by Miel Feria, SERDEF Media Bureau
(first published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Sunday Biz Section, June 17, 2013)
With the start of another school year, some enterprising Pinoys set their sights on the lucrative business of school canteens since it is again open season for the various canteens in and around schools. Not only are canteens profitable, work hours are ideal and you get to go on vacations during school breaks.
But managing school canteens is no walk in the park. Just like in any other business, it doesn’t hurt to study and know all you can before jumping in head first. Books are not enough, we need to get out there and see for ourselves.
From interviews with canteen owners, here are some pointers to keep in mind in putting up this food business:
Ø Locate strategically
Considering that youngsters usually have very limited time for their lunch, mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks, you must locate somewhere readily accessible to your market. Generally speaking, the closer you are to the school gates, the better for you. Also as a general rule, the bigger the school you are catering to, the bigger your prospective market will be.
If you have been awarded a concession to operate the school canteen right within the campus premises, then there is little leeway for you as far as location is concerned: your location is pre-ordained. You will be serving more or less a captive market. This is no call to be complacent, though. Your so-called “captive” buyers still have other options: to run for the nearest eatery outside or bring their own baon.
Bigger schools run their canteens like a food court, with several concessionaires vying for the customers’ favor. In this situation, you still have to try to wangle for the best spot – the one with the most foot traffic — vis-à-vis other concessionaries.
Ø Know your market
According to some of the Canteen owners I talked to, one of the major pitfalls in running a canteen is failing to take into account the students’ financial capacity. You cannot, for example, put up a high-end coffee and donut shop in a canteen where students won’t be able to afford it.
While some exclusive schools boast of franchises in their canteen areas, many students cannot afford high-ticket fares. A regular student in a middle to lower end school probably won’t be able to afford filet mignon for lunch.
Ø Make your menu always fresh and interesting
Over time, your menu which may have at first hit it big among your young customers, may have become all too familiar and boring. Be sure you offer a wide variety of choices to stave off reactions of “nakakasawa to the death.” Your old standards may be served with a new twist. For example adobo flakes or adobo with pineapple slices might sub for the “walang kamatayang” old-fashioned adobo you serve day in and day out.
Ø Be aware of current fads and trends
Keep up with current fads and trends among the students. A popular watering hole for students should be loaded with the latest snack food or drink. Students are picky, fads are as changeable as the weather and it is imperative that you keep abreast with the latest fad since lagging behind would make your store “baduy” and “wala sa uso” in the eyes of your customers.
Ø Be on the lookout for new products and trends
Being aware of the current fads is not enough. You should also be on the lookout for new products advertised on TV. Sherry, a canteen owner said that students would often look for snacks they see on tv the night before. “Minsan kahitwala silang balak bumili pero nakita nila ang kaka-advertise lang sa TV, bumibili sila agad”, she added.Also, it is not enough that you follow the trends and fads, you should be bold enough to start one too.
Ø Practice good PR.
Smile a lot and train your staff to be constantly cheerful, too. Students need a breather after hours in the classroom with probably some grumpy or overly-strict teacher. It wouldn’t hurt to call them by their first names. Accommodate reasonable requests like an extra helping of your fantastic chicken gravy or serving their favorites more often. You must also learn to be accommodating to the school administrators. Great pakikisama is what Filipinos are known for and you need an extra dose of good will in succeeding in a canteen business.
Ø Be prepared for hard work.
A food business needs very close monitoring and supervision by the owner. Good hygiene and food sanitation is of foremost importance and you have to train your staff to stick to certain food handling standards. Your inventory must be “just in time” — not too much nor too little. Having too much may mean spoilage and having too little would translate to lost sales opportunity. This calls for a good inventory system.
Photo: “<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/9106303@N05/7820480568″>Caution: School Lunch</a>” by <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/9106303@N05/”>Mike Licht</a>, c/o Flickr. <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>Some Rights Reserved</a>