Authentic JA Cuisine

Final Draft

Msoptimistic1

October 20, 2012

Table of Contents

1.0 Executive overview Pg. 3
2.0 Situation Analysis Overview Pgs. 4-5

2.1 Market Summary Pg. 6

2.2 SWOT Analysis Pg. 7

2.3 Competition Pgs. 8-9
2.4 Product/Service Offering Pg. 10

2.5 Keys to Success Pg. 11

2.6 Critical issues Pg. 12

3.0 Marketing Strategy Overview Pg. 13
3.1 Mission Pg. 14

3.2 Marketing Objectives Pgs. 15-17

3.3 Financial Objectives Pg. 18

3.4 Target Markets Pgs. 19-20

3.5 Positioning Pgs. 21-22

3.6 Pricing Strategies Pgs. 23 3.7 Marketing Attack Strategy Pgs. 24-27

3.8 Marketing Research Pgs. 28-29

4.0 Controls Overview Pg. 30

4.1 Progress Milestones Pg. 31

4.2 Marketing Organizations Pg. 32

4.3 Contingency Planning Pg. 33

5.0 Conclusion Pg. 34
1.0 Executive Overview

The economic downturn has affected how restaurants are marketed. Marketing campaigns of the 1980s were aimed at image and status. Since most of today's consumers, even those in the upper-income strata, are dollar- and value-conscious, price and value will be the key marketing concepts of this decade. Another recent change is the increased emphasis on creative, high-impact marketing promotions that generate restaurant traffic and increase guestroom occupancies.
It is hard times but influencing consumer perception is critical for restaurants that not only sell food but also treats or snacks or beverages. Competition is fierce in this category; and innovation and marketing are paramount for survival. Even though customer traffic has slowed, consumers haven't stopped buying good food.

2.0 Situation Analysis Overview

There is a lack of quality Jamaican restaurants in the Charlotte North Carolina area. As a result of, many Jamaicans and potential customers who enjoy eating Jamaican food are forced to settle for eating what they can get from surrounding restaurants who attempt to cook the food and other people are forced to bring back a little of frozen Jamaican food after their visit in the country. Differentiating ourselves from other Jamaican and island restaurants will give us the ability to effectively compete on the food and pastry side of the business with the already entrenched competition. Sales are brisk and in-line with projections. The dining in and delivery services side of the business will be rapidly accepted by the local community as many people are using their phones to search for nearby restaurants especially with from universities in the surrounding areas. Students nearby love to gather for lunch and dinner, also the local business people love to stop by for a quick bite and check out what the restaurant atmosphere is all about.
Market Summary
Authentic JA Cuisine will be located in the beautiful Charlotte, NC area. The diverse population makes this area an ideal location. The city is known for its Southern hospitality and forward thinking attitude.
SWOT Analysis

This area covers the restaurants strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and should be read carefully so you can vision the success of the restaurant and any possible bottlenecks

Competition
Authentic JA Cuisine doesn’t have much Caribbean restaurant competition in the area, however, there are other American restaurants that offers food in the same price range who are all considered competitors as well.
Product/Service Offering
The restaurant will be offering delicious authentic cuisine from the island, prepared the same way it would have been cooked to create a sense of being on the island. Lunch, breakfast, and dinner will be provided.

Keys to Success
The restaurant will need to attract as many customers as they can and this will be the key to success. The quicker the word goes out about the restaurant and its theme the quicker all will visit and purchase.

Critical issues
As a new restaurant in the area, Authentic JA Cuisine will need to pay close attention to their marketing budget as this area is critical so that there are no problems in maximizing the business full potential. It is also easy to spend too much and have no money left for detrimental marketing efforts.

2.1 Market Summary
Authentic JA Cuisine is faced with the exciting opportunity of being the first-mover in the local island cuisine market. The popularity of Jamaican jerk chicken and pork combined with the growing interest in the island seafood dishes has been proven to be a winning concept in other markets and will produce the same results here. The target market will be the Charlotte, North Carolina area including the surrounding cities. Charlotte is a beautiful, clean community with a high quality of life, Southern hospitality and a forward-thinking, New South culture. 1.7 million People call the Charlotte area home and Charlotte is among 22 U.S. cities with at or near minority/majority populations according to the 2010 U.S. Census. From 2000- 2010, Charlotte-Mecklenburg's population grew by over 32%, and the 16-county region now has a population of over 2.6 million (Charlotte in 2012). The college students, Jamaicans living in the area, and people who are familiar with the country dishes will be the main attractors.

2.2 SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
* As the owner and being a Jamaican myself, I am familiar with the island dishes and know how to prepare them. * The chef will be my brother-in law who has over twenty five years’ experience in preparing the meats and seafood dishes from the island. * Guaranteed $275k financial backing from bank. * Strategic alliance with the surrounding universities to do catering. * My husband will be bringing over ten years’ experience in Marketing. * Jamaican food is very easy to prepare, eat and recognize by all ethnicity. * Smaller menu which will lower food inventory cost. Weaknesses:

* Not a strong Jamaican community. * Prices will be a little more due to a higher than average expected food cost. * Introducing people to Jamaican dishes who has never eaten it before.

Opportunities:

* Lack of competition * Expand in the Charlotte metro areas * Renting space real estate is affordable * Live Jamaican music will play at the restaurant once a week

Threats:

* Competition from surrounding restaurants * Economy * Grocery stores

2.3 Competition

There are three Caribbean restaurants in the area, Anthony’s Caribbean Café, Twilight Lounge, and Caribbean Hut. You also have the fast food restaurants in the area that are not Caribbean restaurants, but these restaurants offer fast food that will be close and similar to the price range that will be offered in the restaurant. Such as Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, McAllister’s and Shane’s Rib Shack.
The two main direct competitors for Authentic JA Cuisine are Caribbean Hut and Shane’s Rib Shack because Caribbean Hut serves only Jamaican food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner just as what Authentic JA will do. Shane’s Rib Shack offers American food but it will be the best substitute as they focus on pork, chicken and beef all at similar price point as what JA Cuisine restaurant will be offering.
Caribbean Hut does a good job in offering the Jamaican jerk chicken and fish, however, they do not provide jerk pork which goes hand and hand with Jamaican dishes. The restaurant also doesn’t provide any Jamaican vegetables with their dishes such as salad and steam vegetables (Calaloo). Also, no Jamaican desserts are offered that are offered in the restaurants such as the famous rum fruit cake, Gizzada (coconut pastry) carrot cake, sweet potato pudding, Toto (coconut cake) and assorted Jamaican ice cream flavors. Caribbean Hut restaurant does offer alcoholic beverages at the bar that is located in the restaurant which creates a very small and cram space for their customers. Authentic JA Cuisine will make sure that the customers have enough space and offer more Jamaican dishes and provide the island music as well. It is anticipated that Caribbean Hut will try to offer more Jamaican dishes and pastries as a result of our opening.
Shane’s Rib Shack does great smoked ribs, chicken and pork. They also serve sandwiches, burgers, salads and assorted side items along with soda’s and juices. This food is very easy to prepare and the prices ranges from seven to fifteen dollars. This price range is where Authentic JA cuisine will primarily focus especially for their breakfast and lunch items. In anticipation to the restaurant opening, Shane’s Rib Shack will not do much of anything because they are a chain and will not be affected to the extreme to where changes in price and menu items will need to be made.

2.4 Product (Service) Offering
Authentic JA Cuisine is a Jamaican restaurant that provides different dishes from the small island. The food will be prepared and served the way it would have been served in the country so it creates an environment of home to all those people who are from the island, others who have visited, and anyone who would like to try the food for the first time. The food will range from breakfast items, lunch, and dinner. To supplement the food, Jamaican beverages will be served and pastries served which is the substitute version of the typical desserts offered in the American restaurants. The restaurant will provide in-house dining, pick-up order, and delivery to customers.
The restaurant will have a competitive edge as it will create an atmosphere much like if you were at a restaurant in Jamaica. Jamaican music will be played once a week, the food will be prepared with real Jamaican seasoning and spices, meat will be jerked, and the drinks and juices will be served in the restaurant all made from scratch just as how it is done on the island. The colors of the restaurant will be black, yellow and green which are all the colors of the island along with the other décor. Ranging from the utensils in which the food is served, the chairs, table, and the vehicle in which the food is delivered to the customers who wants their food to be delivered. The vehicle will also have the Jamaican colors along with the restaurant name for all to see and attract new customers.

