This is the thread for Inspired to post their pitches.
The DS Apprentice - Team Inspired
1 of 5
Good evening. We are Team Inspired, and we would like to introduce you to our new restaurant, Inspired Choices. When we were brainstorming ideas for our restaurant, we realised that we all wanted somewhere where you could buy great food for reasonable prices, without worrying about where that food comes from, provided by people who genuinely care about us, where we feel valued as customers. That is what we have come up with. At Inspired Choices, you can eat food that you will genuinely enjoy - we don't particularly emphasise any specific cuisine, but all of our dishes have been selected based on our predictions of what will satisfy our clientele. Many restaurants are either very limited in their production line, or are really not spectacular in terms of quality. Neither of these things can be said for Inspired Choices. No matter what the occasion is or what mood you are in, there will always be something on our menu that will tickle your taste-buds - and of course, our initial menu is subject to change over time depending on feedback that we get.
Another unique selling point of Inspired Choices is our ecological standpoint. We aim to be as ethical as possible in terms of our ingredient sourcing. Many of our recipes will be vegetarian (which in addition to its ethical principles makes us stand out from the numerous restaurants which have only one or two vegetarian options), all of our eggs, meat and dairy will be sourced from British family farms. We will not support any factory farming, battery chickens or unsustainable fish. The majority of our ingredients will be organic and sourced from the UK, and on occasions when we have to source from overseas, ingredients will be sourced from as nearby as we physically can, to minimise the number of miles that our supplies are being brought from, thereby helping to protect the environment. Part of the task brief was to determine what sort of restaurant would fit within the current climate. In 2014, the awareness of where our food comes from is something which is steadily increasing, and we believe that our restaurant will simultaneously promote that way of thinking, and give peace of mind to the people who already consider that.
Our first restaurant will open in London. Initially we will be a one-off, but if we are successful we have plans to expand into Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff. Beyond that, we are considering expanding further into the UK, but we do not intend to become so large as to be a faceless corporation, as we feel that that would limit our relationship with our customers. Something that sets us apart is that we intend to make every customer feel valued. As a business, our ethos is that each and every customer is individually as important as the whole customer base, and we want our service to reflect that.
We will now take you through our menu. Firstly, I am going to pass you over to my colleague Zak to take you through the starters.
Another unique selling point of Inspired Choices is our ecological standpoint. We aim to be as ethical as possible in terms of our ingredient sourcing. Many of our recipes will be vegetarian (which in addition to its ethical principles makes us stand out from the numerous restaurants which have only one or two vegetarian options), all of our eggs, meat and dairy will be sourced from British family farms. We will not support any factory farming, battery chickens or unsustainable fish. The majority of our ingredients will be organic and sourced from the UK, and on occasions when we have to source from overseas, ingredients will be sourced from as nearby as we physically can, to minimise the number of miles that our supplies are being brought from, thereby helping to protect the environment. Part of the task brief was to determine what sort of restaurant would fit within the current climate. In 2014, the awareness of where our food comes from is something which is steadily increasing, and we believe that our restaurant will simultaneously promote that way of thinking, and give peace of mind to the people who already consider that.
Our first restaurant will open in London. Initially we will be a one-off, but if we are successful we have plans to expand into Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff. Beyond that, we are considering expanding further into the UK, but we do not intend to become so large as to be a faceless corporation, as we feel that that would limit our relationship with our customers. Something that sets us apart is that we intend to make every customer feel valued. As a business, our ethos is that each and every customer is individually as important as the whole customer base, and we want our service to reflect that.
We will now take you through our menu. Firstly, I am going to pass you over to my colleague Zak to take you through the starters.
The starters are as follows, they are both simple yet effective and are sure to make you hungry just thinking about them.
01. Melon with seasonal fruit
An array of fresh fruit with melon accompanied by a drizzle of fruit coulis.
£3.50
02. Garlic mushrooms sautéed in garlock butter, parsley and lemon
Fresh mushrooms, a bit of lemon, cloves of garlic and chopped flat leaf parsley.
£4.00
03. Sea bass, fennel & grapefruit ceviche
Scaled, fillited and pinboned sea bass, red chilles, garlic cloves, pink grapefruit and trimmed fennel topped off with an olive oil drizzle.
£4.50
04. Fresh Oysters
Fresh oysters with a lively mineral finish with hints of lemon and cucumber.
£4.50
05. Seafood cocktail
The seafood cocktail includes Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, radicchio lettuce, white crab meat and peeled prawns from the most sustainable sources.
£3.50
06. Spicy parsnip soup
Onion, garam masala, freshly grounded pepper, butter, fresh coriander leaves with a freshly chopped ginger finish.
£3.00
07. Baked potato skin swith gorgonzola
Floury potatoes, freshly ground black pepper with gorgonzola cheese and pieces of mustard fruit in syrup.
£3.75
08. Aubergine and mint bruschetta
Firm aubergines, sprigs of flash flat-leaf parsley, a handful of fresh mint and white wine to finish off makes for one delicious aubergine bruschetta.
£3.00
09. Goats cheese in filo pastry
Filo pastry, red onion marmalade, walnuts, a little lemon zest and of course goat’s cheese topped off with seasoning.
£4.50
10. Caprese Flatbread
Plum tomatoes, mayonnaise, basil leaves, parmesan cheese and a few cloves of garlic is one delectable flatbread.
£3.50
It's now back to George to show the mains.
01. Melon with seasonal fruit
An array of fresh fruit with melon accompanied by a drizzle of fruit coulis.
£3.50
02. Garlic mushrooms sautéed in garlock butter, parsley and lemon
Fresh mushrooms, a bit of lemon, cloves of garlic and chopped flat leaf parsley.
£4.00
03. Sea bass, fennel & grapefruit ceviche
Scaled, fillited and pinboned sea bass, red chilles, garlic cloves, pink grapefruit and trimmed fennel topped off with an olive oil drizzle.
£4.50
04. Fresh Oysters
Fresh oysters with a lively mineral finish with hints of lemon and cucumber.
£4.50
05. Seafood cocktail
The seafood cocktail includes Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, radicchio lettuce, white crab meat and peeled prawns from the most sustainable sources.
£3.50
06. Spicy parsnip soup
Onion, garam masala, freshly grounded pepper, butter, fresh coriander leaves with a freshly chopped ginger finish.
£3.00
07. Baked potato skin swith gorgonzola
Floury potatoes, freshly ground black pepper with gorgonzola cheese and pieces of mustard fruit in syrup.
£3.75
08. Aubergine and mint bruschetta
Firm aubergines, sprigs of flash flat-leaf parsley, a handful of fresh mint and white wine to finish off makes for one delicious aubergine bruschetta.
£3.00
09. Goats cheese in filo pastry
Filo pastry, red onion marmalade, walnuts, a little lemon zest and of course goat’s cheese topped off with seasoning.
