CRUISE MAGIC Marketing Plan https://www.bplans.com/fast_food_restaurant_business_plan/executive_summary_fc.php SHEIKH ALI ARSALAN HUSSAIN - 25208 ABDUL WAHAB BANAWAZ - 25413 MUHAMMAD SHAHREYAR SHAFIQUE – 25343 FATIMA IQBAL - 23872 SHAH MUHAMMAD YAQOOB - 25301 Contents Vision ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 The Current Marketing situation ............................................................................................................................... 3 Market Description .................................................................................................................................................... 3 Cruise Restaurants in Karachi ................................................................................................................................. 4 Cruise Magic (An Overview) ................................................................................................................................... 4 Company Ownership................................................................................................................................................. 5 Competitive Review ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Direct Competitors:.................................................................................................................................................... 5 Distribution Review .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Types of food distributors in Pakistan ................................................................................................................ 6 Cash and Carry distributors .................................................................................................................................... 6 Redistributors ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 Specialty distributors................................................................................................................................................. 6 Broadline distributors ............................................................................................................................................... 6 SWOT ANALYSIS OF CRUISE MAGIC ....................................................................................................................... 7 Strengths........................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Weaknesses .................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Opportunities ............................................................................................................................................................... 8 Threats ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Objectives & Issues ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Issues ............................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Marketing Strategy ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 Positioning ................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Point of Difference .................................................................................................................................................. 10 Point of Parity ........................................................................................................................................................... 10 Product Strategy ...................................................................................................................................................... 11 Pricing Strategy ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Page | 1 Distribution Strategy .............................................................................................................................................. 12 Advertisements ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Third-Party sites/Aggregators ............................................................................................................................ 12 Internet Marketing .................................................................................................................................................. 13 Promotional Ideas ................................................................................................................................................... 13 Marketing Communication Strategy ................................................................................................................ 13 Market Research ...................................................................................................................................................... 13 Pestle Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................... 14 Political Factor .......................................................................................................................................................... 14 Economic Factor....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Social Factor .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 Technological Factor .............................................................................................................................................. 15 Legal Factors.............................................................................................................................................................. 16 Environmental Factors ........................................................................................................................................... 