Month 8 - May 29, 2006
Cereal Bowl attracts the press
Related Content
BY JIM WYSS
jwyss@MiamiHerald.com
But it's going to take more than savings to turn the cash flow corner. And it's also going to take more revenue.
While they think cereal sales are close to topping out, they believe they can boost coffee sales by about 40 to 50 percent.
Last month they brought on Miami marketing firm Kaboo Kaboo to help them promote their joe to the commuting crowd - but decided they needed to look inward first.
``We have to fix our marketing inside the store before we start trying to market ourselves outside,'' Kenneth said.
They are starting by moving their Seattle's Best Coffee pots out from behind the counter into a self-serve station in the dining area. That way customers can pour their own coffee - similar to the way drinks are handled at many fast-food chains - and leave the staff more time to concentrate on specialty drinks such as cappuccinos and iced mochas.
MENU CONFUSION
Another problem is the menu board. Though extensive and stylish, customers find it hard to follow and employees find themselves spending lots of time talking customers through the process.
``Too many sales have to be generated by our staff,'' Kenneth said. The board will be revamped to draw customers down the counter step-by-step.
They're also bringing in a secret weapon for the summer - a frozen yogurt machine.
Glassman had been pushing the idea since the the beginning, but the Rader brothers were worried it wouldn't fit into their cereal theme. Glassman persisted and eventually found a machine capable of blending cereal with the yogurt. (Think Fruit Loop freezies. Glassman swears they're incredible).
According to Josh's calculations, the machine could add a few hundred dollars to the bottom line each month and give them a chance to woo an entirely new set of customers.
``In a group of five or six people there are always one or two that don't like cereal,'' he said. ``We have to recognize that.''
And all the articles in the world won't make some people want to eat cereal.
Join the discussion
The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.




















My Yahoo
@Nyx.replyAnswerText@