Baking for Bread and a Little Cash!Baking For BreadYou’ve been baking bread, sweets and other goodies for your family as long as you can remember, and whenever you take your treats to local bake sales, they ’sell like hotcakes‘ - no pun intended. Have you ever considered baking on a larger scale and selling your products to restaurants?
This is completely different from running a catering business. First of all, you don’t have to make a number of different dishes. You can specialize in one or two particular items, such as bread and rolls. Also, you don’t have to worry about hiring staff. This is a business you can operate solely, if that is your choice. Of course, if you get enough contracts, you will probably want to hire one or two people to help. (At first, enlist family members to ’volunteer’.)Many local restaurant owners know the advantages of having many of their products brought in. Baking can be time-consuming, and often the kitchen just isn’t set up for that kind of work. This is where you come in. When you are supplying restaurants with baked goods, you are also supplying them with fresh, delicious treats that their customers will love. Freshness is important, and if you can guarantee that your baked goods are made daily, you may find yourself baking more than just breads. How Do I Approach Restaurant Owners With My Products? First of all, you need to find out who needs your product. If you bake breads, you will want to contact local sandwich shops. Many would love to advertise that they sell their sandwiches on home-baked breads. Or, if you are a great cookie baker, you can sell batches of cookies to ice cream shops for their sundaes and other treats. If your niche is cake decorating, you can take photos of your designs, create a portfolio, and offer your specialty desserts to local restaurants. Or, you can hire yourself out as a cake decorator for bakeries (as an independent contractor, of course).Let them know that you are local. These days, the cost to have items shipped is extremely high, and if a restaurant owner knows that you have a product that is made locally, he is more likely to choose it. It is just common sense and good business practice for them to let their customers know that their food is produced locally. Give out samples. When you approach restaurant owners, don’t forget to bring some samples along for them to try. When they see how delicious your products are, they won’t hesitate to give you the baking contract (or at least give you a try)! Keep attending the bake sales. The more people who try, and buy, your products, the better. Remember, word-of-mouth can be one of the best forms of advertising. When your bake sale customers learn that you are supplying certain restaurants, they will likely patronize those restaurants. This is a win-win-win situation. The diners get great food, the restaurants make money from the diners, and you make money from the restaurants. And, you get to work from your own home! Go Back from Baking for Bread to Cooking and Foood Ideas |