16 Action Plan...................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Financials and Budget: ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Break Even Analysis: ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Sales Forecast:........................................................................................................................................................... 20 Expense Forecast: .................................................................................................................................................... 20 Explanation of Major Marketing Expenses: ................................................................................................... 20 Linking Sales and Expenses to Strategy: ......................................................................................................... 21 Contribution Margin:.............................................................................................................................................. 21 Controls............................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Page | 2 Vision Cruise Magic is a great place to eat, combining a fascinating atmosphere with excellent, interesting food. The mission is not only to provide great tasting food and efficient service but also water-based leisure activities for complete customer satisfaction. We want to be the restaurant choice for all families and singles, young and old, male or female. Employee welfare will be equally important to our success. Everyone will be treated fairly and with the utmost respect. We want our employees to feel a part of the success of Cruise Magic Restaurant. Happy employees make happy guests The Current Marketing situation Market Description The restaurant industry in Pakistan is ever so evolving. It is the 2nd largest industry in the country with approximately 169 million consumers. Pakistan holds the world’s eighth largest market when it comes to food related business. It is estimated that in Pakistan, average consumer spends 42% of one’s income on food. The average food consumer in Pakistan dines out almost once per week. The annual growth of the industry is nearly 20%. Pakistani franchises such as BBQ Tonight, One Potato Two Potato, Hot Spot, Student Biryani, etc. have now expanded themselves to such a level that they are now offering their franchises to potential investors internationally. It is the 16% of the total employment in food manufacturing sector. There are over 4500 food businesses only in Karachi. Pakistan’s food sector is changing significantly with a rapid shift in lifestyles and traditional eating habits. Retail sales of processed food are expanding 10% per annum with current estimated size of about $1.4 billion. Dine out trend is increasing in Pakistan and is being taken as a leisure trip or a social gathering, which is very different than as it was perceived once when eating out was restricted to occasions and celebrations. Secondly, the trend is multi-faceted, as it is not only restricted to a segment or class which is being affected by the change in eating out trends. The trend is increasing amongst the youth as well as a family event, and more importantly its significance despite the increase varies in different social classes. https://journals.iobmresearch.com/index.php/JELCS/article/view/1765 Page | 3 Cruise Restaurants in Karachi Currently there is only one cruise restaurant named “Savor” being operated in Karachi, it is located at Karachi Creek, phase 8, DHA. Besides dinning services, they provide Cruise Service for General Public in collaboration with Dream Vacations & Tours. It is the only Cruise service available for General Public in Karachi and they also offer recreational water activities such as Boating and Jet Skiing. Since there no competition facing them in the city, Savor is enjoying a monopoly and charging much high prices for their services and some customers complain about their quality of food and services not justifying their high prices. Their staff is not well trained and food lacks taste and choices. At least one more cruise restaurant is needed in Karachi city to break Savor’s monopoly. Cruise Magic (An Overview) Cruise Magic is a cruise restaurant. It will be in the booming, and rapidly expanding, area of Defense Phase 8 'on the shore and with a land coverage of 2000yards approximately. The Page | 4 outlook of this restaurant will be promising it will be a fun and friendly place with excellent food where people will get the best of everything. It will be the perfect place when customers need that 'little extra.' They can have business meetings, family gatherings here, a place for a quiet conversation, or for a special occasion. Restaurant will be open seven days a week. The menu will be inspired from different countries' specialties and appeal to a diverse clientele but with a focus on our local Pakistani food. The menu will change every 3-4 months but keep the favorites. Prices will be competitive, but it is the strategy of Cruise Magic Restaurant to give a perception of higher value than its competitors, through its food, service and entertainment. The restaurant will feature two open air seating areas with comfortable furnishings and decor with soothing warm tones where customers will be served lunch, dinner, snacks, deserts and drinks. But the most attractive aspect of Cruise Magic will be its boating lounge, which consists of boats and small cruise ships, where people can simply have food, celebrate birthdays or even arrange