The Botanical
www.thebotanical.com.au
169 Domain Road
South Yarra, VIC 3141, Australia
+61 3 9820 7888
Open Weekdays 7am-3pm, 6pm-10:30pm; Weekends 8am-3pm,
6pm-10:30pm
 
The Botanical is an iconic venue in Melbourne. A regular place getter in The Age good food guide,
The Botanical sets a high benchmark for style and excellence in Melbourne’s bourgeoning restaurant scene. Luxurious, sexy, light-filled and spacious, the split-level dining room is decked out in granite, stainless steel and glass. In addition to the restaurant, there's a drinking area dominated by a huge white marble bar, and a small adjoining courtyard with a big-screen TV for beer-and-sports nights and an open fireplace. Those more inclined to gossip over a designer-martini or a glass of vintage champagne hover around the Bubble Bar, a glamorous and decadent space adorned with crystal chandeliers and exotic silks.

The kitchen is headed by acclaimed chef Paul Wilson (Chef of the Year, Good Food Guide 2002). His talent for combining flavours never fails to surprise and delight, with new and interesting creations constantly popping up on the menu.
(credit: www.bestrestaurants.com.au)

If you’ve read the news or watched it on TV then you’ll know that the world economy is currently suffering, people’s assets are decreasing in value, consumer confidence is down and people in general are spending less. Inevitably in this environment, ill prepared businesses are going to experience some trying times and the stark reality is that some will fail. But this doesn’t necessarily need to be the case, or at least it doesn’t have to be the case for you, as long as you take some measures to make your business more secure.    
 
The basic ways to make your business more secure is to increase the number of customers coming to your store, increasing the amount your customer spends each visit, or by reducing costs associated with each sale you make (thereby increasing your profit margin). The good news is that with some creative thinking, some hard work and with the right guidance, all of these things can be achieved simultaneously.
 
Strategy 1:
 
Improve the value for what you offer.
 
In a market that is shrinking and where consumers are spending less, many would make the automatic assumption that you need to think about reducing your costs and spend less – the truth is you do, but not at the expense of the quality of the product you offer; this will only turn more customers away. If you reduce the quality of your offering in comparison to your competitors, there is a high chance that your competitors will begin to look else where. You need to do the opposite; you need to increase the quality of what you offer without significantly increasing your costs. You need to make your business more inviting than your competitors, or offer a completely different experience that they enjoy.
 
Is this possible? Definitely. There are ways to reduce costs without negatively affecting the quality of your offering, in fact you can even improve your value proposition whilst reducing costs (a value proposition is the service / product / appearance of your business that you offer in exchange for money from your customers) – here’s how!
 
Start with the right attitude. In my experience as a café reviewer and salesperson that has visited hundreds (possibly thousands) of cafes and restaurants across Australia and
New Zealand, I have seen that many cafés (a large majority even) can do the fundamentals of their business a whole lot better. The sobering reality is that if you haven’t undertaken training recently to improve your skills or looked at what other businesses are doing, you are probably getting left behind by the businesses that doing so. It’s an arrogant perspective to presume that what you are doing is better than everyone else if you haven’t taken the time to see what else is out there!
 
Make a list of successful businesses to visit to get some ideas on what they are doing to make themselves successful - go for what the general public consider being the best, travel to the other side of town if you have to. During my time in the industry I have come to realize that there are a lot of commonalties between businesses that make them more successful.  Most of it comes down to doing the basic things very well. In a café this relates to service (speed, professionalism and friendliness), appearance (ambience, aesthetic appeal and cleanliness), quality of product (tasty and visually appealing food and coffee) and reputation (word of mouth, a favourable awareness of your business). Now is the time to be humble and take an objective look at how other businesses are doing things better. You can find these cafés by looking at café reviews in industry magazines and websites, asking people in the industry, or by speaking to your coffee roaster, coffee trainer, or other sales reps that may visit your business.
 
Here are some things to look out for when considering what influences the success of a café or restaurant:
 
General Appearance:
 
Customers tend to visits places that reflect their own personal self image or identity. E.g. if you take pride in your appearance, why would you go to a business that doesn’t?
 
-         A coat of paint is a relatively cheap way to improve the appearance of your business, especially if you do the painting yourself. You can also adorn the walls with features that you can either make yourself or buy. Knick knacks and features can bring personality into your business – you can find a lot of interesting items reasonably cheaply at markets and auctions, second hand on sellers (including ebay etc) and garage sales.
-         Display artwork from local artists – you might find that local artists would be willing to display their art at your business if you are willing to direct enquiries / facilitate the sale of their art. In return your business can be constantly updated with new visually appealing displays.
-         Bring plants and foliage into your business – plants and flowers can transform stark cold environments by bringing life vibrancy and visual appeal into your business.
-         Refresh or brighten up menu boards and signage, ensure that everything in your business conveys a common theme targeted at appealing to the customers preferences and self image.
 