2.5 Keys to Success
The most important factor for Authentic JA Cuisine is to attract a lot of people to come in the restaurant and try the food. Once the people try the food, they will eat it and want to come back and tell their friends and families. Marketing efforts such as placing signs at the road near to the restaurant location will be helpful so all can know about it. Providing samples of all dishes in small portions to new customers will allow any one coming in the restaurant to try all the food offered.
There will be a lot of attempts in reaching out to the local businesses offering small cards with the restaurants information and condensed menu for all to see what is offered focusing on the lunch specials. This is to attract the people who work in the area and would be able to dine for lunch. The universities will also be contacted with the same contact cards and information to encourage the students to come by for food and bring their friends. All also will be solicited for catering as well.

2.5 Critical Issues
The most challenging marketing position will be maintaining the marketing budget. As a new business, it is very easy to spend too much on advertising to attract customers. Creatives such as creating small menu cards about the restaurant food and location to be issued to potential customers around the area at the universities and businesses. Also, the signs around the city area will be at a cost as they will help to attract new customers who are not travelling in the area to know about the restaurant and the location.
There will need to be a close eye on the marketing budget and it has to be a realistic budget that will make a difference while at the same time be in the cost range that the restaurant can afford.

3.0 Marketing Strategy Overview
Authentic JA Cuisine is a Caribbean restaurant that provides Jamaican food prepared and served the way it would have been served in the country so it creates an environment of home to all those people who are from the island and also to others who have visited. The food will range from breakfast items, lunch, and dinner. The success of the restaurant will rely on great customer service and good quality food. The restaurant is projected to start out at a low budgeted number in unit of sales and revenues in the first month after which it will increase by 50% in the second month and decreases under 40% throughout the year and bottoms out at less than 5% increase in sales at year end.
Mission

The restaurant mission focuses on catering to the community by providing Jamaican food to all who are familiar with the food and others who desires to learn more.
Marketing Objectives
The restaurant wants to build a well-liked presence in the community so that their good food and quality service attracts new customers and keep the existing customer base.
Financial Objectives
The restaurant projects to obtain total sales in a year at $370k with a steady growth in the first two quarters.
Target Markets
The restaurant caters to the local charlotte area and surrounding cities. The diversity of the population is opportunities for the restaurant as this indicates the number of possible customers who will be interested in eating the type of food offered. This area should be read with an open mind so it can be understood from its potential.
3.1 Mission

“Authentic JA Cuisine’s mission is to serve the community by offering fine Jamaican dishes for those who are far from the island, those who visited, and all who desires to learn more about the local cuisine.”
The restaurants mission statement will pave the way for all future marketing endeavors as it defines the market it is catering to. This serves as a guideline for all decisions such as the type of food and beverages that will be served in addition to the restaurant atmosphere. Jamaica is a small island just south of Cuba and it is famous for its jerk chicken and pork. These dishes are also served in restaurants and food shows throughout the United States which aids to its popularity (NewsRx, 2010). The community will have the opportunity to taste these same dishes as if they were at the island or at a Caribbean food show. In searching for these dishes, they will have the opportunity to view additional cuisine that they may not hear of and would like to try such as curry chicken.