wedding. Company Ownership The restaurant will start out as an LLC corporation, owned by its founders Fatima Iqbal, Abdul Wahab, Shah Muhammad Yaqoob, Sheikh Ali Arsalan Husain, Sherry Shafiq. Fatima and Wahab will work as General Managers, Yaqoob and Arsalan will work as managing partners and Sherry will work as FAO and focus on the financial issues. Competitive Review Basically, Cruise Magic has two kinds of competitors that should be considered for better competitive frame of reference. Direct Competitors: Following are the brands that are providing the same products or services that we offer. Savor Cruise and Boating Restaurant BBQ Tonight Charcoal Page | 5 Distribution Review Food distribution in Pakistan is composed of a variety of companies, organizations and programs that collect food from producers, store it in warehouses, and then distribute the food to restaurants and cafeterias. Most of the restaurants in Pakistan are using the traditional structure of distribution and supply chain processes that cause operational risks due to a lack of visibility into inventory management. Without proper counts and insight into real inventory levels, restaurants often over-and under-order product, leading to more waste or missed sales. Manually receiving product costs labor, and relying on employees to not only accept deliveries, but also check that product is in good condition upon receipt takes time away from guest service. Types of food distributors in Pakistan Cash and Carry distributors Cash and Carry distributors do not transport goods. Instead, they operate warehouses where food service operators can visit, choose products to purchase. Redistributors Redistributors do not sell directly to food service operators. Instead, they purchase directly from manufacturers and then distribute small amounts of the purchased goods to smaller distributors who are not equipped to deal with bulk quantities. Specialty distributors Specialty distributors specialize in a specific product category, they work only with niche food, imported food items like seafood, fruits and vegetables, for example Red and Yellow Capsicum, Thania is an ingredient which is not produced locally but imported from other countries. Broadline distributors Broadline distributors are the most general food distributor category. They typically handle thousands of products in large volumes, so they are often used by grocery store chains and other large retail food businesses. Page | 6 SWOT ANALYSIS OF CRUISE MAGIC Strengths The strengths of your restaurant lie in what you do best, whether it’s serving tasty food, offering quality service at the table or providing decor that makes the fun of eating at your restaurant a memorable experience. Unique Environment: Offers unique environment to our customers to enjoy good quality food on cruise and along the sea shores to have natural ambiance and made memorable experience Clean and Tidiness: Business exterior and interior is quite neat and tidy as compare to atmosphere provide by the competitor. Pricing Strategy: Prices are lot cheaper than what competitors is offering. Proper Boating Schedule: Everything is pre-planned and on time with 5-10 minutes leverage for customers. Trained and Knowledgeable Staff: Cruise Magic finds people with a good ethics and serving quality. Our staff is both knowledgeable and eager to please. State of Equipment’s: Large numbers of boats, Jet Ski and motor scooter, 2 big cruise ships to entertain huge audience. Boating, Jet Ski and motor scooter for rides are properly maintain. Privacy: Offering separate boats for private ceremony, couples and birthday parties at reasonable pricing Quality of Food: The quality of food is good and in appropriate quantities Marketing and Advertisement: Strong local business strategy and knowledgeable marketing and advertisement strategy is planned. We know the customers, we know the technology, and we know how to build the service that will bring the two together. Weaknesses Weaknesses give you an idea of things to improve in your restaurant and relying on an outdated point-of-sale system or using paper to keep track of ordering and stocking is a weakness, because there are better ways of calculating your stockroom, order and financial needs. Start-Up: Restaurant is new and not established. Weather: During the period of low tides, it is near to impossible that the cruise set sail. Page | 7 Not Enough Capital: Limited funds are available to expand. Furthermore, no dedicated mobile app for Cruise Magic Cons of Technology: People in Pakistan don’t trust e-commerce due to lots of incident of online scamming. Product Innovation: Product is already available in the market. Selected Target Audience: No kids-based marketing strategy is implied Lacks in Future Expenditure Planning: Increase in expenses and General administrative Transportation Issues: Transportation issues for lower middle class who don’t have their vehicles. Labor Turnover: Don’t meet the required number of staffs. Opportunities Look for opportunities that help your restaurant increase its profits, such as expanding or providing different types of food and beverages. Promotional Offers: People’s attraction towards promotional offers as per marketing strategies E-commerce and Technology: Utilization of technology in the best possible ways to stay competent in the market. Value Customer Needs: People’s need for variety in different sector of boating, entertainment, food and children play Market Potential: The market of Cruise and Boating restaurant industry is booming. Venture to Go Global: The