£4.50
10. Caprese Flatbread
Plum tomatoes, mayonnaise, basil leaves, parmesan cheese and a few cloves of garlic is one delectable flatbread.
£3.50
It's now back to George to show the mains.
Thank you Zak.
I am now going to take you through our main courses. These have been carefully selected, and we believe that each of them may be extremely successful.
1. Vegetable casserole and herb dumplings
An appetising vegetable casserole, containing potatoes, shallots, green beans, courgettes and mushrooms, finished off with vegetarian dumplings.
£8.50
2. Beef wellington
A classic beef wellington, made with Aberdeen Angus, cooked to medium-rare and served with prosciutto, fresh chestnut mushrooms, white wine and fresh thyme.
£10.50
3. Ham and egg pie
An old-fashioned pie, filled with ham and with four eggs decorating the top of the tart.
£10.00
4. Spaghetti bolognese
A tasty spaghetti bolognese, made with beef mince, including onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes, and topped with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.
£10.30
5. Hearty vegetable stew
A vegetable stew with a very distinctive flavour - the 'hearty' in the name -, made with onions, peppers, courgettes, carrots and potatoes.
£8.00
6. Egg curry
A rich curry, made with eggs, cooked with onions, carrots, peppers and celery and served with rice.
£8.20
7. Homity pie
Homity pie is most commonly eaten as a smaller pie, but this dish uses the same recipe for a main course. It uses the traditional ingredients - cheddar cheese, leeks, potatoes and onions - to create the classic taste. Served with salad.
£8.20
8. Chicken pie
A traditional chicken pie, made with shortcrust pastry with onions, celery and carrots.
£10.00
9. Spicy black-eyed beans
Black-eyed beans, cooked with onions, ginger and spices and served with rice.
£8.20
10. Kedgeree
Two free-range hard-boiled eggs served with a dish containing boiled rice, smoked haddock, curry powder and lemon-soaked mushrooms.
£9.20
11. Mushroom, spinach and stilton pie
A deliciously rich pie, filled with the unique flavours of mushrooms, spinach and stilton cheese, served with creamy mashed potato and green beans.
£8.20
12. Grilled vegetable pizza
A delicious vegetarian pizza, grilled to perfection and containing aubergine, pepper, courgette and red onion, as well as basil leaves and fontina cheese.
£8.50
13. Lasagne
A classic lasagne, made with beef mince and cheddar cheese.
£10.50
14. Pasta and roasted vegetables
A tasty selection of vegetables, including aubergine, courgette, pepper, red onion, butternut squash and mushrooms, in a creamy tomato sauce, served with linguini and topped with mozzarella cheese.
£8.50
15. Thai green curry
A delicious curry, made with cauliflower, butternut squash, courgettes, mushrooms and green beans, with our classic green curry paste to provide that distinctive Thai flavouring.
£9.00
16. Mushroom ragout and baby pasta
A creamy sauce of mushrooms, garlic, balsamic vinegar and white wine, cooked with baby alphabet pasta and topped with parsley.
£8.00
I am now going to pass you over to Shadi, who is going to take you through our salads menu.
I am now going to take you through our main courses. These have been carefully selected, and we believe that each of them may be extremely successful.
1. Vegetable casserole and herb dumplings
An appetising vegetable casserole, containing potatoes, shallots, green beans, courgettes and mushrooms, finished off with vegetarian dumplings.
£8.50
2. Beef wellington
A classic beef wellington, made with Aberdeen Angus, cooked to medium-rare and served with prosciutto, fresh chestnut mushrooms, white wine and fresh thyme.
£10.50
3. Ham and egg pie
An old-fashioned pie, filled with ham and with four eggs decorating the top of the tart.
£10.00
4. Spaghetti bolognese
A tasty spaghetti bolognese, made with beef mince, including onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes, and topped with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.
£10.30
5. Hearty vegetable stew
A vegetable stew with a very distinctive flavour - the 'hearty' in the name -, made with onions, peppers, courgettes, carrots and potatoes.
£8.00
6. Egg curry
A rich curry, made with eggs, cooked with onions, carrots, peppers and celery and served with rice.
£8.20
7. Homity pie
Homity pie is most commonly eaten as a smaller pie, but this dish uses the same recipe for a main course. It uses the traditional ingredients - cheddar cheese, leeks, potatoes and onions - to create the classic taste. Served with salad.
£8.20
8. Chicken pie
A traditional chicken pie, made with shortcrust pastry with onions, celery and carrots.
£10.00
9. Spicy black-eyed beans
Black-eyed beans, cooked with onions, ginger and spices and served with rice.
£8.20
10. Kedgeree
Two free-range hard-boiled eggs served with a dish containing boiled rice, smoked haddock, curry powder and lemon-soaked mushrooms.
£9.20
11. Mushroom, spinach and stilton pie
A deliciously rich pie, filled with the unique flavours of mushrooms, spinach and stilton cheese, served with creamy mashed potato and green beans.
£8.20
12. Grilled vegetable pizza
A delicious vegetarian pizza, grilled to perfection and containing aubergine, pepper, courgette and red onion, as well as basil leaves and fontina cheese.
£8.50
13. Lasagne
A classic lasagne, made with beef mince and cheddar cheese.
£10.50
14. Pasta and roasted vegetables
A tasty selection of vegetables, including aubergine, courgette, pepper, red onion, butternut squash and mushrooms, in a creamy tomato sauce, served with linguini and topped with mozzarella cheese.
£8.50
15. Thai green curry
A delicious curry, made with cauliflower, butternut squash, courgettes, mushrooms and green beans, with our classic green curry paste to provide that distinctive Thai flavouring.
£9.00
16. Mushroom ragout and baby pasta
A creamy sauce of mushrooms, garlic, balsamic vinegar and white wine, cooked with baby alphabet pasta and topped with parsley.
£8.00
I am now going to pass you over to Shadi, who is going to take you through our salads menu.
Greetings,
As you all know, Salads are an important component of every menu, yet they may be sometimes overlooked for different reasons. One of them is the underlying assumption that Salads are only fit for dieting, but we at Inspired Choices have made sure to create a variety of tasteful and fulfilling Salads that all our customers can enjoy. We should note that our Salads menu covers many regions and cuisines. We have integrated the Mexican, Mediterranean, America, Greek etc.. into our mixture with a huge collection of delicious ingredients meshing perfectly together.
And here is the menu:
1) Tabbouleh £3.25
Bulgur, chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped fresh mint, tomato cuts, onion chops, lemon juice, black pepper and olive oil
2) Green salad £2.50
Mixed rocket leaves, thyme, cucumber, green chopped onions with cidar dressing.
