongest, most successful business system out there.
I think most people don’t know that, though. But when they drive down the street and see nothing but franchises, whether it’s that car dealership, the McDonald’s, the RE/MAX office, or they go to a Miami Heat game — the Miami Heat is a franchise — there’s no question that franchises are everywhere, and it’s no surprise.
by Marisa Cioffi | Aug 1, 2022 | Press
By Bob Andersen, president at The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
Price increases are happening across the board with almost all food ingredients, meats, seafood, paper products, restaurant equipment and distribution delivery costs. We’ve seen costs rise by as much as 35% on some items over the last nine months.
Price increases are systemic and far-reaching. Labor shortages and/or increases in labor costs, feed, fertilizers and fuel are running rampant through the supply chain. They’re being passed from suppliers to manufacturers, transportation companies and distributors, ultimately affecting every restaurant in some way.
No one — not operators, and certainly not customers — wants menu prices to go up to absorb these increases, and staffing cutbacks are not an option either. To come up with strategies for managing these increases, it has never been more important to measure the overall customer experience, ideal food costs, and labor and management efficiency rates.
How should restaurants respond? Here are some approaches for managing increases in food, supplies and employee costs:
Food: Changing the menu is the last choice of many difficult choices. When contemplating a decision to raise prices, operators should consider many factors beyond the cost increase. Simply passing on cost increases to the customer is very dangerous to a restaurant brand.
Menu price elasticity is as much a matter of the operator’s intuition as it is a scientific calculation. Start with the overall value your customer is experiencing, relative to other food choices in the trade area and market.
Another factor to consider is menu item sales and the effect that cost increases are having on the unit-level operating profits. In addition, the frequency of guest visits, average check and per-person average should be considered.
Supplies: It is always a good practice to consolidate paper items and printed material, no matter what the economic conditions. Today’s consumer places a high value on environmental sustainability and reduced waste, and with paper goods getting more and more costly, it only makes sense to consume them frugally. If this has not been evaluated by an operations team, it is a way to gain some savings.
Staffing: Operators must be creative and assertive in attracting, hiring, training and retaining team members. An emphasis on human factors such as work environment, advancement, flexible scheduling and competitive pay will go a long way to building a great team. Layoffs in this cycle are not a consideration.
The bottom line on your bottom line: 3 tips
Creativity and attention to detail can help you manage the ever-rising costs your restaurant is coping with from suppliers and other sources. Here are three essentials to keep in mind as you work out your strategy:
- Create more value in the overall customer experience.
- Explore areas to renegotiate contracts with vendors and margin schedules with distribution companies.
- Closely manage portioning, waste and high-value inventory.