business can be spread globally by establishing strong global strategies. Threats Competing restaurants located nearby represent a threat to your business, especially if you sell similar types of food or have similar dining experiences. Economic Crisis: Uncertain Economic conditions in Pakistan are real threat to business. Political Influences: Political problems in Pakistan (Like Extortion money) Changing Tastes of People: Nowadays people like to have different cuisines following trends that excite them. Page | 8 Strategies Can Be Copied: Competitor can easily do what we can do for flourishing our business Emerging Local Competitor: Hence, the cruise and boating industry is thriving; there is a mere chance that results in emerging of local competitors. Online Delivery System: Increasing trend of online food delivery at home, people prefer to save time and avoid hectic traffic. Objectives & Issues Objectives Cruise Magic objectives for the first three years of operation includes: Keeping food cost under 30-35% revenue. Keeping employee labor cost between 25-30% of revenue. Stay as a small restaurant with excellent food and service. Averaging sales between $1,000,000-1,500,000 per year. Expand our restaurant into Hotel Resort and Club Promote our business to other cities of Pakistan. Achieve 13% return on investment to investors for the first two years and 16% for the next three years. Issues Gaining competitive advantage and a unique selling point due to tough competition. Arrange and Plan at least enough capital to run the business for one year and cope with unexpected costs and increases. Changing consumer tastes and expectations, especially Millennials, have higher standards for quick service restaurants diet and nutrition. A perfect storm for brand management. Restaurants are struggling with the reputation economy, where a brand can live or die based on what is being said about them online. Designing a good, exciting and balanced menu is a challenge. Page | 9 Marketing Strategy Positioning The positioning of Cruise Magic: Offering a unique experience on the sea. Memberships for the family. Ideal for parties and family engagements. Live food straight from the sea. Sailing is a lifestyle activity. Freshness up the mind and relaxes it Promotes local tourism in the area. Caters corporate Events. Small Meetings with foreign Delegation. Collaboration with Kolachi Restaurant. Point of Difference The Difference that Cruise Magic has is that we have collaborated with the famous restaurant chain by the name of kolachi which is located on the coastline of Karachi at Dou Darya. The collaboration with this restaurant means that the food provided will be of the top most quality and that kolachi is an established brand in the market which is famous for its food. One more point of Difference for cruise magic would be that we have live music shows and Gigs that would be performed by artist across Karachi. This is a way of promoting our cultural music also and this would give cruise magic an edge over Savors. Cruise Magic also has a big dining area which can accommodate around 600 to 700 people at a time, we also have an indoor space that can accommodate around 150 people. Point of Parity The Point Of parity are numerous as we are a direct competitor of savors we also provide food at the coast line, we also have the ideology of giving family time to our customers as we give them a unique experience to spend their time on boats and cruise will they enjoy load of fun activities, those who want to enjoy their leisure time with their loved ones can also enjoy while they have their personal space, we also accommodate parties and conferences for the corporate Page | 10 sector and lastly we have a mix of culinary specialties which includes continental, Asian, Pakistani, Turkish and American cuisine. Product Strategy The Product strategy would be: The Actual Product: The actual product is that savor is a luxury cruise restaurant serving customers with a variety of culinary dishes at the heart of the sea. The Augmented product: The actual product plus several different offerings including Sunday brunch parties, cruise events, tours of the mangrove forest, promotion of culture, art and Pakistani cuisine. Also, Savors provides an opportunity for bird watchers and fishing enthusiast with the facility to have all this on our boats and cruise ship. The main USP is that Savors has collaborated with Kolachi which runs their Kitchen so it’s like the food is of the same taste and quality of kolachi. Pricing Strategy The pricing for Cruise Magic is intended to set the restaurant well above a fast food establishment. The rationale is that coming Cruise Magic is a special event and customers will feel they can splurge (both calorie-wise and money-wise) on starters, drinks, and desserts because a visit to Neon Memories it is not an everyday experience. Our pricing strategy will focus on providing high quality, healthy food that is quick and has a unique flair. Because of this, we expect to be able to charge somewhat more for our products than other stores, if the customers agree that the food is better than average. Coupons and first-timer deals will be relatively easy to find on the diner's website and in radio, print, and online ads, as well as local events. A standard first-timer deal will be a free drink or small starter with the purchase of a meal. Generally, these types of deals will only be available to first-timers, and all customers will be tracked by name and address when they take advantage of these deals. Page | 11 Distribution