Marketing Plan
Marketing Strategy: “FAST food doesn’t have to be FAT food!”
Soupe Café offers Montreal’s urban professionals, and even busy moms, an alternative to home-cooked meal that is healthy, tasty and affordable. It guarantees nutritious and high quality food despite being considered a fast food. Its soup and meal menu changes daily so customers would have a variety to choose from every day. For customers’ convenience, it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, either as dine-in or take-out. It even delivers within the vicinity of Montreal for individuals or large group catering with a minimum delivery charge and at amount of order (SoupeCafé.com, 2011).
The intended niche (market segment)
Soupe Café is in the Little Burgundy within Le Sud-Ouest area of Montreal. The area is known for its fusion of several neighbourhoods. It is a borough of working-class and industrial origins, grouped around the Lachine Canal. It is estimated that there are about 10,765 families with children living in the area. Rapid economic development had been observed in the borough since the early 2000, such that a number of old factories and vacant lots were turned into lofts and condominiums. There are numerous parks, schools, hospitals and commercial markets in the area which makes it busy on both weekdays and weekends (Habitation Montreal, n.d.).
Characterizing this community, Soup Café is poised to serve urban professionals and busy residential families, as well as tourists coming into and going from the area for work or entertainment. With the current trend of healthy living, the meals the restaurant serve aims to satisfy the immediate need of the borough’s residents and visitors for a delicious home-cook like and healthy food. There has to be a variety in the menu so that customers do not feel eating the same kind of soup or meal on their daily order. It is affordable because it is after all, an alternative to fine dining and close to the cost of cooking at home. Lastly, the restaurant is designed small, with only about seven tables because it recognizes that people in the area are always on-the-go. It differentiates from other fast food restaurants that serve large number of customers in its location, because Soupe Café promotes take-outs and orders for deliveries in different order quantities or sizes.
Unique Selling Point
Convenience, affordability, but tasty and healthy food—these are the selling points of Soupe Cafe. It takes pride that all its meals are prepared under the owner’s guidance, Jeannine Scott, who has a degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from the University of Manitoba. Her twenty years of experience working in hospitals, weight loss clinics, and restaurants honed her skills to develop menus that are not only delicious but also nutritious. What is most important, cooking has always been her passion and it shows in how the restaurant is becoming popular (SoupeCafé.com, 2011).
For specifically health-conscious customers, the restaurant provides calorie and nutrient breakdowns for its servings. Their meals are based on Canada’s Food Guide. In terms of convenience, the customers can order for delivery or drop in for a quick dine in or take out. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM - 8:30 PM. On weekends, it is open from 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM. The prices are affordable and very competitive with other typical fast-food restaurants, where soups can be bought as low at $2.00 and meals for about $5.99/serving (SoupeCafé.com, 2011).
Marketing Mix (4P’s)
Product
Aware of the multicultural mix of its target market, and their urban needs and lifestyle, Soupe Café offers more than thirty different kinds of soup. It serves a variety of soups ranging from Spicy Indian Dhal soup to French Canadian Pea Soup, Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup, to Italian Vegetable soup. For those who love to have their soup as a meal itself, there are the chilis, chowders and thick soup such as, beef chili, spicy seafood chowder and chicken orzo soup to name a few. Its soup menu is flexible for dine in or take out, whether for individual serving or for catering large groups. (SoupeCafé.com, 2011).
For big gatherings, parties or any event, Soupe Café delivers in platters of cheese and vegetable dips, cold canapés, hot Hors d’oeuvres, breakfast plates, and pretty much whatever they serve in the restaurants i.e., wraps, and sandwiches, soups and salads. For gourmet dinner parties, Soupe Café offers full-service catering of four course gourmet dinner menu for a minimum price per head, depending on selected menu (SoupeCafé.com, 2011).
A full list of the menu is in Appendix B to illustrate the range of choices any type of customer could pick from.