3.2 Marketing Objectives

Authentic Jamaican Cuisine restaurant will be focusing on the unique aspect of the product theme which is tasty Jamaican foods in an island atmosphere. The goal is to use that theme and increase the restaurant presence in the Charlotte, North Carolina by achieving a 50 percent growth in the first three months of opening. The key indicators that will serve as a guide for the restaurant’s success will be displayed through its brand identity, value preposition, and estimated unit sales.
The restaurant will strive to have its brand well known in the community so that not only the residents from the city and surrounding areas know about the food but also from visitors who are in the Queen city to identify all that the restaurant is all about. The advertisements the restaurant will conduct such as billboard, newspapers, local cuisine guides, and word a mouth will be a powerful tool in accomplishing this area. Not only will the restaurant brand be well known but the quality food goes along with the brand. The restaurant is aware that there is another Caribbean restaurant in the area along with other restaurants who serves food within the same price range, as a result of this we will strive to show the value of what Authentic JA offers in contrast to our competitors. This will drive the customers to be repeated customers as they are satisfied with all the great food and beverages we offer that is affordable and unbeatable to our competitors. All will be accomplished by using ingredients such as seasoning and products made from the island as this will stand out immediately as being different and difficult to compare.

Brand Identity
A piece of JA brought to Charlotte with a smile
Authentic JA Cuisine
Value Preposition
Serving a little JA to family and Friends.

Estimated Unit Sales

Authentic Jamaican Cuisine will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. An average breakfast will cost $7. The average cost for lunch is $10 with a $2 beverage. The average dinner would be $14 of food and $3 of beverages. Other items for purchase will be the pastries or traditional Jamaican desserts served with the meal during lunch and dinner which will cost $4 the yearly forecast can be shown in the below table. After the first month of business, February will have an anticipated 50% increase due to more people knowing about the restaurant from word a mouth, advertisements and repeat customers. March has more days than Feb so the restaurant can anticipate only a 40% increase due to being conservative. The following months will still have steady growth as the company goes along throughout the year but most of the growth comes in the beginning stage.

SALES FORECAST | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Unit Sales: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Breakfast | | 104 | 156 | 218 | 294 | 383 | 478 | 574 | 660 | 739 | 813 | 870 | 914 | Lunches | | 156 | 234 | 328 | 443 | 576 | 720 | 863 | 993 | 1112 | 1223 | 1309 | 1374 | Lunch’s bvgs. | | 130 | 195 | 273 | 369 | 479 | 599 | 719 | 827 | 926 | 1018 | 1089 | 1143 | Dinner | | 204 | 306 | 428 | 578 | 751 | 939 | 1127 | 1295 | 1451 | 1596 | 1708 | 1793 | Dinner bvgs. | | 160 | 240 | 336 | 454 | 590 | 737 | 885 | 1017 | 1139 | 1253 | 1341 | 1408 | Other(pastries/desserts) | 75 | 113 | 158 | 213 | 277 | 347 | 416 | 478 | 536 | 589 | 630 | 662 | Total Unit Sales | | 829 | 1244 | 1741 | 2351 | 3056 | 3820 | 4584 | 5270 | 5903 | 6492 | 6947 | 7294 |

3.3 Financial Objectives

In the first month of sales, Authentic JA cuisine has estimated gross sales of $6.1k to be cautious as there are no data available for comparison. The restaurant is new so there will not be as many customers in this first month until the grand opening. Throughout the month as more customers find us through word of mouth and advertising, sales should increase by 50% in February to $9.2k due to fewer days in the month and from starting out at a conservative budgeted amount. Sales growth will increase throughout the months but will decline in the last quarter due to the major holidays of Christmas and Thanksgiving which is a period where most people are travelling due to visiting family members and also from staying at home eating together. SALES FORECAST | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Breakfast | $7 | $728 | $1,092 | $1,526 | $2,058 | $2,681 | $3,346 | $4,018 | $4,620 | $5,173 | $5,691 | $6,090 | $6,398 | Lunches | $10 | $1,560 | $2,340 | $3,280 | $4,430 | $5,760 | $7,200 | $8,630 | $9,930 | $11,120 | $12,230 | $13,090 | $13,740 | Lunch’s bvgs. | $2 | $260 | $390 | $546 | $738 | $958 | $1,198 | $1,438 | $1,654 | $1,852 | $2,036 | $2,178 | $2,286 | Dinner | $14 | $2,856 | $4,284 | $5,992 | $8,092 | $10,514 | $13,146 | $15,778 | $18,130 | $20,314 | $22,344 | $23,912 | $25,102 | Dinner bvgs. | $3 | $480 | $720 | $1,008 | $1,362 | $1,770 | $2,211 | $2,655 | $3,051 | $3,417 | $3,759 | $4,023 | $4,224 | Other(pastries/desserts) | $4 | $300 | $452 | $632 | $852 | $1,108 | $1,388 | $1,664 | $1,912 | $2,144 | $2,356 | $2,520 | $2,648 | Total Sales: | | $6,184 | $9,278 | $12,984 | $17,532 | $22,791 | $28,489 | $34,183 | $39,297 | $44,020 | $48,416 | $51,813 | $54,398 |