Strategy A distribution channel is a path/chain of intermediaries or businesses through which a product or service passes until it reaches the end consumer or the final buyer. A good Food Distribution system ensure that customers can eat strawberries in winter and pumpkin in spring. Maintaining the quality of food products is one of our major challenges. It’s a complicated, logistically-focused industry, but usage of new technology and softwares make a difference in streamlining some of the associated processes. An automated distribution system will be positioned at Cruise Magic by using the best technology available. It will integrate all stages of supply chain including wholesalers, retailers and transporters and ensure quality at each step. It will also help us in reducing lot of labor from the equation around inventory management, including proper rotation and expiration dates, so there will be tremendous labor savings there, as well as reductions in food waste. It will ensure food is of proper quality, helps the restaurant's reputation, and increase sales. Advertisements Advertising is a key to creating an upright distribution channel for any business. The individuals might decide to give our restaurant a visit after seeing one or more of our ads. We will make the best use of the following Print and Electronic Media to appeal new customers and to our restaurant and retain them by serving best quality, delicious food, there is a chance that they might recommend our restaurant to their family, friends and others. 1. Newspapers 2. Magazines 3. Bill Boards 4. Television 5. Radio Third-Party sites/Aggregators Third-party sites show the availability and offer reservations to customers at several restaurants. In case of no availability at a desired restaurant the Aggregator recommend another restaurant from its inventory. When a reservation is made by a customer, a confirmation through email or SMS is sent to both the restaurant and the customer. In Pakistan there are many online foodordering and delivering businesses such as Tossdown, FoodPanda, Supermeal, Olaround etc. but we are currently registered with FoodPanda which a famous online food guide app. Customers is can easily order food via mobile application of FoodPanda and get their favorite food served at home within shortest possible time. Page | 12 Internet Marketing It refers to online marketing or advertising efforts to promote a brand or business and its goods or services through Websites and emails and help drive sales, leads and traffic. We will create our Website and display our menu with nutritional information and special promotional events. Customers will be invited to join our mailing list. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages will be created to have direct interaction with customers and get their feedback through inviting them to Like and Subscribe our page. Special deals such as Two-for-one or Free appetizers will also be advertised through internet. Promotional Ideas We will design different promotional items such as Mugs, Writing Pens, T-Shirts, Key-chains with our restaurant name print on it and give it our customers so they remember us each time they see them. We will also promote our business by participating in local Food Festivals, promotional fares and trade shows, social events and apply to become caterers. Marketing Communication Strategy The marketing Communication strategies that Savors has developed: Savors uses social media marketing as they run their own website, Facebook page and Instagram page where they promote their club. 2. Savors also advertises on the newspaper, home magazine’s and advertise on TV. 3. Savors also does sales promotion by providing discounts on special holidays such as Eid and Independence Day which gives a boost to the sales. 1. Market Research Changing Trends Pakistanis are eating out more often than ever before and for a wider range of occasions. This fundamental shift has led to considerable market growth in the restaurant sector in recent years. According to State Bank of Pakistan statistics, Pakistanis are spending almost 40% of their income on readymade food. the exponential growth of the industry has been triggered by changing population demographics and psychographics, the ubiquitous influence of technology, higher disposable incomes of a growing middle-class and the increasing proportion of Millennials in the workforce. Changing Life Style A decade ago, dining out was restricted to special occasions, it has now become more of a leisure activity and a reason to socialize, whether it is after school, after work, or as a family. Page | 13 Moreover, with an increasing number of nuclear families in urban centers and more women entering the workforce, there is less time (and inclination) to cook every day. People like choices and autonomy and most working professionals these days crave convenience more than anything else. With conservative estimates suggesting that Pakistanis spend close to $1 billion a year on dining out, several technology start-ups are seeking to cash in on this highly lucrative market, seeking gains from a consumer market of 180 million people. Given that there are more than 25,000 outlets that can loosely be classified as “restaurants”, There are 600 A-quality restaurants in Karachi. offering dining options, menus, locations, even tips on what to eat., only about 200 or so are online,” Food business is a kind of business which yields profits irrespective of the economic situation of a country, it is not as prone to such risky external factors as a