Sunny skies take a Chicago caterer to the streets
In
honor of Earth Day (April 22), Sopraffina Marketcaffe in Chicago unveiled and
began using an electric Xebra van with solar panels on the roof for its
catering deliveries in downtown Chicago. The vehicle runs on electric
power throughout the day and can be charged by the solar panels. Though
not a lot of sunlight reaches the street in the middle of the Windy
City, the panels are able to suck up some juice. At night, the vehicle
recharges at a standard outlet.
"The economic impact on
companies is marginal and the environmental impact is huge," said Dan
Rosenthal, president of The Rosenthal Group, which owns five Sopraffina
Marketcaffes. "Electric vans should become the vehicle of choice for
city-based deliveries. Every minute our van is on the street it is
telling our potential clients that we are making a serious effort to
help the environment. We're delighted to be the first in Chicago to
have this type of vehicle."
The Xebra truck hits a top speed of
40 MPH and is virtually silent during operation. It was modified with
special compartments to keep insulated catering containers secure so
food remains at the correct temperature during delivery. The vehicle
does not require gasoline, diesel fuel, oil or any of the regular
maintenance of conventional cars. And it costs about three cents per
mile to operate!
"With high gas prices, the timing is right for
electric cars, but when you are talking about Earth Day I think it all
comes down to doing the right thing," said Mike Jessup of Jessup's
Automotive where the van was purchased. "This truly is a unique vehicle
- I look forward to getting more of these out on the road."
Test
drives of the Xebra are available at Jessup's Automotive, 1118 East
31st Street, La Grange Park, IL 60526 or by calling 708-352-8800.
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Uncovered opportunities
When Soiree Catering & Events won the first 2008 cover of catersource Magazine
in the annual cover contest, they also found a great bonus opportunity.
Not only was their photo featured on the cover of the January 2008
issue, but it was also reproduced on the tote bag at the 2008
Conference & Tradeshow. "The magazine cover has definitely been a
great tool to show potential clients. It gives our clients pride to
know that their caterer has graced the pages of a magazine," says
Marissa Courday or Soiree. "It's nice to have bragging rights!"
She
notes that not only clients but also peers have taken notice. "We have
received inquiries from other caterers via our website in regards to
the recipe and the plating of the dish," she says. "Also at the catersource Conference I received a lot of compliments on the photo; it was so exciting to see it on all of the tote bags!"
So
what do you do when you've been recognized with an achievement? Toot
your own horn! While it may feel self-serving to you, your clients will
only see the accomplishment and the credibilitiy it adds to your
product and services.
> > Share it! Use
this as a way to make a connection with your client. Make sharing this exciting news the perfect reason to reach out and start a conversation
with an email, letter or phone call.
 > > Post it! Make
your great accomplishments public. Marissa says "We've put [the cover]
on our website, slideshows that we show clients and in our quarterly
newsletter."
> > Release it! Write
and send a press release to your local paper. It doesn't matter how
small the story is, you never know when a member of the local media
will pick up on your news. Here's another tip: the more often you send
new information to the media the more likely they are to eventually
pick up one of your stories!
. . . . .
We're now taking entries for the 2009 catersource Magazine Cover Contest. Deadline for the January 2009 cover is October 31, 2008, but we'll
accept future cover entries all year. Photos should be in vertical
format and available in 300dpi high-resolution at 8x10". Send your best shots to artdirector@catersource.com
If your photo
is too big to email, please send it on disk to:CATERSOURCE COVER CONTEST
250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 550
Minneapolis, MN 55401
If you have any questions about cover photo requirements, please contact artdirector@catersource.com or call 877.932.3632
Congratulations to all our 2008 Cover winners - so far!
January: Soiree Catering & Events; February: B&B Catering; March/April: Good Gracious! Events; May/June: Robert Ryan Catering |
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More catersource winners
Thank you to everyone that completed our 2008 post- Conference survey. All participants were eligible to win a complimentary registration to the 2009 show - and the winners are:
Amber BalshawPreferred Sonoma Caterers Petaluma, CA Annette ConradMarquette University Milwaukee, WI Tim PaulUS Coast Guard Portsmouth, VA Robert OwensTraditions Restaurant & Catering Tyler, TX Cindy ParkeyYakima Valley Memorial Hospital Yakima, WA We'll see YOU in Las Vegas!
February 22-26
Las Vegas Hilton
& Convention Center
. . .
Surviving a tough economy
With rising gas and food prices, and talk of an upcoming recession,
many businesses are changing the way they operate. What changes are you
making to your menus, operational procedures or pricing to survive
this period? Email your business survival tips to
editor@catersource.com, along with your name, company name and
city/state. Your tips might become part of an upcoming catersource
article on Surviving a Tough Economy.
. . .
Looking for recipes, ideas and new concepts that will add revenue to your bottom line TODAY? Chef David Peake and catersource have some money-making solutions in a brand new set of catering DVDs.
"If you get just ONE new idea from these DVDs they've paid for themselves!"
- David Peake
. . .
What is life without food? Good food and good life go hand in hand.
Take this quiz and see how much you know about your biological fuel.
. . .
If you have a story, idea, question or comment for Get Fresh, please email us at newsletter@catersource.com
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