Well, the good news is it's not just us and the bad news is it's not just us. Qurble.com which originally began as U Gotta Eat has been in operation for a year and a half. We've been fighting since day one to build this company as most consumers began cutting back on eating out. See the thing is we don't have anything to compare our experience in business to besides the current business climate which for the restaurant industry in general ain't that good. We know the area is facing between a 15 - 17% unemployment rate, the highest in the state. And that the entire country, is reeling from the current economic situation but, at the end of the day you still wonder... is it just me?
The true answer we've learned from this is no and yes. When first starting there would be days when absolutely no one would call in an order. NO ONE!! Those were long and daunting days. Imagine waiting by a phone for 12 + hours of the day for nothing. Pretty demoralizing but, you can either give up or find out what the heck you're doing wrong and change it. The reason I mention this is because the reason no one called is because no one knew we existed! The fact is there are a lot of restaurants whos sales are down so no it's not just us but,... there goes that lovely word "but", what we noticed is that even though people may be eating out less often they haven't stopped eating out completely. And what places are consumers going to eat at? Restaurants that have the most notoriety or most familiarity, namely the Olive Garden's, Outback Steakhouse and Chili's of the world.
So what have we learned from this? In tough times people don't stop spending completely they just go for what's the most dominant in their minds. Mention Chili's for lunch with a group of people and almost everyone will know what Chili's is and know that if they spend money there they most likely won't be disappointed. Where as, mention you're local mom and pop shop, with some exception, and there is a more than likely a slight pause. The difference is marketing! We are constantly hearing about deals from big chains like Applebee's, Chili's, etc. who may or may not have deeper pockets to stay afloat (sorry Krispy Kreme) so it's only natural when looking for a place to eat that these businesses get a majority of the pie.
So what have we here at Qurble.com learned: Market, Market, Market and then when done Market some more. The secret to financial success in the worst of times is just market your goods and services.
Best Regards,
Derek Caffe
Chief Executive Officer
Qurble.com
330-743-8135
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