number of other businesses. Specially opening a restaurant in metropolitan city like Karachi, covers every aspect of making the restaurant successful. The capital requirements involved in opening up a local food restaurant are relatively low. If a person can smartly manage the quality, expenses, and marketing of the business, then this business has every reason to foster and flourish at a rapid pace. Pestle Analysis The following factors can affect a restaurant business in Pakistan Political Factor In budget 2019-20 Sales tax on food supplied by restaurants bakeries and caterers will get quite a bit cheaper as sales tax is slashed from 17pc to 7.5pc. Eating out has got a little easier on the pocket. https://www.dawn.com/news/1487598 In Pakistan there are regulations related to wages, hygiene and food quality that need to be complied with, for example, Hotels and Restaurant Act of 1976 applies to all hotels and restaurants in Pakistan and seeks to control and regulate the rates and standard of service(s) by hotels and restaurants. Pakistan’s food imports Page | 14 are generally regulated by the federal government and food standards are regulated by the provincial governments. Minimum wage in Pakistan is 17500 for unskilled workers. Economic Factor Although Pakistan is facing economic crisis particularly due to circular debt crisis, but Service Sector has shown the highest growth of 6.43pc as compared to Agriculture and Industrial sectors that grew by 3.8 and 5.8pc respectively. Restaurant industry accounts for 27% of its value-added production and it has great potential to grow. https://invest.gov.pk/food-processing Government has taken several measures and decisions to fix economic mess. Government’s priorities are to protect the economy from immediate threat and stabilize it, carry out economic reforms, have friendly relations with other countries, boost economic growth, attract more FDI, protect the less privileged, make the rich pay tax, and adopt austerity measures. Social Factor Pakistan’s culture, society, customs, norms and lifestyle are influenced by the Islamic ideology of state, for instance people don’t eat Pork and alcohol is prohibited in the country. The social and religious values must be respected by the businessmen/entrepreneurs. Moreover, the social perception of health in Pakistan has changed vastly, Media has played its own important role in creating health awareness. Consumers’ changed attitude pressed the restaurant brands to include low calorie and organic food options in their menu. Technological Factor Technology is the most dynamic factor. Rapid technology advancement and change can impact a restaurant business for sure. Usage of Computer, Mobile Phones, CCTV Cameras and gadgets is increasing in Pakistan. Employers can have a closer look at their employees and other operations by installing CCTV Cameras controls in their mobile phone. There are several restaurant management and accounting software for example POS and QuickBooks Online with so many options and processes available in Pakistan. If these software’s are used properly it can increase the flow of profitability. Technology has also affected the marketing and advertising of the brands. Social media and online ordering have changed the style of customer service in Pakistan. Page | 15 Legal Factors Legal and local bodies can influence a restaurant business in Pakistan. These regulatory authorities frequently visit the different areas of the restaurant like kitchen and store to check the different food items quality and expiry, staff and other hygiene conditions. Environmental Factors The 1997 Pakistan Environmental Protection Act demands that: persons as well as companies under its prohibitions and regulations not to emit or discharge noise, waste or air effluent and pollutants that flout the National Environmental Quality Standards. Recycling and Waste management are some areas where brands are forced to change their approach. Public Awareness and Changing government rules and regulations pressed the brands to adopt a greener approach. Restaurant management keep indoor plants and take care of cleanliness on a regular basis while the external surrounding should also be clean and hassle free so that customers can easily reach the place. They use recycled material and implement a proper food waste management policy. Donate leftover to charity and needy people. Every environmental Action Plan The competition among restaurants is fierce, and one needs to give his all to be successful. Social Media Presence: Arguably the very best way to promote restaurants online is with high-quality, drool-inducing photos. Visual content is in high demand online and having delicious looking photos on websites and across various social media outlets is essential for drawing hungry eyes. Have some fun with hash tags – whether jumping on the hype of existing popular Twitter hash tags like #Throwback Thursday or inventing own hash tags are a great way to have some fun with fans. Often, the restaurants with a strong social media presence as part of their restaurant marketing plan are the ones that are the best, and in the competitive food industry, ignoring social media is a death sentence. Create a Facebook business page and a Twitter account to share special discounts, exclusive coupons, photos of newest dishes, and promote own news accolades. But setting up accounts is only half the job – it’s also essential to keep up with what activities are happening on social sites. Outsourcing Different Services: Page | 16 Partnering up with online food