Introduction
Big Bottom Market is a small restaurant and specialty food store in Guerneville, California. Three entrepreneurs namely Volpatt, Larkin, and Luedtke own the business. Big Bottom Market combines a restaurant and a retail store. The restaurant’s name is derived from the once-booming logging town’s original name. Since its inception, the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch only. Currently, the restaurant depends heavily on season sales. Cash flow shows that sales during the busy summer months were strong. However, reduced sales during the off-season led the management to review its activities. This paper will analyze the case study and provide possible recommendations (BBM 1).
Managing cash flow
Big Bottom Market should introduce dinner to increase cash flow. Serving dinner would help the restaurant retain its customers. Moreover, it would increase the number of potential customers. Additionally, the business should market its services within and outside the town. Nearby customers should be targeted to help sustain the business during the off-season, while tourists should be targeted to boost the business during the season.
The advantages and disadvantages of each of the ideas that the owners and their employees came up with to help Big Bottom Market survive the slow off-season
Introducing food trucks in the area would advertise Big Bottom Market in the area thereby increasing their sales (Taylor 1). However, it will require more capital since they will need to buy the truck as well as maintain its operations. Offering catering services would be advantageous since it will add to the services provided. However, it will also require more staff and marketing which will need more investments. Opening for dinner would be suitable since it would help retain current customers. In addition, it would add value to the restaurant’s services since customers would be able to access most services under one roof. Nonetheless, opening for dinner would require additional investments (Grossman 1). Marketing to residents would be essential since it would help improve business during the off-season. However, marketing to residents alone may not address all their financial needs. Focusing on their signature would also boost sales but this also needs to be in combination with other changes. In essence, it would be recommendable that the business introduces dinner since it would be less costly in addition to retaining and attracting customers. Moreover, the business should promote its brand to keep afloat during the off-season. They should also focus on their signature to market their brand within and outside Guerneville.
Other options the owners should consider to get through the slow off-season and
The business should market its brand to the world to attract more tourists. Still, this would require resources. Again, the business should perform market research on the needs of customers. This would attract more customers since all their needs will be available. Nonetheless, this process will consume time and resources (Heizer and Render 45).
Marketing strategy for Big Bottom Market
Big Bottom Market’s strategy should focus on marketing their brand, which would enable them to stay afloat during the off-season. Social media tools that should be utilized include print, publicity, radio, online, and television advertising. Specifically, Big Bottom Market should reach the locals through print communication as it appeals to most locals who read the newspapers and magazines as well as other articles (Ott and Mack 25). Radio communication is also essential since it reaches potential customers from remote areas of Guerneville. Big Bottom Market should also utilize televised advertising, which is the most vital method of communication in a world of technology where advertising at prime times is rarely missed. In addition, the company should incorporate online marketing (QLD 1). Online marketing is one of the fastest-rising means of communication in the world. In addition, it runs through all countries in a globalised world. Television and online marketing would aid the business to reach tourists around the world.
References
BBM. About Us. 2015. Web.
Grossman, John. “A Seasonal Business Aims to Survive the Off-Season.” New York Times. 2012:1. Nytimes. Web.
Heizer, Jay, and Barry Render. Operations management.10th ed. 2011. Boston: Massachusetts: Prentice-Hall. Print.
Ott, Brian, and Robert Mack. Critical Media Studies: An Introduction, New York: John Wiley & Sons. 2009. Print.
QLD. Marketing and Promotion: Develop a Market Strategy. 2015. Web.
Taylor, Kate. 6 Ways Food Trucks Can Survive the Winter Freeze and Grow Their Business. 2013. Web.