Price
Soupe Café knows its niche. It acknowledges that it is fast food restaurant in a highly competitive market. Thus, it has set its pricing at an affordable level to customers and strategic volume pricing depending on order sizes. To illustrate, below are its price ranges (SoupeCafé.com, 2011):
- Soups: 1 LITRE: $6.99 ~ 16 OZ: $3.89 ~ 12 OZ: $2.79 ~ 8 OZ: $1.99
- Chilis, Chowders and Thick soup: 1 LITRE: $9.59 ~ 16 OZ: $4.99 ~ 12 OZ: $3.79 ~ 8 OZ: $2.99
- House salads: Large$3.89 ~Small $2.79 / Tossed salad with choice of protein: $7.99 (2 scoops) and $4.59 (1 scoop)
- Meals are for $5.99 per serving while pastas are $6.49 per serving
- Wraps are served in full for $6.00 ~ Half for $3.15
- Healthy desserts are priced between $1.25 and $1.99 per piece.
- For group caterings, large platters of vegetables, fruits and cheese are priced as low as $12.50, Cold Canapés- $14.45, and any type of servings of wraps and sandwiches for at least $6.99.
- For gourmet dinner, Soupe Café offers full service for a four course dinner starting at $50 per head.
As part of its convenience factor, the restaurant delivers orders placed before 6 PM, from Monday to Friday, given the following charges:
- Within St. Henry: $3.00 for >$15 order
- Downtown: $6.00 for >$25 order
- Montreal Island: $15.00 for > $50 order
Place
Strategically located at 2725 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal, QC H3J 1N9, Soupe Café is close to major commercial streets which include Boulevard Monk (Ville-Émard), Avenue de l'Église (Côte Saint-Paul), Rue du Centre (Pointe-Saint-Charles), and Rue Notre-Dame (Saint-Henri and Little Burgundy). The Rue Notre-Dame in Little Burgundy is notable as a centre for antiques dealers while one of the best known public markets in Montreal, the Atwater Market, is also close to its location (Habitation Montreal, n.d.). This gives Soupe Café a captured market of residents in the surrounding neighbourhoods, working people in the commercial areas as well as tourist and visitors of the parks, historic and market places.
Promo
Soupe Café has a website that provides background about the restaurant and the meals it offer. It gives sufficient information to the target customers about the menu, prices, operating hours, and delivery sizes and charges. It serves for business use and for promoting the restaurant. Aside from this, the restaurant thrives through word-of-mouth advertising, as well as online feedback from Yelp and Google. It is even included in the restaurant list for tourist websites promoting Montreal tourism.
Revenue projections in brief
Figure 1: Soupe Cafe Revenue Projection
Given the rapid economic development in the area, it is projected that Soupe Café’s revenues will grow by as much as 10% annually for regular restaurant meals and by 15% per year for the catering side of the business. Assuming an average dine-in and take-out customers of 150 per days and at least 2 catering orders per day, with an average price of $7 and $50 per order, respectively, Soupe Café has the potential to expand sales from about $300k in Year 1 to $400K in Year 4 (Figure 1).
Appendix
Soup Café Menu
SOUPS:
Tomato Soup Provençal
Winter Vegetable Soup
Curried Apple & Zucchini Soup
Carrot and Ginger Soup
Curried Lentil & Lemon Soup
Butternut Squash Curry Ginger Soup
Vegetarian Lovers Creamy Lentil Soup
Navy Bean Soup with Ham
Spicy Indian Dhal Soup
Spiced Cauliflower Soup
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Roasted Red Pepper & Black Bean Soup
Chunky Leek & Potato Soup
French Canadian Pea Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash with Nutmeg
Cream of Leek and Pear Soup
Spicy Carrot Dhal Soup
Italian Vegetable Soup
Alphabet Vegetable Soup
Spiced Tomato Soup
Roasted Tomato and Mixed Bean Soup
Mushroom Bisque
Hot n’ Sour Mushroom Soup
Sweet Potato, Apple, and Red Lentil Soup
Tuscan Vegetable Soup