3) Caesar salad: £3.50
Romaine lettuce, Parmesan, black olives, croutons bread, with caesar dressing
4) Chicken caesar salad: £5.25
Romaine lettuce, Parmesan, black olives, croutons bread, char-grilled chicken breast with caesar dressing
5) Mexicana salad: £6.25
Specially flavored char-grilled chicken, avocado, carrots, cherry tomatoes, corn tortillas, mixed cheese,; corn, hot Cuban dressing
6) Crab salad: £5.25
Shaved crab sticks, avocado, fresh mushroom, corn, lettuce, and orange tidbits
7) Fattoush: £3.25
Shredded romaine lettuce, cucumber dice, bite size tomatoes, minced garlic cloves, finely sliced scallions, chopped mint leaves, chopped parsley, sumac, pomegranate arills, olive oil, lemon juice, and pita bread toasted until golden brown, cut into small pieces
8) Santorini: £4.00
Lettuce, rocket leaves, fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, grilled Halloumi cheese, served with balsamic dressing.
9) Panachee: £4.75
Iceberg, palmito, artichoke, beet root, asparagus, sweet corn, cherry tomato, fresh mushrooms, creamy lemon dressing
We go over to Stacey who will introduce you to our Desserts!
As you all know, Salads are an important component of every menu, yet they may be sometimes overlooked for different reasons. One of them is the underlying assumption that Salads are only fit for dieting, but we at Inspired Choices have made sure to create a variety of tasteful and fulfilling Salads that all our customers can enjoy. We should note that our Salads menu covers many regions and cuisines. We have integrated the Mexican, Mediterranean, America, Greek etc.. into our mixture with a huge collection of delicious ingredients meshing perfectly together.
And here is the menu:
1) Tabbouleh £3.25
Bulgur, chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped fresh mint, tomato cuts, onion chops, lemon juice, black pepper and olive oil
2) Green salad £2.50
Mixed rocket leaves, thyme, cucumber, green chopped onions with cidar dressing.
3) Caesar salad: £3.50
Romaine lettuce, Parmesan, black olives, croutons bread, with caesar dressing
4) Chicken caesar salad: £5.25
Romaine lettuce, Parmesan, black olives, croutons bread, char-grilled chicken breast with caesar dressing
5) Mexicana salad: £6.25
Specially flavored char-grilled chicken, avocado, carrots, cherry tomatoes, corn tortillas, mixed cheese,; corn, hot Cuban dressing
6) Crab salad: £5.25
Shaved crab sticks, avocado, fresh mushroom, corn, lettuce, and orange tidbits
7) Fattoush: £3.25
Shredded romaine lettuce, cucumber dice, bite size tomatoes, minced garlic cloves, finely sliced scallions, chopped mint leaves, chopped parsley, sumac, pomegranate arills, olive oil, lemon juice, and pita bread toasted until golden brown, cut into small pieces
8) Santorini: £4.00
Lettuce, rocket leaves, fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, grilled Halloumi cheese, served with balsamic dressing.
9) Panachee: £4.75
Iceberg, palmito, artichoke, beet root, asparagus, sweet corn, cherry tomato, fresh mushrooms, creamy lemon dressing
We go over to Stacey who will introduce you to our Desserts!
Desserts Menu:
1) Rice Pudding - £4.00
Ingredients: pudding rice, sugar, milk, sultanas, nutmeg.
2) Banoffee Pie - £5.00
Ingredients: butter, digestive biscuits, sugar, condensed milk, whipping cream, bananas, chocolate grated.
3) Profiteroles - £4.50
Ingredients: water, sugar, dark chocolate, butter, flour, eggs, orange zest, double cream.
4) Apple Crumble - £4.00
Ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, apples, cinnamon.
5) Victoria Sponge Cake - £4.50
Ingredients: sugar, butter, flour, eggs, baking powder, milk, strawberry jam.
6) Jam Roly Poly - £4.50
Ingredients: butter, flour, raspberry jam, vanilla pod, vegetarian suet, milk.
7) Trifle - £5.00
Ingredients: summer fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries), mascarpone, sugar, fruit based liquor, madeira cake, whipping cream, custard.
8) Raspberry & Lemon Cheesecake - £4.50
Ingredients: butter, digestive biscuits, eggs, natural yoghurt, soft cheese, sugar, flour, raspberries, lemons.
9) Ice-cream Sundae - £4.00
Ingredients: organic vegan ice-cream, maple syrup, chocolate, cherries.
10) Fruit Salad - £4.00
Ingredients: strawberries, blueberries, apple, banana, orange, pineapple, kiwi.
So we came up with these options as the majority are fairly traditionally "British" and our aim was to make our restaurant as ethical (and vegetarian friendly) as possible which is one of the main attractions of it. Eg. We would include no factory farmed eggs, replacing original suet with vegetarian suet and also not including any gelatine. We also added in a couple of vegan options to cater for any vegans and also for a wider variety of choice since in many restaurants options like this aren't always available.
Now back to George...
1) Rice Pudding - £4.00
Ingredients: pudding rice, sugar, milk, sultanas, nutmeg.
2) Banoffee Pie - £5.00
Ingredients: butter, digestive biscuits, sugar, condensed milk, whipping cream, bananas, chocolate grated.
3) Profiteroles - £4.50
Ingredients: water, sugar, dark chocolate, butter, flour, eggs, orange zest, double cream.
4) Apple Crumble - £4.00
Ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, apples, cinnamon.
5) Victoria Sponge Cake - £4.50
Ingredients: sugar, butter, flour, eggs, baking powder, milk, strawberry jam.
6) Jam Roly Poly - £4.50
Ingredients: butter, flour, raspberry jam, vanilla pod, vegetarian suet, milk.
7) Trifle - £5.00
Ingredients: summer fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries), mascarpone, sugar, fruit based liquor, madeira cake, whipping cream, custard.
8) Raspberry & Lemon Cheesecake - £4.50
Ingredients: butter, digestive biscuits, eggs, natural yoghurt, soft cheese, sugar, flour, raspberries, lemons.
9) Ice-cream Sundae - £4.00
Ingredients: organic vegan ice-cream, maple syrup, chocolate, cherries.
10) Fruit Salad - £4.00
Ingredients: strawberries, blueberries, apple, banana, orange, pineapple, kiwi.
So we came up with these options as the majority are fairly traditionally "British" and our aim was to make our restaurant as ethical (and vegetarian friendly) as possible which is one of the main attractions of it. Eg. We would include no factory farmed eggs, replacing original suet with vegetarian suet and also not including any gelatine. We also added in a couple of vegan options to cater for any vegans and also for a wider variety of choice since in many restaurants options like this aren't always available.
Now back to George...
Thanks, Stacey.
My colleague Mitch, who unfortunately is unable to be with us tonight, has prepared drinks and extras.
