Any Ideas for specials in a small family owned restaurant in Greece?!
Any Ideas for specials in a small family owned restaurant in Greece?
My family owns a restaurant on a Greek island and right now the business in slow. The tourists we work with are from England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Slovakia. The other restaurants put items for VERY cheap, like 10 euros for two which includes two entrees, salad, and wine, and we can't compete because we serve higher quality foods. Do you have any ideas of foods, particularly from the countries mentioned to draw in some customers? Our menu consists of greek foods, mexcian food, pizzas and pastas.
Answers:
Ti kanis! I suppose your family is greek? Try serving homemade chicken shiskabobs served in lemon with a cucumber sauce. Called souvlakia and tzatziki.
Maybe some live music and/or an authentic Greek band...or a guitarist or violinist to walk among the tables and play? Serving some meals outside (if you don't already)?...
Well, I can't imagine that tourists are traveling to Greece and wanting to eat their native foods...Isn't that part of the thrill of traveling?
However, if you believe that to be the case, try checking into some websites that will cue you in on local foods from those areas, then try incorporating 1 or 2 items into your restaurant's menu.
British Food:
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/...
http://www.fellwalk.co.uk/londonfood2.ht...
Dutch (Holland & Denmark) Food:
http://www.thehollandring.com/food.shtml...
http://www.godutch.com/windmill/recipes....
Swedish Food:
http://www.freeway.org/issue1/food/tidni...
http://www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/...
Norwegian Food:
http://www.matoppskrift.no/sider/english...
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~norway/re...
Slovakian Food:
(scroll to Food)
http://www.itisnet.com/english/e-ce/e-sl...
http://www.heartofeurope.co.uk/features_...
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Also, if you can't compete with the other restaurants low prices on a constant level, why not try a special for lunch.
Or do something like a "sunset menu", where you offer an appetizer/starter, entree/main, and dessert/after for a set fee, make the choices slim, like only 3 or 4 of each category. Or perhaps try serving a free glass of wine with dinner, or an after drink of ouzo or something like that.
You need to be creative to try and draw people in. Keep working on it, I am sure your family will do well....they are lucky to have you helping!!