3.4 Target Markets

Authentic JA Cuisine has the opportunity to become the first-mover in the local Caribbean market by specializing in Jamaican cuisine. The popularity of Jamaican jerk chicken and pork combined with the growing interest in the island seafood dishes has been proven to be a winning concept in other markets and will produce the same results in the Charlotte North Carolina area and surrounding cities. Charlotte is viewed as the next New York, Florida, and Atlanta because of its diversity. The area is considered to be the Nation’s second largest financial center, behind only New York with $2.3 trillion in assets; home to Bank of America headquarters and Wells Fargo East Coast headquarters. There is an emerging national energy hub, home to over 250 energy companies including Duke Energy. The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte which fosters a talent pool that will fuel continued growth of the sector. Last but not least, the state is headquartered to 10 Fortune 500 companies and 950 foreign-owned firms, including 195 from Germany. This all aids to the diversity in the Queen state (Charlotte in 2012).
There are a lot of people from different cultural backgrounds moving to the state for a better quality of life. The states southern hospitality and a forward-thinking mindset has 1.7 million people call the Charlotte area home and Charlotte is among 22 U.S. cities with at or near minority/majority populations according to the 2010 U.S. Census. From the year 2000 to 2010, Charlotte-Mecklenburg's population grew by over 32%, and the 16-county region now has a population of over 2.6 million (Charlotte in 2012). This all means opportunity for a Caribbean restaurant that caters to all who are familiar with the island food and others who want to learn more. With a state growing as fast as Charlotte, there will never be a concern on not having enough customers; it will be what else the restaurant can provide to the community.
The low to medium price range of $4-$14 for Authentic JA Cuisine food items will be more than affordable to the community and compatible to the restaurants competitors. Based on the size of the Queen City, the working class that is present, this market can easily become a $3 million dollar industry considering that more locations are established so that the restaurant can cater to more surrounding cities and offering delivery services to them as well.
The potential risk that can be seen for this market is the formulation of new competitors due to the attractiveness of the population diversity. If there are too many Caribbean restaurants, customers can become confused about the type of food for each restaurant and choose to stay away due to too many players and or a bad experience from one.

3.5 Positioning

Authentic JA Cuisine will provide to the diversified market in the Charlotte NC area. There are many people in the Queen city from all over the country and out of the country who will appreciate trying great Jamaican cuisine as there are a few Jamaicans in the area and others who are familiar with the food. The restaurant will be catering to this market in providing quality food, island atmosphere, and beverages served and prepared the way it is done in the island.
The median household income in Charlotte was $50,177 in 2011, a little less than the national figure of $50,502, according to statistics released Thursday from the 2011 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census and older with bachelor degrees, according to a New Geography study based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Charlotte is at No. 5 among the nation’s largest metropolitan cities in terms of the growth rate in college-educated residents. The Queen City is the 17th-largest in the nation by population, and it holds the same spot in a ranking based on the rate of population growth. With this fact, it is clear to see that with the meals at Authentic JA Cuisine priced from $7- $14 dollars will be an easy sale as it is compatible to the marketplace and its residents. The restaurant is positioned to be a substitute to all restaurants that offers food in this same price range and offering different, and quality food will be the competitive edge as its ingredients and the way the food is prepared will not be the same as the others. This will be the important factor that customers will view when determining the quality at its price.
It’s notable that two of the Charlotte region's top five employers are health-care organizations. Charlotte-based Carolinas HealthCare System ranks as the region's largest nongovernmental employer, with 32,500 workers. Presbyterian Healthcare, part of Winston-Salem-based Novant Health Inc., ranks fifth, with 10,676 local employees. In addition, Gastonia-based CaroMont Health is the region's 13th-largest employer, with 3,700 workers.
Authentic Jamaican Cuisine has the potential in becoming a success if the restaurant focuses on upper-income professionals and middle-income hourly workers who works at the many companies surrounding the city. The combination of a fantastic location plus a growing economic base has made Charlotte a desirable location for the home of Fortune 500 companies who have their home offices in the city. While over 280 other Fortune 500 corporations are represented in the area, over the past 10 years, more than 8,400 new firms have opened in Charlotte. This increase caused an influx to the city's economy of $9.6 billion in the expansion of new facilities and an increase of over 77,000 new jobs for area workers.
Charlotte has eight private 4-year colleges and universities, and two public institutions (one of which is a community college), and six professional schools for future students to choose from. There are many universities as well in the city and the surrounding cities. The restaurant will also be catering to the college students who may be hourly-workers or not working and living on or off campus.

3.6 Pricing Strategies
The restaurant will use the value pricing strategy. Due to the number of college students, businesses and competitors that are in the area, this strategy is will allow us to reach all groups. As a new restaurant, our goal is to win loyal customers by charging a fairly low price for a high-quality food that is compatible and better to our competitors. This will allow us to reengineer the company’s operations to become a low-cost producer without sacrificing quality, to attract a large number of value-conscious customers that are in the area.
The promotions we will offer for our college students and workers in the community are: lunch at $6 and drink $1 during the hours of 12-2pm. This type of promotion is selected because our competitors such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Caribbean Hut, Taco Bell and other Caribbean grocery stores and restaurant offer lunch specials during this period for the same price and more. For dinner, there will be an early bird special between 4-7pm at $11 for food but no special on the drink. We anticipate people will want a drink with their meal during dinner and the discount on the food will pay for the drink itself. There will be no promotion for breakfast due to unique food that is offered. It will cater more to Jamaicans who are accustomed to the traditional breakfast items eaten in the country where dishes such as: ackee and saltfish, green yams, green banana, callalloo, liver, and porridge are served. Also breakfast will not be served after 11am while the store opens at 8am which leaves a short window. The below graph shows the period in which promotions will take place throughout the year with the exception for Holidays such as new years eve and new years day, summer, as this time college students are not in school so lunch special will not be done, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

3.7 Marketing Attack Strategy

Newspaper
Authentic JA will reach out to the Charlotte Observer and have the paper do a feature article right when the restaurant is scheduled to open. This will be a great way to get exposure without having to spend a lot of money early on. Within the article, there will be a special offer for anyone who reads with it a coupon code “OBSERVER”, in that they will receive $2 off any order $10 or greater.
Also, the newspaper ads that will be placed will be in the CLT which is a weekly local events paper, along with several of the local weekly free newspapers that are circulated throughout the metro Charlotte area. The cost of these ads is very inexpensive and is a great way to get exposure throughout the area. People that read these publications are typically those who are willing to check out new local happenings and potential new customers. Coupons will be placed in the appropriate section and will offer $2 off any order $10 or higher and $4 off any order $20 or higher. Since the average meal is $7-$10, this will encourage patrons to order beverages or desserts which are high margin items. The ads will run for the first 30 days upon opening and each coupon will have a code in the bottom right hand corner which will serve as tracking to see which campaigns brought in the most customers.

Television
Due to the high cost of television ads, there will be only a selective amount of ads that are run in rotation Monday-Friday between 8-10 pm est. on local TV which target the demographics of 25- 45 years olds. These ads will run for the first 30 days of when the restaurant is open, and the same offer of $2 off $10 or more and $4 off $20 or more, along with a code “TV” which the customer must use when they place their order at the restaurant.
We will hire a local production agency to produce the television commercial to obtain the most affordable pricing. Also, the TV spots must be $5 or less per 1,000 viewers in order to achieve a return on the investment. The good thing about the television ads is that we can paint a visual picture of the restaurant and highlight the strong points of the establishment which is authentic
Jamaican cuisine. When people see the actual dishes, interior, exterior, and employees they will build a trust and intrigue to try it.
Radio
We will reach out to some of the local radio stations about getting a guest spot to announce the opening of the restaurant. The guest spots should be scheduled during the 7am-9am drive time morning slot to capitalize on the increase in listeners during those times. The goal is the quick radio spot will be to spread word of mouth about the opening of the restaurant and how the concept came about. There will be an announcement of the same offer $2 off $10 / $4 off $20 orders with the coupon code being the call letters of the radio station. When the customer arrives at the restaurant, they just need to let us know the coupon code, so we can track the campaigns effectiveness. There will also be 30 and 60 second spots advertised on local radio during the
Jamaican or Caribbean music shows to target the best audience. The local radio station will produce the spots and be able to offer a discount which is packaged with the radio ad buy.
Magazines
Authentic JA will reach out to local Charlotte area magazines such as Charlotte Magazine, Pride
(Charlotte’s leading African American magazine), Uptown Magazine, and Charlotte Business
Journal, in an effort to land a feature piece on the opening of the restaurant along with ¼ page ad buys that will feature picture of the interior/exterior of the restaurant along with a coupon for $2 off $10 purchase and $4 off $20 purchase. Each coupon will have a code in order to track the success of the campaigns. These ads will run for the first 3 months that the restaurant is open.

Billboards & other Outdoor display venues
Billboard advertising is typically reserved for larger companies, but it is worthwhile if you can get the rates for a 4 week campaign at less than $2500 for a 4 week period. Bedgood Outdoor
Advertising offers a 10 second 3 Frame outdoor ad that includes 11,520 monthly spots for
$2400 a month, which is .21 per spot and there are 16 spots per hour. These ads will run on the closest outdoor billboard to the restaurant and provide directions on how to get to the restaurant along with a phone # and address. The billboard will also have a cute funny saying that will tie into the Jamaican cuisine “Don’t be a JERK! Check out Authentic JA today!”
Source: bedgoodoutdoor.com/LEDcomparisonChart.php

Direct Mail
Direct mail is a very cost effective way to market a new restaurant to the locals. The average cost is around .30-.40 per item mailed depending on what is included in the mailer. The direct mail target audience will be all residents within a 1-2 mile radius. The direct mail piece will be a letter introducing the restaurant, along with a menu, and special offer upon their 1st visit. It will also have a calendar of special events that are taking place the 1st month of when the restaurant is open. From 11 am – 1 pm each Saturday, there will be free samples of jerk pork, jerk chicken, conch soup and pastries so people can try it. Also, anyone that wears an article of clothing with the Jamaican flag or anything Jamaican related will receive a free bowl of soup or dessert with their purchase.

Internet marketing strategy (with search engines, pop-ups & banners)
Being a local restaurant just starting out, the website will be the key traffic getter. Making sure that the site has all of the top keywords for search engine optimization and placement. The site will have a field for everyone to provide their email with. The email list will be used to cultivate leads and announce events, specials etc. at the restaurant.
There will also be a Twitter account that will interact with the locals in Charlotte, and anyone that becomes a follower of the Authentic JA account, will always receive 5% off their entire purchase as a loyal customer. This special will also be for anyone that follows the restaurant on
Facebook, YouTube, and Google+. There will be specials in Foursquare, Pinterest that are also unique to that audience.

3.8 Research
Authentic JA Cuisine is faced with the exciting opportunity of being the first-mover in the local island cuisine market. The popularity of Jamaican jerk chicken and pork combined with the growing interest in the island seafood dishes has been proven to be a winning concept in other markets and will produce the same results here. The target market will be the Charlotte, North Carolina area including the surrounding cities. Charlotte is a beautiful, clean community with a high quality of life, Southern hospitality and a forward-thinking, New South culture. Below are the races breaking down.