Homemade chunky chips - £4.00
Onion Rings - £4.00
Garlic Bread (with organic Cheddar cheese) £4.50
Garlic Mushrooms £4.00
Free Range Omelette (With Organic Cheddar Cheese) £5.00
Coca Cola - £1.50
Diet Coke - £1.50
Fanta - £1.50
Sprite - £1.50
Dr Pepper - £1.50
Water - free
Tea - £2.00
Coffee (Fair Produce) - £2.00
Organic Strawberrry Milkshake - £3.00
Organic Chocolate Milkshake - £3.00
Organic Vanilla Milkshake - £3.00
Organic Banana Milkshake - £3.00
Ridenburger Low-Alcohol Lager (£1.50 a bottle from VintageRoots.co.uk) - £4.00
Touchstone Syrah wine (£7.25 a bottle from vintageroots.co.uk) - £6.00
Organic Blanc White Wine (£6.85 a bottle from Vintageroots.co.uk) - £6.00
I will now hand you over to Shadi, who is going to take you through the plans for the launch party.
My colleague Mitch, who unfortunately is unable to be with us tonight, has prepared drinks and extras.
Homemade chunky chips - £4.00
Onion Rings - £4.00
Garlic Bread (with organic Cheddar cheese) £4.50
Garlic Mushrooms £4.00
Free Range Omelette (With Organic Cheddar Cheese) £5.00
Coca Cola - £1.50
Diet Coke - £1.50
Fanta - £1.50
Sprite - £1.50
Dr Pepper - £1.50
Water - free
Tea - £2.00
Coffee (Fair Produce) - £2.00
Organic Strawberrry Milkshake - £3.00
Organic Chocolate Milkshake - £3.00
Organic Vanilla Milkshake - £3.00
Organic Banana Milkshake - £3.00
Ridenburger Low-Alcohol Lager (£1.50 a bottle from VintageRoots.co.uk) - £4.00
Touchstone Syrah wine (£7.25 a bottle from vintageroots.co.uk) - £6.00
Organic Blanc White Wine (£6.85 a bottle from Vintageroots.co.uk) - £6.00
I will now hand you over to Shadi, who is going to take you through the plans for the launch party.
For our launch party, our aim is to create a positive buzz and a memorable experience for the attendees, who will hopefully create a good word of mouth regarding our product. The event will last 2 hours, from 6 PM to 8 PM. We have invited a group of London's socialites to our opening party, as well as journalists and press people from all around the city who will be covering the event and conducting interviews with the founders of the restaraunt.
We also decided to invite 12 random citizens in a way that initiates some buzz about our restaraunt. We accomplished that by sending our marketers to three crowded spots: a mall, a cinema theatre, and an indie music festival. There, we asked the attendees to draw balls from inside a box, two balls in each spot we went included an invite for two people to attend our launch party. Everyone else who picked the other balls received a 25% coupon off of their bill the first time they attend our restaraunt. We tried to spread the word about our new restaraunt in a fun yet effective way.
Mini-bites of our favorite items will be served during the party as well as delicious refreshments. The owner of our restaraunt George Millman will deliver a speech to initiate the party, discussing the mission and vission of our restaurant. Following that, the CEO of "Compassion In World Farming" Philip Lymbery, the charity we're associated with, will deliver a speech endorsing our collaboration. A large TV screen will be showing all of our menu items in pictures, to give the audience a first look at our menu. Modern music will be played throughout the evening to keep our guests entertained. Finally, all the staff and the guests will participating in cutting and enjoying our special restaraunt-made cake. It's noteworthy to mention that this event will be covered by The One Show on BBC One.
We also decided to invite 12 random citizens in a way that initiates some buzz about our restaraunt. We accomplished that by sending our marketers to three crowded spots: a mall, a cinema theatre, and an indie music festival. There, we asked the attendees to draw balls from inside a box, two balls in each spot we went included an invite for two people to attend our launch party. Everyone else who picked the other balls received a 25% coupon off of their bill the first time they attend our restaraunt. We tried to spread the word about our new restaraunt in a fun yet effective way.
Mini-bites of our favorite items will be served during the party as well as delicious refreshments. The owner of our restaraunt George Millman will deliver a speech to initiate the party, discussing the mission and vission of our restaurant. Following that, the CEO of "Compassion In World Farming" Philip Lymbery, the charity we're associated with, will deliver a speech endorsing our collaboration. A large TV screen will be showing all of our menu items in pictures, to give the audience a first look at our menu. Modern music will be played throughout the evening to keep our guests entertained. Finally, all the staff and the guests will participating in cutting and enjoying our special restaraunt-made cake. It's noteworthy to mention that this event will be covered by The One Show on BBC One.
Following the launch party, we intend to publicise our restaurant in numerous different ways. First and foremost will be social media. We will have a Facebook page and a Twitter account where we can communicate with our customers. On our Facebook page, we will have a competition where people can upload photos of themselves doing something to show their commitment to ecological causes - be that recycling, buying organic food, donating to a cause that we like - the sky is the limit really! We reward creativity, and every month we will pick our ten favourites and award them a voucher for a free dessert.
In addition to this, we intend to promote ourselves on television and on the radio. We intend to have a slot on The One Show on BBC One and on The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4. We feel that these shows will present our restaurant to our clientele in the light that we want to be seen. And finally, as Shadi touched on, we are affiliating ourselves with the charity Compassion In World Farming. We will publicly support their campaigns, and potentially donate to them once we have more money, and in return they will advertise us on some of their material.
So in conclusion, thank you for listening to our pitch. We are really excited about this project, and I'm sure you are too. Inspired Choices stands out because of its ecological approach and high-quality food. We hope to be an inspiration to all other restaurants out there, and to our customers.
In addition to this, we intend to promote ourselves on television and on the radio. We intend to have a slot on The One Show on BBC One and on The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4. We feel that these shows will present our restaurant to our clientele in the light that we want to be seen. And finally, as Shadi touched on, we are affiliating ourselves with the charity Compassion In World Farming. We will publicly support their campaigns, and potentially donate to them once we have more money, and in return they will advertise us on some of their material.
So in conclusion, thank you for listening to our pitch. We are really excited about this project, and I'm sure you are too. Inspired Choices stands out because of its ecological approach and high-quality food. We hope to be an inspiration to all other restaurants out there, and to our customers.
Hi Team Inspired. Well done on the pitch and I particularly like the ethical side of the restraunt and the local farm aspect of it. I also think the menu is very well detailed and could see it as a viable business in the mass restraunt market. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about your concept / idea.
1. The restraunt marketplace is packed with competiton. What do you think would make customers switch from a competitor who offers similiar food to you? I'd have slight concerns that customers wouldn't move from a restraunt they use to a restraunt who say "we don't particularly emphasise any specific cuisine" in their sales pitch. Why would a customer start eating at your restraunt instead of restraunts they already use which offer pretty much the same thing minus the ethical farm aspects.
2. As your restraunt will initially launch in only one city in the UK and realistically only a small area of London will use it, do you think that advertising on The One Show and Radio 4 which is broadcast to the entire of the UK is a bit unneccessary and overly expensive for a promotional campaign. You'll only be targetting a small amount of London customers, why would you advertise on shows broadcast to the entire of the UK population at the first restraunt's launch instead of cheaper local radio stations?
