• 
• 

Published on July 30, 2007

A few months ago, the company introduced its "Gold" service, which offers better menus and more flexible service hours.

It also expanded advertising channels by linking with a credit-card company for a direct-mail campaign to cardholders. Next might be advertising in magazines, Vitoon Sila-On, vice president for business development and restaurant marketing, said last week.

The company senses an opportunity, as people nowadays prefer a convenient lifestyle by just waiting for food. They can also save 30 per cent compared to eating out. