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Food | 24/11/2022 13:00:00

A la tardor, platillos! A showcase for attracting customers and building loyalty

L’HOSPITALET DE LLOBREGAT IS HOSTING THE 8TH EDITION OF A LA TARDOR, PLATILLOS!, A TOUR OF THE CULINARY CREATIONS OFFERED BY 25 OF THE CITY’S ESTABLISHMENTS

Customers can take part in the tapas tour until 27 November. The idea is simple: autumnal tapas offered at a price of €4 per dish. A panel of judges consisting of Carmen Alcaraz, a leading journalist in the culinary world and manager of the food website “Hule y Mantel”; the coordinators of L’Hospitalet’s Training and Employment programmes; and representatives from the Food Service and Tourism Training Centre, the Food Service Association and the food blog “L’Hospitalet Gastronòmic” will select the winners of three of the four awards handed out for this edition of the tapas tour: the Tastiest Tapas, the Most Creative Tapas and the Best Culinary Quality Tapas.
There will also be an award for the Most Popular Tapas, voted for by the public. Customers will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite dishes using the ballot boxes provided in each of the participating establishments. In order for a vote to be valid, it must bear the stamps of three different establishments, to show that the voter has sampled at least three different culinary creations. This is the leaflet for the tapas tour.

Culinary creations for A la tardor, platillos!

The culinary creations offered by the 25 establishments that are taking part in L’Hospitalet are extremely varied. The dishes on offer range from traditional tripe, fried eggs, pork skewers and pigs’ trotter stew, to more innovative options such as red tuna tataki with citrus fruit chutney and pumpkin, or a panellet of Iberian ham with apple puff-pastry. All of the dishes have autumn as their central theme.

Why is it important for restaurants to take part in the tapas tour?

The tapas tour organised by L’Hospitalet City Council’s Department of Tourism and Economic Promotion is the perfect showcase for restaurants wishing to attract new customers and consolidate themselves as a brand that focuses on gastronomic quality, by offering innovative or traditional culinary creations.

Although the main aim of the tapas tour is to promote L’Hospitalet’s many dining options and make them more accessible to visitors and residents, it also aims to highlight and promote unique, high-quality local cuisine.

It represents a commitment for the city’s restaurants, in view of the fact that, for almost the entire month that the tour lasts, they have to make sure their dish remains available among the options on their menu. Although this requires effort, it is compensated by the exposure enjoyed by the participating establishments among the city’s residents and tourists, in the form of guides, online promotion and exposure in the media.

Beyond the promotional activities carried out by the City Council, this tapas tour essentially serves to attract new customers to the restaurant. It is a golden opportunity to showcase the best of the establishment’s culinary talents and attract new customers, build loyalty among existing ones and put the principle of cross-selling into practice.

How can restaurants use the tapas tour to increase sales?

As mentioned above, the tapas tour is a vehicle to bring new customers to the restaurant. The cost of the dish is €4, which means that the tour essentially becomes a commercial tool that can help the establishment to increase the spend per customer. Assuming that all of the staff have a thorough knowledge of the tapas dish being offered, know how to present it and, where possible, can tell the story of how it came to be chosen as the participating dish, there are a number of actions that can also serve as tools to increase sales:

1. Immediately after seating the customers, ask them what they would like to drink and, initially, present them with the options that are most cost-effective for the establishment.
2. Then, take the opportunity to suggest that they participate in the tapas tour. Winning the award for best tapas would lend additional prestige.
3. After the customers have eaten the dish, their appetites may have been awakened and they may wish to eat something else. This is a crucial moment from a sales perspective. A new order could involve more drinks, and main courses or shared portions. You must be ready to offer these options at the right moment.
4. If the customers have stayed at the establishment, desserts are an option. Unless the customer states otherwise, a meal is not a meal without a dessert. They may not be very hungry, but if you suggest a couple of dessert options, perhaps their appetites will return.
5. The meal is almost over, but tea and coffee are basic products that you should not forget to offer. As they have a high profit margin, they represent the last opportunity to increase the size of the bill.

Make the most of the opportunities offered by taking part in a tapas tour. If you prepare well, it can make a significant impact on sales.