apps (Food Panda) should definitely be a consideration as part of restaurant marketing plan. Partnering with online apps encourages visitors to check out the restaurants so they can indulge and stay connected. Set up Google+ Account Setting up restaurant’s Google+ account is as important. When a business is searched within Google, Google’s Knowledge Graph provides the business’s details in the sidebar. Google’s Knowledge Graph gathers a large chunk of its info from Google+, so having a business set up on Google+ is a huge bonus, as having restaurant appear via Google’s Knowledge Graph allows for more prime search. Geo-targeted Ads Most folks are looking for good eats close to home, and you’ll get the most value out of online marketing efforts by investing primarily in geo-targeted ads. Geo-targeting ads help save money, ensuring that only users in certain cities or within a specific radius see specific ads. Send Out an Email Newsletter Restaurant newsletter doesn’t have to be weekly – in fact, users will probably appreciate a less flooded inbox if it is simply sent a newsletter every month or so. Use email newsletter as a chance to celebrate success, discuss new menu items, or share special discounts. Promote User-Generated Content User-generated content is a great way to develop personal and intimate engagement with users. Host a photo contest by asking customers to share their favorite meal at establishment, and share the entries on a dedicated content page. Consider awarding some random lucky contestants with a free appetizer or other prize! Hosting and promoting user-generated content shows customers that they are appreciated, turning occasional visitors into die-hard devotees. Show off Staff Page | 17 In an age of robotic customer service reps and soon to be self-driving cars, the human element is severely lacking. Show off 5-star staff doing what they do best! Seeing happy, smiling employees does wonders for reputation, as customers long to be served by joyful workers. Showing off pleasant employees also provides major reputation points. Happy workers say a lot about a business, and fans are sure to take notice. Share Positive Press Another major restaurant marketing tip – when mentioned in a news outlet or magazine, show off good publicity on website and via social media. Fans will spread the word, and newcomers will be encouraged to visit in person when they see trusted sources celebrating the restaurant. Have a Celebrity Influence Business startups need immediate attention and the best way to spread the news in town is to indulge a celebrity who has large fan following, invite the celebrity in the restaurant, get the shout out and record his reviews to get maximum people’s attention. Start a Blog Starting own blog is a great way to build community and engage with customers. Blogs offer the chance to experiment with restaurant’s voice and personality. Share successes and struggles, funny stories, recipes, and anything else that might be interested in customers. Food Blogger Outreach When a new restaurant is established, it is difficult to generate reviews and hype about business. One great way to get reviews and press on the web is to invite food bloggers to restaurant to give a try and consider offering a free meal or appetizer to get them in the door and share their experience online. Sleek, Functional Online Menu Users love to do research online before ordering from or visiting a restaurant. Don’t make users scramble to find the menu, publish a high-quality, easy to read menu that is up to date and accurate. Page | 18 Offer Coupons and Discounts Providing coupons and discounts for restaurant is always a surefire way to bring customers running. Offer a free dish to new email newsletter subscribers. Reservation Tools MagicCruise.com. Website is an online reservation tool that lets customers book reservations for establishment online! Patrons love it when life is made a bit easier for them. Fish Bowl Business Card Giveaways Let customers drop their business cards into a bowl for a raffle. The reward can vary – a lunch for the winner and 10 friends, a 2-hour happy hour with discounted drinks, Not only are these raffles fun, but Business cards can also be used by emailing customers. Let them know that while they didn’t win this time, they can sign up on website to be notified of their next chance to enter, plus the opportunity to hear about discounts and other offers they’d enjoy. Source Local Ingredients Customers love to hear that they’re eating local, and sourcing local ingredients from nearby can do a lot to boost your fan base and give a positive reputation in the community. If it’s not out of budget, consider this option! Financials and Budget: The marketing plan is built on these truths: The marketing budget is based on a percentage of sales value. Currently, that value is set at 20%. 2. Building a strong brand and brand loyalty is critical to the success of Cruise Magic. 3. Marketing is a critical component of the Cruise Magic business plan. 4. The relationship between marketing dollars spent and revenues generated is positive only to a certain point. We don't feel that a marketing budget based on 20% of sales is close to that point where additional marketing dollars spent won't create additional 1. Page | 19 revenue. If we can manage, we plan to spend more than 20% of sales on marketing in future years. However, we want to keep this relationship in mind as we consider spending more on marketing efforts. 