| The Marie Callender's restaurants are sheer heaven | | | | makes enormous demands on its vendors. |
| for the comfort-food aficionado. The restaurant is | | | | The supermarket will charge you a fee for putting |
| homey, and the food is well-prepared and heavy with | | | | your products on their shelves, and sometimes those |
| the kind of calories that make us remember Mom's | | | | fees are outrageously high. You might be able to |
| cooking. The array of pies makes being prudent | | | | negotiate them, and if sales are good, the |
| about making healthy diet choices nearly impossible. | | | | supermarket may even be willing to forgo fees |
| But her restaurants are not everywhere. In fact, | | | | completely. You need to be prepared to pay for |
| they are nonexistent in many parts of the country. | | | | promotion and advertising. In addition, there will |
| But never mind; you can go to your supermarket and | | | | probably be "failure fees" if your product doesn't sell |
| purchase everything except the atmosphere. The | | | | well. Products are usually given 120 days to succeed |
| very same foods that destroy the diets of so many | | | | and if they don't, your products may be returned. |
| diners in the restaurants are available for | | | | Supermarkets want up to a 60% margin on a fresh |
| self-preparation. The setting may not be so cozy, but | | | | and/or refrigerated items, and they will want you to |
| the food is good. | | | | deliver directly. They may even require you to |
| The current trend to eat at home with the family | | | | restock or turn your product. In order to do so, you'll |
| around the table, brought about to some extent by | | | | probably need to be located a commutable distance |
| the need to contain costs in the current economic | | | | from the supermarkets you want to house your |
| downturn, has led many restaurant chains to start | | | | products in. |
| packaging their most popular dishes and sell them | | | | You also need to keep in mind that your food will be |
| through supermarkets. However, according to | | | | inspected by the same inspectors that enforce such |
| Business Week, it's not easy to accomplish, especially | | | | high standards on supermarkets. Take into account |
| for smaller restaurants or chains. They tend to be | | | | that you might need to beef up food preparation in |
| nonexistent because it costs too much to distribute | | | | your restaurants in order to sell the same products in |
| and market. | | | | a supermarket. |
| You can start out ahead of the pack, of course, if | | | | This is not to say that you shouldn't try to expand |
| your product is already popular with some | | | | your business for your restaurant. It very well may |
| people--your customers. You have a recognizable | | | | bring new customers into your restaurant. However, |
| brand already, at least locally. If you really want to do | | | | you should know ahead of time that it can be a |
| this, you need to take some things into account. For | | | | pretty tough road to success. |
| one, the supermarket is big and competitive, it | | | | |