Service
 
Service doesn’t cost anything but conveys a lot about the care you have for your customers and can greatly affect the level of comfort they experience. A poor service experience can leave a negative impression with the customer even if you do everything else well.
 
-         Setup checklists of all the tasks and service related duties that need to be completed by staff members each day. Systems help to ensure consistency of performance between staff and to minimize waste. This might also be a good opportunity to ask your staff and customers for ways that you can improve your business. Consider placing surveys on tables for a week offering product discounts in exchange for their completion.
-         Train your staff to be courteous and acknowledge and seat customers on their arrival.
-         Encourage staff to up-sell other products from your menu. A friendly and courteous approach with suggestive selling can increase the amount that each customer spends at your store. Consider running competitions with your staff on who up-sells the most product. E.g. an extra $50 to the staff member that sells every item from menu during a shift or has the highest takings for the day.
-         Make better coffee.  Consider bringing in a coffee trainer to provide coaching to your staff on how do things quicker and more efficiently. Usually the expense will pay for itself very quickly, with waste being reduced and customers asking for second cups and telling others about their experience. E.g. Are you grinding coffee on demand? Are you using the smallest milk jug possible for the number of cups you are making? Are you cleaning your machine daily? If you said no to any of these questions it is likely that you could improve your product and benefit from barista training.
 
 
Products
 
Consider a menu change!

-         Now might be the time to see what else is out there. You might be loyal to a particular supplier but how many options did you evaluate when you made your initial selection?  In this economic climate there might be more on offer from suppliers than you previously agreed to. I’m mystified by cafes that do not consider new alternatives for their business, often blindly adamant they offer the best product despite having ever compared what they do to anybody else. Sometimes this comes from a fear that a change in their business might turn customers away; but is this fear really warranted? Is keeping everything the same really the best thing for the long term interests of your business? Avoid complacency and explore possible options for improvement and try new product options with your customers as they become available. They may welcome the change!
-         Offer more healthy options with less meat (e.g. increase the number of salads, pides etc on your menu). These items are also quick to prepare, cost less and improve the service time for your customers.
-         Make more of the product you serve rather than buy it in - home made is almost always well received by customers and it is likely that you will save money in the process.
-         Present your food better. This is something that doesn’t cost much but can definitely improve the customers appreciation of the food you serve. Consider the way you cut items and place them on the plate, the pattern or design in the coffee you serve, the way you garnish you food you serve or what additions you could place on the customers plate as a little treat. Attention to detail can make all the difference.
-         Spruce up your menu - Add menu descriptions that arouse and appeal to the senses. An enticing menu description for each dish you serve can increase the customers perception of the value they are getting for their money.



Strategy 2:
 
Reduce Costs
 
Use less but offer more!
 
-         Consider the portion size of the products you serve – this can reduce costs and improve product quality. E.g. What size cappuccino cups are you using? Larger cups that hold more milk can actually diminish the flavour experience associated with having a coffee. E.g. are your cappuccino cups 180ml, 200ml or 220ml? reducing your cup size from 220ml to 200 ml can reduce your costs and improve the strength / flavour of your coffee. Consider also that all staff use the same amount of ingredients per cup (e.g. for a hot chocolate, the number teaspoons or scoops is easier to measure than a squeeze from a sauce bottle).
-         Reduce waste. How much coffee is wasted by the design of your coffee grinder hopper or by the dosing method of your staff whilst making coffees? Some businesses are literally putting good coffee straight into the bin. How much milk are you wasting by using large jugs – the best milk for coffee is produced when fresh milk is steamed for each cup prepared. If you are using large milk jugs cups (generally any more than a 2 cup jug) you are either reheating milk which produces an inferior product or tipping it out which leads to wastage. Even very busy cafes can use smaller jugs if they have the right equipment setup, trained staff and efficient work flow setup.
-         Roster your staff according to the needs of your business. Have flexible working hours – if a day is not so busy, roster less staff on or send them home early.
-         Turn off stoves or cooking equipment that is not being used.
-         Install energy efficient globes or lights that turn off when not in use (e.g. in the toilets)
-         Reduce the amount of disposable items used in your business – e.g. paper towels for cleanups, use cloths that are washed properly and have a specific purpose (e.g. benches, dishes, coffee machine).
-         Consider alternate suppliers for high quality but cheaper alternatives.
 
Strategy 3:
 
Prospect New Business!
 