Curried Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup
Creamy Asparagus Soup
Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup
Pasta Fagioli Soup
Roasted Red Pepper and Carrot Soup
European Pea Soup with Dill
and many more
1 LITRE: $6.99 ~ 16 OZ: $3.89 ~ 12 OZ: $2.79 ~ 8 OZ: $1.99
CHILIS, CHOWDERS AND THICK SOUPS:
Beef Chili
Tex Mex Chipotle Beef Chili
Vegetarian Chili Con Tofu
Vegetarian Spicy Bean Chili
Mesquite Chicken Chili
Spicy Seafood Chowder
Chicken and Corn Chowder with Tarragon
Chicken and Asparagus Chowder
Corn and Potato Chowder
Salmon & Barley Chowder
Black Eyed Pea Chowder with Turkey
Traditional Chicken Noodle Soup
Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup
Chicken Orzo Soup
Mulligatawny Chicken Soup
Chicken Gumbo Soup
Mexican Beef & Corn Soup
Beef, Bean & Barley Soup
1 LITRE: $9.59 ~ 16 OZ: $4.99 ~ 12 OZ: $3.79 ~ 8 OZ: $2.99
GAZPACHO (Summer only):
1 LITRE: $9.59 ~ 16 OZ: $4.99 ~ 12 OZ: $3.79 ~ 8 OZ: $2.99
HOUSE SALADS:
Couscous Salad with Fresh Basil & Dried Cranberries
Curried Quinoa Salad with Cilantro & Peanuts
Chic Pea Salad with Tomatoes and Fresh Parsley
Mexican Corn Salad with Fresh Cilantro
Lentil Bulgar Salad
Large$3.89 Small $2.79 ~
MEALS:
Vegetarian Sweet Potato Burritos
Shepherd’s Pie
Eggplant Parmesan
Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
Vegetarian Tamali Pie
Chicken Pot Pie
Chilean Beef & Corn Casserole
Butternut Squash Polenta Bake
Black Bean Tortilla Pie
Salmon Cakes with Brown Rice
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
$5.99
PASTAS:
Italian Beef Lasagna
Chipolte Beef Lasagna
Beef Pasticcio
Curried Chicken Penne Bake
Chicken Florentine
Mexican Black Bean Lasagna
Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna
Jumbo Cheese Stuffed Shells
Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna
$6.49
SWEET POTATO BURRITOS: $6.00
SANDWICHES:
Turkey, Brie, Apples and Onions on Multigrain Ciabatta
Tomato, Feta, Zucchini & Fresh Basil on Olive Ciabatta
Ham, Swiss, Banana Peppers and honey mustard on Multigrain Ciabatta
Tuna, Pickles, Tomatoes, and Dijon on Belgian Multigrain Bread
$6.00 or half $3.15
WRAPS:
Chicken Salad with Dill and Tomatoes on Cilantro Lemon Wrap
Hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach on Whole wheat Wrap
Roast Beef, Cheddar, and Horseradish Sauce on Red Pepper Wrap
$6.00 or half $3.15
SALADS:
Tossed Salad with Choice of Protein:
Tuna Salad
Chicken Salad
Quinoa Salad
$7.99 (2 scoops)
$4.59 (1 scoop)
OTHER HEALTHY ITEMS:
Sour Cream Brownies:$1.25
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies:$1.25
Savory Cornmeal Cheese, Jalapeno Muffins:$1.75
Loaves (Cornmeal Cranberry Loaf, Zucchini Coconut Loaf, Pumpkin Spice Loaf):
$1.45 per slice
Muffins (Morning Glory, Banana Crunch, Bran Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin,
Gluten Free Apple Carrot, Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb, Gluten Free Chocolate Banana):$1.75
Energy Bars (Cocoa and Peanuts, Peanut Butter):$1.99
Source: SoupeCafe.com (2011)
Reference
Bplans.co.ok (n.d.). Cafe Bistro Coffeehouse Business Plan. Retrieved from
http://www.bplans.co.uk/cafe_bistro_coffeehouse_business_plan/strategy_and_implementation_summary_fc.cfm
Habitation Montreal (n.d.). Le Sud-Ouest. Retrieved from
http://www.habitermontreal.com/en/my-neighbourhood/le-sud-ouest
Marketing Plan Pro (2014). Sandwich Restaurant Marketing Plan. Retrieved from
http://www.mplans.com/sandwich_restaurant_marketing_plan/situation_analysis_fc.php
Mind Tools, Ltd (2014). The Marketing Mix and the 4Ps of Marketing. Retrieved from
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_94.htm
RestoMontreal.ca (2014). Soupe Café. Retrieved from
http://www.restomontreal.ca/en/2998/Soupe-Cafe?show=ratings#down
Soupe Cafe.com (2011). Welcome and Menu pages. Retrieved from
http://www.soupecafe.com/soupecafe.com/Welcome.html
