Odd as it may sound, popularity can be a problem for some businesses. Take Pumpernickel sandwich bar and deli in Uxbridge for example, which has proven so successful that customers face sizeable queues at lunchtime. With the current economics situation, Britain’s workers are putting in longer hours, therefore, the prospect of wasting precious minutes queuing can understandably be a frustrating experience to many employees and, can potentially be the cause for customers choosing to go elsewhere.
So we were impressed with Pumpernickels’ innovative response to this exact problem. The café and deli was started by two self-confessed foodies with a professional catering background whose combined history in restaurant expertise as well as mutual appreciation of high quality food for affordable prices meant that Pumpernickels quickly became so popular that long queues were soon leading out of the shop and down the high street.
As a response to increasing customer demand, the owners decided to launch an online ordering facility on their website www.pumpernickels.net For no additional charge customers can now design their perfect sandwich whilst remaining seated at their desk. As payment can also be taken online, all customers need to do is bring their confirmation number to the shop where their sandwich will be ready and waiting for their collection, minimising customer waiting time and increasing business productivity in one go. Simple yet very effective.
Pumpernickels also stresses the importance of catering for a variety of budgets, from credit crunch specials and, basics fare through to gourmet meals. Founder Vicky Francis says: “Having a wide variety of options can be very advantageous as it will appeal to a variety of budgets and ultimately increase your target audience.
“However, when times get tough you also need to ensure that you are giving customers the best possible value for their money. Instead of cutting corners look at other ways of reducing your overheads and take time to source the best possible prices as competition will become fierce.”
