Thursday, April 16, 2009

No Reservations...Except Those Around Our Potential Location

Ok, so I know we've sung this tune before -- but where do we want to be? Our location is critical, as it will be the only port from which we can sell our goods...mankind has not come so far as buying fast food online. One day, my friends...one day. And we aren't a delivery kind of place, either. So to help us critique the locations we have been considering, one of our advisers instructed us to put together a market analysis detailing the contending locations for Saus.

So far we have three spots: Newbury St., Coolidge Corner, and the Faneuil area. I will take you through some of the issues we are deliberating before making a decision: Newbury St. would allow us to become a hangout for college kids and young professionals, but would we be overshadowed by the many storefronts and dining options? Also, Newbury shuts down at a certain hour. And Coolidge Corner has the college students, but is primarily a family neighborhood. Also, the Coolidge Corner spot is way too big and would require a great deal of work. Lastly (for now) we have the Faneuil location. We would be off the Quincy Market strip and amongst the pantheon of the Faneuil bar gods. You know what I am talking about. If you are or were ever a college student in Boston you visited one of the bars at the urging of your friend from Lowell...or Quincy. The spot would do wonders for late-night volumes and could get the tourists in as well (it's right on the Freedom Trail). Sounds ideal, right? But here is the sixty four thousand dollar question: Do we really want to be positioned as a late-night food joint? A large part of our business model is that we buy locally grown produce and we make everything from scratch, and in-house! Though, after 10 Sam Adams Summer Ales can one really tell the difference between homemade and microwaved frozen food? Perhaps. But the point is we don't want to diminish the value of our offerings and the experience we wish to be creating for our customers (and no, by "experience", we do not mean projectile vomiting onto our front window).

Our search does not end here, dear friends. We shall continue on the Freedom Trail of retail space led by our good broker John (who refuses to wear a tri-corner hat when he shows us these places...we'll keep trying). In the meantime, please tell us what you think. If you can answer the sixty four thousand dollar question, or at least attempt to, we will give you a big hug. Thanks.

3 comments:

Gregory Collier said...

So, the right spot is the one you will end up in. That being said, you should prioritize the elements of the right spot. You know, put science and logic to a decision that is purely emotional. You are guaranteed to come up with the answer (not necessarily the right answer, but the answer indeed).

xtine said...

I think your business will thrive the best in Fanueil Hall. As beautiful as your concept is with all the sustainable farming and whatnot, you need to remember that your product is a snack food. It's a treat, and not one that Americans are accustomed to having its own place of business (like an ice cream store). I think you would be doing your business a disservice by not catering to the late night crowd. And I don't think that staying open late will negate your overall concept. Yes, people may not be all that concerned with your mission statement at 1am, but do you only want to serve people who care where their potatoes were grown? Probably not. After you are established, you can expand, open new locations, and focus your concept at bit more (kind of like Boloco did).

Anonymous said...

By choosing Faneuil Hall as your location, I do not think you would be defining yourself as a late night eatery. Yes, you would probably see a significant percentage of your business come from those college drunks with the late night munchies, but the beauty of Faneuil hall is that it's busy both day and night!