Again I do like the menus, ethical farm bits and the social media aspect of your restraunt but I do have those two concerns / questions about it. Thanks in advance.
1. The restraunt marketplace is packed with competiton. What do you think would make customers switch from a competitor who offers similiar food to you? I'd have slight concerns that customers wouldn't move from a restraunt they use to a restraunt who say "we don't particularly emphasise any specific cuisine" in their sales pitch. Why would a customer start eating at your restraunt instead of restraunts they already use which offer pretty much the same thing minus the ethical farm aspects.
2. As your restraunt will initially launch in only one city in the UK and realistically only a small area of London will use it, do you think that advertising on The One Show and Radio 4 which is broadcast to the entire of the UK is a bit unneccessary and overly expensive for a promotional campaign. You'll only be targetting a small amount of London customers, why would you advertise on shows broadcast to the entire of the UK population at the first restraunt's launch instead of cheaper local radio stations?
Again I do like the menus, ethical farm bits and the social media aspect of your restraunt but I do have those two concerns / questions about it. Thanks in advance.
Originally Posted by xKatieLx:
“Hi Team Inspired. Well done on the pitch and I particularly like the ethical side of the restraunt and the local farm aspect of it. I also think the menu is very well detailed and could see it as a viable business in the mass restraunt market. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about your concept / idea.
1. The restraunt marketplace is packed with competiton. What do you think would make customers switch from a competitor who offers similiar food to you? I'd have slight concerns that customers wouldn't move from a restraunt they use to a restraunt who say "we don't particularly emphasise any specific cuisine" in their sales pitch. Why would a customer start eating at your restraunt instead of restraunts they already use which offer pretty much the same thing minus the ethical farm aspects.
2. As your restraunt will initially launch in only one city in the UK and realistically only a small area of London will use it, do you think that advertising on The One Show and Radio 4 which is broadcast to the entire of the UK is a bit unneccessary and overly expensive for a promotional campaign. You'll only be targetting a small amount of London customers, why would you advertise on shows broadcast to the entire of the UK population at the first restraunt's launch instead of cheaper local radio stations?
Again I do like the menus, ethical farm bits and the social media aspect of your restraunt but I do have those two concerns / questions about it. Thanks in advance.”
“Hi Team Inspired. Well done on the pitch and I particularly like the ethical side of the restraunt and the local farm aspect of it. I also think the menu is very well detailed and could see it as a viable business in the mass restraunt market. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about your concept / idea.
1. The restraunt marketplace is packed with competiton. What do you think would make customers switch from a competitor who offers similiar food to you? I'd have slight concerns that customers wouldn't move from a restraunt they use to a restraunt who say "we don't particularly emphasise any specific cuisine" in their sales pitch. Why would a customer start eating at your restraunt instead of restraunts they already use which offer pretty much the same thing minus the ethical farm aspects.
2. As your restraunt will initially launch in only one city in the UK and realistically only a small area of London will use it, do you think that advertising on The One Show and Radio 4 which is broadcast to the entire of the UK is a bit unneccessary and overly expensive for a promotional campaign. You'll only be targetting a small amount of London customers, why would you advertise on shows broadcast to the entire of the UK population at the first restraunt's launch instead of cheaper local radio stations?
Again I do like the menus, ethical farm bits and the social media aspect of your restraunt but I do have those two concerns / questions about it. Thanks in advance.
”
Hi Katie, and thank you for your questions.
1. Whilst it is true that we don't emphasise any specific cuisine, we have elements of all sorts of cuisines in our menu. The vast majority of what we are offering has been tried out on ourselves, the team members, and we generally feel that customers will really enjoy them. As for why people would move, I tend to hope that we are seen less as a miscellaneous restaurant and more as a restaurant that has something for every occasion. For example, I think that a lot of people have the 'Do you fancy Mexican, Chinese or Italian tonight?' With our restaurant, you don't need to have that conversation. You can just say, 'Shall we go to Inspired Choices on Saturday?' and there would be no need to consider in advance what sort of food you are in the mood for, because every one of our dishes will appeal to someone. Also there are our ethical policies, which I think is something that really makes us stand out. Personally I often worry about where food is sourced from, and I think it is something that is coming to a lot of people's attention in this day and age. In magazines, social media and on television, you can see so much about unethical farming and unsustainable food sources. Our restaurant gives our customers that peace of mind, and also encourages them to think in that way if they do not do so already, because it is something that is very important to us as well.
2. Our intention is to target as many people as possible. In time, we would like to become a chain - not one so huge as to be a faceless corporation, but a chain nonetheless. To do that, we have to build interest. As a new restaurant, it would not be feasible to open more than one branch straight away. We don't want to just target a few people in the area that we open in, which is why we are opening in London, the capital, where a lot of people go even if they do not live there. Despite only having one restaurant to start with, we want to be notable enough so that people who are visiting London can think, 'Oh, we can visit that new restaurant I heard about whilst we're there', and therefore generate enough interest to be able to expand our brand in the future.
Hi Inspired. Great pitch and you've obviously put a lot of work and thought into the idea and menu. I have 2 questions please:
1. I notice that none of the mains mention that they come with any side dish. (Maybe a salad, jacket potato or fries). Do they come with any side or is this ordered separately?
2. Are the salads large enough for a main meal or are they side dishes?
1. I notice that none of the mains mention that they come with any side dish. (Maybe a salad, jacket potato or fries). Do they come with any side or is this ordered separately?
2. Are the salads large enough for a main meal or are they side dishes?
Hi Team Inspired, and it's nice to see you've taken an 'ethical' approach. I just have a few questions.
1. Firstly, do you honestly believe that this 'ethical market' is something that buyers care about? Or, is it limited to a very small target audience. From past experience, we choose to go to a restaurant based on its plates and how enjoyable they are as a meal, as opposed to because they're ethically sourced. Do you think therefore that this 'ethical' concept is simply a gimmick?
2. My other question is about the launch party. The point of a launch party is to enable locals to try out the restaurant from a new perspective, special offers would be in place as you'd be going out of your way to try and get as many people to come for the launch night as possible. Why have you decided to limit that to only 12 members of the public, and do you not think that is a bit too restrictive?
Thank you in advance for your answers.
1. Firstly, do you honestly believe that this 'ethical market' is something that buyers care about? Or, is it limited to a very small target audience. From past experience, we choose to go to a restaurant based on its plates and how enjoyable they are as a meal, as opposed to because they're ethically sourced. Do you think therefore that this 'ethical' concept is simply a gimmick?
2. My other question is about the launch party. The point of a launch party is to enable locals to try out the restaurant from a new perspective, special offers would be in place as you'd be going out of your way to try and get as many people to come for the launch night as possible. Why have you decided to limit that to only 12 members of the public, and do you not think that is a bit too restrictive?
Thank you in advance for your answers.
Originally Posted by Oxygen78:
“Hi Inspired. Great pitch and you've obviously put a lot of work and thought into the idea and menu. I have 2 questions please:
1. I notice that none of the mains mention that they come with any side dish. (Maybe a salad, jacket potato or fries). Do they come with any side or is this ordered separately?
