Watch: ‘What Restaurants Can Learn From Mr Sofrito’s Success’
A catering activist said restaurants can learn lessons about the power of innovation and marketing from Mr Sofrito and his viral €9.90 toast.
Lovin Malta spoke to Alan Abela, treasurer of the Association of Catering Establishments, in light of an ACE survey which indicated that diners are spending less per meal.
Despite concerns that profits are down, Mr Sofrito managed to attract large queues of people to his food truck, most of whom were keen to try out his viral and pretty expensive piece of toast.
“The best thing he did was that his PR campaign managed to attract people, and restaurants and other economic sectors can do the same,” Abela said. “How easy it is and how long it can last is another story, but when someone is innovative, they attract people.”
However, he said this doesn’t mean restraints should try to copy Mr Sofrito or abandon their long-term business plans; rather they must try and seek innovation in their own ways.
Indeed, he warned that there are several “copycats” in the local catering scene who try to replicate the success of others, and that this has led to a state of market saturation.
“We can see the results from the survey that restaurants are registering a decline in profit and revenue, we can see a trend here, and I think we will continue seeing these sorts of results. This means that only the strongest establishments will be able to continue competing in the long run.”
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