 The FEAST Business Model
The original three lodestars of the FEAST business model were
superior-quality food products, authenticity and extraordinary personal
service. These customer
TESTIMONIALS, collected over the years, confirm what can happen when all three exist in sync.
Summary
The full-feature FEAST business model is an e-commerce food
delivery service that starkly contrasts traditional ghost kitchen
models in nearly every way. Yet it uses ghost kitchen-like facilities to operate. FEAST businesses are
community-centric, independently owned-and-operated entities capable of producing a wide variety of superior-quality food products for delivery each
week with a healthy focus on flavor and artisanal culinary values.
With little discernable direct competition, the model thrives on aligning quality, authenticity and personal service. It’s proven, scalable, and can focus on a
select few or many quality food products simultaneously, depending on your
objectives. Unlike most ghost kitchen
models, designed for speed and on-demand production, the FEAST model allows you personal time and space to explore your creative culinary instincts, develop
new and unique flavors for your food products and engage your customers
directly. And relish in no nights or weekends.
With a dedicated team of three to four, our experience with this
model has successfully managed the ongoing weekly production of all the
following food categories
at once, averaging deliveries in the hundreds of
individual meals per week.
▪ Complete, oven-ready gourmet dinners and entrée salads
▪ Nutritionally
balanced, portion-controlled meal prep
▪ A large variety of
quality frozen products
▪ Soups and gumbos /
Breads and baking
▪ Corporate lunches
and other commercial functions
▪ Wholesale to retail
/ Limited event catering*
▪ Specialty sauces,
dressings and marinades
▪ Preparation of à la
carte butcher meats, seafoods and other specialty items
*Food only, no setup or service
While
our experience has been that customers enjoy options when they order each week, nothing about the model would prevent you from offering a narrower
range of food products. In theory, any
of these individual categories could be the basis for successful growth, depending on your objectives. For example, our model could easily support a
kitchen producing and delivering only frozen foods, or only soups and gumbos.
Compare & Contrast, Part II
Picking up from the homepage, here are four more ways the FEAST business model distinctly differs from traditional ghost kitchen models.
Core Food Products
FEAST food products are heavily rooted in the MEDITERRANEAN
DIET
by design. The flagship product of the FEAST model has always been a residential
meal delivery service called Dinner-for-Two, a gourmet meal for two people. These are
complete, oven-ready meals that include an entrée, a salad or vegetable, and a
side, all individually packaged and delivered chilled for customers to complete
in their own ovens at their convenience. Also available in each weekly order cycle are lighter
offerings such as cool salad entrées and distinctive soups and gumbos by the
quart.
A complete line of quality frozen food products complements the
fresh offerings, including traditional casseroles, gumbos and à la carte.
These have always been popular add-ons to weekly orders and integral to the
model in our experience. Visit the
RECIPES page for more information about FEAST food products.
Market
Your business objectives will largely
determine what product or products you will offer and to whom you will market
them. Our experience focused primarily on residential meal delivery that was concentrated
on a middle to upper-income demographic, mostly empty nesters and busy
professionals, who were very responsive to both the quality products and
services offered. Frequently, you can market the weekly menus as the basis for customer
social functions such as club meetings, dinner parties or office events.
Previous successful collaborations beyond residential
meal delivery have included working with other culinary professionals and
nutritionists with private clients, a very rewarding niche. Our additional markets included specialty product
lines for bookstores, coffee houses, gyms, corporate functions and personal chef opportunities. Your local market may be slightly different but should
track in a similar pattern using established marketing techniques and may have also have additional
opportunities to explore.
Regardless, FEAST models thrive on personal
relationships and are most effective when they concentrate on and build ties
in the hyperlocal community.
Customer Experience
Customers interact via a secure, fully-branded
e-commerce
WEBSITE. An email is sent each week with all the available options
for delivery the following week, and customers place their orders online by
Sunday night via a link in the email. The website has additional information about
ingredients, food allergens and nutritional content for each item, delivery
specifics and other company information. Credit cards are charged at the
time of order. Regular orders are delivered chilled to customers two days a week in the
afternoons with complete heating and plating instructions. Special orders are dropped off by prior arrangement.
Get in touch anytime at 713.858.5468 or INFO(at)FEAST-BRANDS.COM to learn more about how you can get started with this
versatile and exciting alternative business model for substantially less than
trying to build something out yourself.
We
have the tools and experience to help you get a new business into orbit
quickly!
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