2. Are the salads large enough for a main meal or are they side dishes?”
“Hi Inspired. Great pitch and you've obviously put a lot of work and thought into the idea and menu. I have 2 questions please:
1. I notice that none of the mains mention that they come with any side dish. (Maybe a salad, jacket potato or fries). Do they come with any side or is this ordered separately?
2. Are the salads large enough for a main meal or are they side dishes?”
Hello, and thank you for the positive comments about our pitch.
1. Actually a few of our mains do come with a side dish - the homity pie is served with salad, the mushroom, spinach and stilton pie is served with mashed potato and green beans etc - but on the whole you are right that most of them do not come with a side dish. I think that quite a lot of these mains are quite filling and many customers may not want a side dish, especially if they are having a starter and/or a dessert as well. However, if there was enough demand for it, we would definitely be open to introducing more side dishes. It's all an ongoing project - this is our original menu, but we will actively encourage customers to comment on it, and we will regularly review it to make sure it is up-to-date with what our clientele want.
2. At the moment our intention is that they will be large enough to be a main meal, but again that is something that we can potentially work on.
Originally Posted by george.millman:
“Hi Katie, and thank you for your questions.
1. Whilst it is true that we don't emphasise any specific cuisine, we have elements of all sorts of cuisines in our menu. The vast majority of what we are offering has been tried out on ourselves, the team members, and we generally feel that customers will really enjoy them. As for why people would move, I tend to hope that we are seen less as a miscellaneous restaurant and more as a restaurant that has something for every occasion. For example, I think that a lot of people have the 'Do you fancy Mexican, Chinese or Italian tonight?' With our restaurant, you don't need to have that conversation. You can just say, 'Shall we go to Inspired Choices on Saturday?' and there would be no need to consider in advance what sort of food you are in the mood for, because every one of our dishes will appeal to someone. Also there are our ethical policies, which I think is something that really makes us stand out. Personally I often worry about where food is sourced from, and I think it is something that is coming to a lot of people's attention in this day and age. In magazines, social media and on television, you can see so much about unethical farming and unsustainable food sources. Our restaurant gives our customers that peace of mind, and also encourages them to think in that way if they do not do so already, because it is something that is very important to us as well.
2. Our intention is to target as many people as possible. In time, we would like to become a chain - not one so huge as to be a faceless corporation, but a chain nonetheless. To do that, we have to build interest. As a new restaurant, it would not be feasible to open more than one branch straight away. We don't want to just target a few people in the area that we open in, which is why we are opening in London, the capital, where a lot of people go even if they do not live there. Despite only having one restaurant to start with, we want to be notable enough so that people who are visiting London can think, 'Oh, we can visit that new restaurant I heard about whilst we're there', and therefore generate enough interest to be able to expand our brand in the future.”
“Hi Katie, and thank you for your questions.
1. Whilst it is true that we don't emphasise any specific cuisine, we have elements of all sorts of cuisines in our menu. The vast majority of what we are offering has been tried out on ourselves, the team members, and we generally feel that customers will really enjoy them. As for why people would move, I tend to hope that we are seen less as a miscellaneous restaurant and more as a restaurant that has something for every occasion. For example, I think that a lot of people have the 'Do you fancy Mexican, Chinese or Italian tonight?' With our restaurant, you don't need to have that conversation. You can just say, 'Shall we go to Inspired Choices on Saturday?' and there would be no need to consider in advance what sort of food you are in the mood for, because every one of our dishes will appeal to someone. Also there are our ethical policies, which I think is something that really makes us stand out. Personally I often worry about where food is sourced from, and I think it is something that is coming to a lot of people's attention in this day and age. In magazines, social media and on television, you can see so much about unethical farming and unsustainable food sources. Our restaurant gives our customers that peace of mind, and also encourages them to think in that way if they do not do so already, because it is something that is very important to us as well.
2. Our intention is to target as many people as possible. In time, we would like to become a chain - not one so huge as to be a faceless corporation, but a chain nonetheless. To do that, we have to build interest. As a new restaurant, it would not be feasible to open more than one branch straight away. We don't want to just target a few people in the area that we open in, which is why we are opening in London, the capital, where a lot of people go even if they do not live there. Despite only having one restaurant to start with, we want to be notable enough so that people who are visiting London can think, 'Oh, we can visit that new restaurant I heard about whilst we're there', and therefore generate enough interest to be able to expand our brand in the future.”
Personally, I'm not too sure if the majority of customers would move from their usual restraunts to a new one purely because of the ethical aspects but I can see it appealling to a few customers. Honestly, I'm still not convinced that the benefits of advertising one brand new restraunt in London to the entire of the UK would outweigh the costs and I think advertising a local company locally would be a better and much cheaper option but I can understand why you'd advertise to a larger audiences.
Thanks for the answers George and good luck to the team with the boardroom.
Hi everyone, thanks so much for the pitch. As I said with the previous team, this is well designed and reflects a lot of effort on your parts. Also, forgive me if this delves too much into what some of the other viewers have asked - I apologize in advance if there's crossover!
First, I think that the idea to not emphasize too much of a particular cuisine is both a blessing and a curse. While it offers a lot of room to appeal to a large audience, it also can appear bland from a marketing standpoint. I think that this also raises a concern Katie mentioned - why would people eat here as opposed to where they are used to? But, since you've answered that, my question is really as such: If you had to define your culinary standpoint in a very short (maybe 5 words?) phrase, how would you do so? I am struggling a bit with the aim of the restaurant chain.
Also, some of the items seem to be VERY inadequately priced. I know I'm from America, so that might complicate my understanding, but it is not believable to have Sea Bass priced as cheaply as you have it here. Similarly, why are your black-eyed beans so expensive/even an entrée? I think that some of your menu items would be better on other parts of the menu (read: starters rather than main courses, etc.). Can you explain more behind the pricing of these?
Finally, I greatly appreciate the green focus of the menu/restaurant. Ecological concerns are important to consider in planning a restaurant. At the same time, how are you going to ensure all of your ingredients are sustainably grown and purchased? I hate to keep bringing up the Sea Bass, but seeing as it is notoriously farmed and sold illegally and not sustainably, there are a lot of red flags that could come as a result of that item alone. Can you explain why there wasn't more of an emphasis on the menu in terms of organic/locally produced products?
First, I think that the idea to not emphasize too much of a particular cuisine is both a blessing and a curse. While it offers a lot of room to appeal to a large audience, it also can appear bland from a marketing standpoint. I think that this also raises a concern Katie mentioned - why would people eat here as opposed to where they are used to? But, since you've answered that, my question is really as such: If you had to define your culinary standpoint in a very short (maybe 5 words?) phrase, how would you do so? I am struggling a bit with the aim of the restaurant chain.