After you have reduced costs and increased the average spend of your existing customers (through up-selling etc), the next thing to do is to prospect new business. This doesn’t have to require a large spend on advertising. The trick here is ambush marketing and creating positive PR through free media exposure and word of mouth.
 
Here are some places to start, it is a great idea to develop a marketing plan (there are plenty of examples and templates you can download off the web, e.g., try the Small Business Victoria website): 
-         Register your business in local council business awards
-         Submit your café to industry magazines for review
-         Invite the writer of the food section from your local newspaper to your business
-         Consider having your staff give sample product (biscuits / cakes / chocolate etc) to businesses in your area (this can entice the business owners and their customers into your store)
-         Offer discounts / incentives to groups or associations in your area.
-         Hand out promotional offers (e.g. coffee cards) at your local train station
-         See if you can leave pamphlets / menus at local businesses
-         Improve the signage / display of menus etc of your shop front
 
These measures should help differentiate your business from your competitors and improve upon your existing trade. There are heaps of cost efficient ways to attract new customers to your business, the best way to start is by setting aside time to plan what you hope to achieve. Write down some goals that are specific, measurable, realistic and achievable within a given timeframe, research and devise a strategy to achieve these goals and then act in accordance with the plan. If you are unsure of where to start or how to go about it, seek the advice of an industry professional (a good place to start might be speaking to a few successful restaurateurs or café owners) or employ the services of an accomplished industry consultant (make sure you do reference checks and seek testimonials).

In April Nathan Headed to New Zealand for a 2 week tour of the Coffee companies in the North and South Islands. It was a time for visiting existing customers and new prospects, along with the scenic wonder that New Zealand has to offer.
 
Nathan’s trip started in Auckland, reconnecting with our existing customers in Coffee Lab, Altezano, Chiasso Coffee Roasters and Toasted Espresso. It wasn’t long before Nathan was highly caffeinated, just as well the tight schedule required me to head down south, not before checking with a few of the other notable locals in NZ’s proudly touted specialty coffee industry - Kokako, The coffee warehouse and Café Ben to note a few.
 
A surprising observation cited by Nathan was that although New Zealand’s Coffee Industry had come along way (and probably able to offer some pointers in some respects to us competitive Aussies), was that much of the specialty focus appear to overshadow any real developments in chocolate and tea (or at least what he had observed in the time he had). A great opportunity for Somage, but a sign that much education and some street level café involvement would be required to make a sizeable impact on the NZ market.
Nath’s travels took him south to Hamilton (thanks Aunty Col for the lodging!), where Rocket Coffee and Laroma were the notable places to visit. After leaving his phone behind and a creative bit of sleuth work to rescue it back, Nathan continued moving south to Wellington. There was some beautiful scenery during this part of the trip with Mt Ruapehu, standing brilliant against an otherwise desolate landscape. Down in wintery Welly (surely he’d find a decent chocolate there!), he visited People’s coffee, Café Laffare and Coffee Supreme. The roasters here were really well established, but again, the kiwis didn’t quite get the whole tea and chocolate thing.

So it was of to the south island by ferry to Picton, again some stunning coastal scenery which inspired him to head to Nelson and tour the Abel Tasman National Park. This was a great chance to work off some of the extra pounds gained from the wonderful hospitality he had experienced from extended family along the way. In Nelson, Nathan called into Pomeroys, where finally he ran into some passionate tea lovers, the Pommeroys store boasting a wide selection of tea and tisane varietals and a welcoming staff to match.

It wasn’t long before he was on the road again, soon stumbling on the wine lovers bliss known as Belnheim, in the heart of New Zealand’s Malborough Wine Region. It was a magnicent site to acres and acres of grapes as far as the eye could see in all directions. After a short stop at CPR Coffee, Nathan saved a traveling soul by offering a lift to a foreign back packer headed to Kai Kora on the North Eastern Coast of the South Island. With no time for whale watching, Nathan continued on to Christchurch. It was refreshing to arrive at the burgeoning populous, with European architecture, and some open minded Kiwis interested to see what us Aussie folk had to offer in the advance of chocolate and tea. Nathan was really quite chuffed by the hospitality shown from the folks at Vivace, Lyttleton coffee co and C4 coffee who made him feel welcome.

Nathan reflected on what was a really enjoyable road trip which pretty much covered most of the North Island and the top of the South. “I think New Zealand’s got huge potential, the people are passionate and creative, the scenery beautiful and the weather conducive to café life. I hope to get back there again some time soon”. 

Special thanks to all those who supported Nathan on his trip – Geoff and Wendy Bramble, Colleen Ross, Clive Aitken and anyone else we may have missed.