Charlotte population breakdown by race | | | | | Race | Charlotte | North Carolina | National | | Caucasian | 58.26% | 74.78% | 82.77% | | African American | 32.62% | 20.23% | 8.40% | | Asian | 3.24% | 0.90% | 1.86% | | American Indian | 0.43% | 0.77% | 1.31% | | Native Hawaiian | 0.07% | 0.04% | 0.14% | | Mixed race | 1.89% | 1.19% | 2.06% | | Other race | 3.49% | 2.10% | 3.47% | |

Below are a graphs and charts breaking down information on the Queen city, all was based on 2000 census data.

4.0 Controls Overview

Authentic JA Cuisine is expected to grow at a fast pace in the first two quarters. This will be measured as a 50 percent increase in unit sales the first quarter after which it will slowly drop below that percentage and level out at year end. Any bottlenecks will be seen in a lower growth at which the restaurant is fully prepared to initiate its contingency planning to make sure that all growth remains on course.
Progress Milestones

The restaurant is expecting a 50 percent growth the first quarter due to a low beginning estimated unit sales. After which it is expected to continue growth but at a less amount throughout the year.

Marketing Organization
The restaurant will have a Chief Marketing officer with three direct reports from the Director of Communications, Marketing and Sales. The remaining marketing staff will be admin and managers per each department.

Contingency Planning
As a new business, there are avenues that are planned if any bottlenecks with Authentic JA Cuisine marketing efforts. This area breaks down the different channels that can be used during our marketing efforts and should be read carefully so it can be understood how these tactics will work.

4.1 Progress Milestones

Authentic Jamaican Cuisine restaurant will be focusing on the unique aspect of the product theme which is tasty Jamaican foods in an island atmosphere. The goal is to use that theme and increase the restaurant presence in the Charlotte, North Carolina by achieving a 50 percent growth in the first three months of opening. In the below table, After the first month of business, February will have an anticipated 50% increase due to more people knowing about the restaurant from word a mouth, advertisements and repeat customers. March has more days than Feb so the restaurant can anticipate only a 40% increase due to being conservative. The following months will still have steady growth as the company goes along throughout the year but most of the growth comes in the beginning stage which is the first two quarters.

4.2 Marketing Organization

4.3 Contingency Planning

Authentic JA Cuisine will be fully prepared to address any surprises with our marketing efforts due to our contingency planning. In the event there is no success with our marketing efforts due to competitors pricing we are prepared to spend soft dollars in improving our customer service such as opening the restaurant at longer hours that are best suited for our customers, offering free delivery service to our preferred customers.
The restaurant will also be prepared to approach our advertising strategies differently by taking surveys from our customers to obtain solid feedback on what needs to be done to improve our business. There will also be changes with our specials such adding a frequent customer card so we can provide discounts and specials to our regular customers. There will also be an incentive for our customers who refer a new customer to our restaurant as this will aid in retaining and increasing business.

5.0 Conclusion

Authentic JA Cuisine is a Caribbean restaurant that provides Jamaican food prepared and served the way it would have been served in the country so it creates an environment of home to all those people who are from the island and also to others who have visited. The food will range from breakfast items, lunch, and dinner. The success of the restaurant will rely on great customer service and good quality food. The restaurant is projected to start out at a low budgeted number in unit of sales and revenues in the first month after which it will increase by 50% in the second month and decreases under 40% throughout the year and bottoms out at less than 5% increase in sales at year end.
The restaurant has the opportunity to become the first-mover in the local Caribbean market by specializing in Jamaican cuisine. The popularity of Jamaican jerk chicken and pork combined with the growing interest in the island seafood dishes has been proven to be a winning concept in other markets and will produce the same results in the Charlotte North Carolina area and surrounding cities. Charlotte is viewed as the next New York, Florida, and Atlanta because of its diversity. The area is considered to be the Nation’s second largest financial center, behind only New York with $2.3 trillion in assets; home to Bank of America headquarters and Wells Fargo East Coast headquarters. There is an emerging national energy hub, home to over 250 energy companies including Duke Energy. The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte which fosters a talent pool that will fuel continued growth of the sector. Last but not least, the state is headquartered to 10 Fortune 500 companies and 950 foreign-owned firms, including 195 from Germany. This all aids to the diversity in the Queen state (Charlotte in 2012).