Also, some of the items seem to be VERY inadequately priced. I know I'm from America, so that might complicate my understanding, but it is not believable to have Sea Bass priced as cheaply as you have it here. Similarly, why are your black-eyed beans so expensive/even an entrée? I think that some of your menu items would be better on other parts of the menu (read: starters rather than main courses, etc.). Can you explain more behind the pricing of these?
Finally, I greatly appreciate the green focus of the menu/restaurant. Ecological concerns are important to consider in planning a restaurant. At the same time, how are you going to ensure all of your ingredients are sustainably grown and purchased? I hate to keep bringing up the Sea Bass, but seeing as it is notoriously farmed and sold illegally and not sustainably, there are a lot of red flags that could come as a result of that item alone. Can you explain why there wasn't more of an emphasis on the menu in terms of organic/locally produced products?
Originally Posted by Carlisle156:
“Hi Team Inspired, and it's nice to see you've taken an 'ethical' approach. I just have a few questions.
1. Firstly, do you honestly believe that this 'ethical market' is something that buyers care about? Or, is it limited to a very small target audience. From past experience, we choose to go to a restaurant based on its plates and how enjoyable they are as a meal, as opposed to because they're ethically sourced. Do you think therefore that this 'ethical' concept is simply a gimmick?
2. My other question is about the launch party. The point of a launch party is to enable locals to try out the restaurant from a new perspective, special offers would be in place as you'd be going out of your way to try and get as many people to come for the launch night as possible. Why have you decided to limit that to only 12 members of the public, and do you not think that is a bit too restrictive?
Thank you in advance for your answers.”
“Hi Team Inspired, and it's nice to see you've taken an 'ethical' approach. I just have a few questions.
1. Firstly, do you honestly believe that this 'ethical market' is something that buyers care about? Or, is it limited to a very small target audience. From past experience, we choose to go to a restaurant based on its plates and how enjoyable they are as a meal, as opposed to because they're ethically sourced. Do you think therefore that this 'ethical' concept is simply a gimmick?
2. My other question is about the launch party. The point of a launch party is to enable locals to try out the restaurant from a new perspective, special offers would be in place as you'd be going out of your way to try and get as many people to come for the launch night as possible. Why have you decided to limit that to only 12 members of the public, and do you not think that is a bit too restrictive?
Thank you in advance for your answers.”
Thank you for your questions, David.
1. I'd like to say first and foremost that our ethical policies, much as they are one of the key features that make us stand out from the competition, are not the main way that we want to attract people to this restaurant. I think that if you look at our menu, you will see how much time myself and my team have put into designing the meals. If our whole business plan was based around a gimmick, there would be no point in doing that. A restaurant should fundamentally attract its customers because of the food it serves. If it doesn't do that then in our opinion it is a poor restaurant, and I do not believe that ours is. Secondly, I think that you are incorrect in saying that buyers do not care about the ethical market. Twenty years ago I think you could justifiably make that point, but today I do not believe that you can. There is a growing awareness of issues within the food industry, and has been for a good while now. You cannot log into a social media site without seeing images of unethical farming and problems with the environment. I think that it is something that comes up a lot in conversation, and something that people in the UK are becoming increasingly more aware of. I think a lot of the time, there is an attitude among people that they know that it goes on, but they are not really sure what they can do to help the situation. Supporting our restaurant will do that, and I think that through our associations with Compassion In World Farming, we will help to make the food industry more ethical, within the UK at least, and help people become more aware of things.
2. For us at the time, the way that we were organising the launch party seemed the most effective - but you make a good point, and we may reconsider some of our plans.
Originally Posted by george.millman:
“Hello, and thank you for the positive comments about our pitch.
1. Actually a few of our mains do come with a side dish - the homity pie is served with salad, the mushroom, spinach and stilton pie is served with mashed potato and green beans etc - but on the whole you are right that most of them do not come with a side dish. I think that quite a lot of these mains are quite filling and many customers may not want a side dish, especially if they are having a starter and/or a dessert as well. However, if there was enough demand for it, we would definitely be open to introducing more side dishes. It's all an ongoing project - this is our original menu, but we will actively encourage customers to comment on it, and we will regularly review it to make sure it is up-to-date with what our clientele want.
2. At the moment our intention is that they will be large enough to be a main meal, but again that is something that we can potentially work on.”
“Hello, and thank you for the positive comments about our pitch.
1. Actually a few of our mains do come with a side dish - the homity pie is served with salad, the mushroom, spinach and stilton pie is served with mashed potato and green beans etc - but on the whole you are right that most of them do not come with a side dish. I think that quite a lot of these mains are quite filling and many customers may not want a side dish, especially if they are having a starter and/or a dessert as well. However, if there was enough demand for it, we would definitely be open to introducing more side dishes. It's all an ongoing project - this is our original menu, but we will actively encourage customers to comment on it, and we will regularly review it to make sure it is up-to-date with what our clientele want.
2. At the moment our intention is that they will be large enough to be a main meal, but again that is something that we can potentially work on.”
Thank you for the answer - Missed that a few did have mentions of sides.
With that range of great salads, I think an option to include a small side portion to any main (for a price!) would be a nice addition to the menu.
Good luck in the boardroom.
Originally Posted by jag02010:
“Hi everyone, thanks so much for the pitch. As I said with the previous team, this is well designed and reflects a lot of effort on your parts. Also, forgive me if this delves too much into what some of the other viewers have asked - I apologize in advance if there's crossover!
First, I think that the idea to not emphasize too much of a particular cuisine is both a blessing and a curse. While it offers a lot of room to appeal to a large audience, it also can appear bland from a marketing standpoint. I think that this also raises a concern Katie mentioned - why would people eat here as opposed to where they are used to? But, since you've answered that, my question is really as such: If you had to define your culinary standpoint in a very short (maybe 5 words?) phrase, how would you do so? I am struggling a bit with the aim of the restaurant chain.
Also, some of the items seem to be VERY inadequately priced. I know I'm from America, so that might complicate my understanding, but it is not believable to have Sea Bass priced as cheaply as you have it here. Similarly, why are your black-eyed beans so expensive/even an entrée? I think that some of your menu items would be better on other parts of the menu (read: starters rather than main courses, etc.). Can you explain more behind the pricing of these?
Finally, I greatly appreciate the green focus of the menu/restaurant. Ecological concerns are important to consider in planning a restaurant. At the same time, how are you going to ensure all of your ingredients are sustainably grown and purchased? I hate to keep bringing up the Sea Bass, but seeing as it is notoriously farmed and sold illegally and not sustainably, there are a lot of red flags that could come as a result of that item alone. Can you explain why there wasn't more of an emphasis on the menu in terms of organic/locally produced products?”
“Hi everyone, thanks so much for the pitch. As I said with the previous team, this is well designed and reflects a lot of effort on your parts. Also, forgive me if this delves too much into what some of the other viewers have asked - I apologize in advance if there's crossover!