5. Our understanding of the need for strong branding and emphasis on marketing gives us a competitive edge over other restaurants in our area and potential competitors. Break Even Analysis: Cruise Magic is operating in an industry capable of supporting high gross margins. Variable costs in relationship to per-unit revenues are low. Variable costs are equal to roughly 25% of per-units revenues. It is our hope that as we move into the future and continue to build relationships with our suppliers, this value will decrease further, approaching a value of 20%. Fixed costs for Cruise Magic equal almost PKR 500000. Fixed costs include: payment of debt, facility lease costs, hardware costs, Cruise cost, Boat cost and other costs Cruise Magic must maintain on a monthly basis. These costs are fixed and aren't impacted by an increase or a decrease in sales. Currently, Cruise Magic will break even at a monthly sales point of PKR 1000000. Sales Forecast: Revenues for the first year of operation are based on an almost 10% growth rate from month to month. This is an aggressive estimate, but we feel that our strong emphasis on marketing will have positive results. Annually, beyond the first year of operations, we're predicting a growth rate of roughly 10%. The plan will be updated as we receive more information. Expense Forecast: The marketing budget will consistently equal approximately 20% of sales. One of our strongest strengths is our marketing and brand building capabilities, and the aggressive marketing budget reflects the importance we attribute to our marketing activities. Currently, the marketing budget beyond year one remains set at 20% of sales. It is our hope to increase this budget should sales and efficiencies of scale allow us to do so. Explanation of Major Marketing Expenses: • Local TV spots… In our first year of operations, we will spend PKR 2 million on TV spots. TV spots allow us to reach a large audience and effectively target our market. Page | 20 • Print Materials... Print materials always require a significant budget. They include: flyers, literature distributed internally, novelties for customers, coupons, and anything else we can squeeze into this budget. • Local Newspapers... An important part of our marketing efforts. Newspapers ads will give us a vehicle for consistently getting our message/brand in front of many potential customers. We believe this vehicle will get our message to seniors, which make up a large portion of our target market. In addition, the business section will provide us with a means for communicating with our business customers. • Local Radio Spots... These are an inexpensive way to secure many daily impressions. • Cruise Magic Events... This will include local events, motivational speakers’ seminars, magic show for kids with families. • Customer Happiness Representative... This employee will monitor the level of happiness amongst Cruise Magic customers. They will be responsible for: developing customer satisfaction programs, monitoring happiness levels, responding to customer concerns, and the general wellbeing of every Cruise Magic customer. Linking Sales and Expenses to Strategy: Our marketing expenses are tied directly to our sales revenue. As sales increase, the marketing expenses will increase. Currently our marketing expenses equal roughly 20% of sales, and we hope to increase that value in the future. Our programs will be monitored for efficiency and return on investment. Periodically, we will survey our customers to determine the effectiveness of our programs, and we will adjust the marketing mix appropriately based on our findings. Contribution Margin: The Contribution Margin chart and table presents a strong outlook for Cruise Magic first year of operations. 1. Sales increase an average of 10% per month in the first year. 2. Contribution margin runs at roughly 50%. 3. The marketing budget is consistently based on 20% of total revenue. 4. A strong focus on Social Media is apparent in the expense breakdown. Page | 21 5. The marketing budget is spread evenly throughout the year. Controls The goal of this marketing plan is to outline the strategies, tactics, and programs that will make the sales goals outlined in the Cruise Magic business plan a reality in the year 2020. We have these marketing obstacles to face: • The creation of a unique, innovative, upscale atmosphere that will differentiate Cruise Magic from other local restaurants and future cruise restaurants. • The establishment of Cruise Magic as a community hub for socialization and entertainment. • The creation of an environment that won't intimidate the novice user. Cruise Magic will position itself as an experience Dine inn for its customer. Our marketing efforts will be focused on building the image outlined above. We have milestones and sales goals to meet and a business plan outlining our first and second year of business in detail. It will be critical to use this marketing plan and the Cruise Magic business plan as living/working documents. We can't allow them to sit in a file. They must be used as a map for the future success of Cruise Magic. Conclusion There is no one fit all solution for every restaurant. All new restaurant needs to experiment to find out which marketing channels work best for them and concentrate on a few areas rather than spread themselves thin and try cover them all. It might suit a restaurant to be on an aggregator for discovery but to also optimize their own website and brand and take direct booking requests under that too. What is important to realize is that this is a changing landscape and every restaurant must stay on their game to keep ahead. Page | 22