bakingbuyer - August 2011 - (Page 36)

FOODSERVICE INNOVATIONS Lunch IS IN THE bag tour guides don’t have to deal with making a lot of change. Keeping the choices simple also help keep things running smoothly. He keeps the options to two sandwiches, perhaps with a vegetarian or gluten-free option. “Too many variables makes it very complicated,” Eyler says. “Otherwise, you’re going to end up with 60 sandwiches, some with onions, some with mayonnaise, and so on.” He has a strict policy that substitutions can only be made in the case of a life-threatening allergy. But the bus tours only account for a few months of business out of the year, so Eyler supplements with group rates on bag lunches for events such as corporate meetings and retreats. The response has actually been bigger than Eyler could have imagined. “It’s a big part of our business,” he says. The tourists are only here from July to October, so this bag lunch thing for corporate and seminar groups really help us bridge a gap in our f d finances.” Being located more or less in the country has helped him get those corporate accounts. With a peaceful location ideal for a retreat, there isn’t a vast array of dining options like consumers see in bigger cities. “People hunt us down,” Eyler says. “We have like a 45-mile radius.” JOANIE SPENCER Nestled inside an old grist mill in the quaint riverfront village of Littleton, NH, is Miller’s Café and Bakery. Anyone who is familiar with the Northeast United States knows that the warm summers and fall foliage are big draws for tourists. And at Miller’s it’s a big draw for business, as well. During the autumn season, bus tours bring “leaf peepers” — tourists who visit New England to experience the beauty of the fall foliage—throughout the region, and they often come right through Littleton, which sits on the Ammonoosuc River. Millers’ offers group rates on brown bag lunches for many of the bus tour companies. “Sometimes they’ll dine with us,” says Miller’s owner David Eyler of the tour groups. “But more often than not, they’re just coming by to visit the town and pick up lunch to take on the bus and eat prior to stopping at their next location.” A big lesson Eyler has learned from providing these to-go di h lunches is that when serving large groups like this (the tours are usually 40-60 people), you must keep things simple in order to be successful. It can be a little tricky with busses,” he says. For example, some tour companies will include lunch in the cost of the tour, but others might collect the money on the bus. So Eyler charges an even $10 per lunch so the 36 · BAKING BUYER · AUGUST 11

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bakingbuyer - August 2011

bakingbuyer - August 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE - Consumers Cut Portions
CONTENTS
INDUSTRY NEWS - All Things Baking Educational Program
INDUSTRY NEWS - Caravan Announces Staff Changes
INDUSTRY NEWS - Symrise Offers Tropical Fruit Flavors
INDUSTRY NEWS - Dancing Deer Unveils 100% Whole Grain Line
INDUSTRY NEWS - Allergen Free Spray Addresses Market Need
BREADWINNERS - The Whole Truth About Whole Grains: Installment Two
BREADWINNERS - Food Shoppers Shift Attention to Fiber, Whole Grains
BREADWINNERS - Team USA Profile
DESIGN OF THE TIMES - Cake imatating Life
DESIGN OF THE TIMES - Be a Flavor MAD Scientiast
BAKERY BIZ TIPS - Invest in Retention
FOODSERVICE INNOVATIONS - Lunch is in bag
CONSUMER PURCHASING - Parents Push for Nutrition
Cake Couture
Inventive Hospitality
Honey Sweetens the Deal
EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY - Portion Control
FEATURED PRODUCTS
LIQUID ASSETS - tea: The Wonder Drink
SMALL TOWN BAKER - ADIEU FROM CANDO
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
MARKETPLACE NETWORK
AD INDEX
BAKER’S DOZEN

bakingbuyer - August 2011