First, I think that the idea to not emphasize too much of a particular cuisine is both a blessing and a curse. While it offers a lot of room to appeal to a large audience, it also can appear bland from a marketing standpoint. I think that this also raises a concern Katie mentioned - why would people eat here as opposed to where they are used to? But, since you've answered that, my question is really as such: If you had to define your culinary standpoint in a very short (maybe 5 words?) phrase, how would you do so? I am struggling a bit with the aim of the restaurant chain.
Also, some of the items seem to be VERY inadequately priced. I know I'm from America, so that might complicate my understanding, but it is not believable to have Sea Bass priced as cheaply as you have it here. Similarly, why are your black-eyed beans so expensive/even an entrée? I think that some of your menu items would be better on other parts of the menu (read: starters rather than main courses, etc.). Can you explain more behind the pricing of these?
Finally, I greatly appreciate the green focus of the menu/restaurant. Ecological concerns are important to consider in planning a restaurant. At the same time, how are you going to ensure all of your ingredients are sustainably grown and purchased? I hate to keep bringing up the Sea Bass, but seeing as it is notoriously farmed and sold illegally and not sustainably, there are a lot of red flags that could come as a result of that item alone. Can you explain why there wasn't more of an emphasis on the menu in terms of organic/locally produced products?”
The vast majority of our ingredients are things that we have considered and know roughly where they would be sourced. There have been things on the menu that have been vetoed because they did not fit the criteria - for example, a tuna recipe. I admit that the sea bass may have been something that was overlooked, but I think that if that is something that we cannot source as ethically as our guidelines state, that is an exception rather than a rule. As for the pricing of the sea bass, I myself did not research the pricing of that and the person who did is not currently here to defend it, but I have faith in that person that they knew what they were talking about.
Can I use six words to sum us up? I would say 'high-quality food with pleasant service'.
Originally Posted by george.millman:
“Thank you for your questions, David.
1. I'd like to say first and foremost that our ethical policies, much as they are one of the key features that make us stand out from the competition, are not the main way that we want to attract people to this restaurant. I think that if you look at our menu, you will see how much time myself and my team have put into designing the meals. If our whole business plan was based around a gimmick, there would be no point in doing that. A restaurant should fundamentally attract its customers because of the food it serves. If it doesn't do that then in our opinion it is a poor restaurant, and I do not believe that ours is. Secondly, I think that you are incorrect in saying that buyers do not care about the ethical market. Twenty years ago I think you could justifiably make that point, but today I do not believe that you can. There is a growing awareness of issues within the food industry, and has been for a good while now. You cannot log into a social media site without seeing images of unethical farming and problems with the environment. I think that it is something that comes up a lot in conversation, and something that people in the UK are becoming increasingly more aware of. I think a lot of the time, there is an attitude among people that they know that it goes on, but they are not really sure what they can do to help the situation. Supporting our restaurant will do that, and I think that through our associations with Compassion In World Farming, we will help to make the food industry more ethical, within the UK at least, and help people become more aware of things.
2. For us at the time, the way that we were organising the launch party seemed the most effective - but you make a good point, and we may reconsider some of our plans.”
“Thank you for your questions, David.
1. I'd like to say first and foremost that our ethical policies, much as they are one of the key features that make us stand out from the competition, are not the main way that we want to attract people to this restaurant. I think that if you look at our menu, you will see how much time myself and my team have put into designing the meals. If our whole business plan was based around a gimmick, there would be no point in doing that. A restaurant should fundamentally attract its customers because of the food it serves. If it doesn't do that then in our opinion it is a poor restaurant, and I do not believe that ours is. Secondly, I think that you are incorrect in saying that buyers do not care about the ethical market. Twenty years ago I think you could justifiably make that point, but today I do not believe that you can. There is a growing awareness of issues within the food industry, and has been for a good while now. You cannot log into a social media site without seeing images of unethical farming and problems with the environment. I think that it is something that comes up a lot in conversation, and something that people in the UK are becoming increasingly more aware of. I think a lot of the time, there is an attitude among people that they know that it goes on, but they are not really sure what they can do to help the situation. Supporting our restaurant will do that, and I think that through our associations with Compassion In World Farming, we will help to make the food industry more ethical, within the UK at least, and help people become more aware of things.
2. For us at the time, the way that we were organising the launch party seemed the most effective - but you make a good point, and we may reconsider some of our plans.”
Whilst I accept your points I do have a few concerns about it. Firstly, I don't think honestly I am 'incorrect' in saying that. For starters, 'ethical eating', or anything particularly related, has for me never come up in conversation and I just asked a few people, all from different areas & backgrounds, and they all said the same as I did.
Secondly, I don't think there actually is that much of a growing awareness in regards to it. I use both Facebook & Twitter regularly and very rarely, if at all, do I ever spot anything at all to do with ethical eating or sourcing. Whilst, environmentally I do think it's good and I think it's a good thing to back, I'm just not sure about whether the British public would take to it. How often do people go to a restaurant, lets say, Nando's, and say to themselves, actually I don't know if I'd want to eat here, I'd much rather go to somewhere with ethically sourced and farmed foods.
I think you and I will have to disagree on whether or not this 'ethical' stuff is anything more than a gimmick.
Hey Inspired, I love your restaurant but I'm interested as to who you target audience is and how sustainable you think you business is, do you really think it could last more than a year or so?
Hi all, I am deeply sorry for not posting my part. My internet has gone and messed up because of my home's carpet installation. This has been all BAD timing on my part and now I feel that I've let the whole team down because of bad timing today. 
Originally Posted by george.millman:
“The vast majority of our ingredients are things that we have considered and know roughly where they would be sourced. There have been things on the menu that have been vetoed because they did not fit the criteria - for example, a tuna recipe. I admit that the sea bass may have been something that was overlooked, but I think that if that is something that we cannot source as ethically as our guidelines state, that is an exception rather than a rule. As for the pricing of the sea bass, I myself did not research the pricing of that and the person who did is not currently here to defend it, but I have faith in that person that they knew what they were talking about.
Can I use six words to sum us up? I would say 'high-quality food with pleasant service'.”
“The vast majority of our ingredients are things that we have considered and know roughly where they would be sourced. There have been things on the menu that have been vetoed because they did not fit the criteria - for example, a tuna recipe. I admit that the sea bass may have been something that was overlooked, but I think that if that is something that we cannot source as ethically as our guidelines state, that is an exception rather than a rule. As for the pricing of the sea bass, I myself did not research the pricing of that and the person who did is not currently here to defend it, but I have faith in that person that they knew what they were talking about.
Can I use six words to sum us up? I would say 'high-quality food with pleasant service'.”
Thank you for your response. In response to your last answer, I think I didn't explain myself clearly - I was mainly wondering how you'd define the type of food you serve. This isn't a "Mexican restaurant" or a "Japanese restaurant," for example, that can be summed up with just a reference to a culture. Is there any unifying term you'd use beyond "high-quality" to describe the type of food you serve?
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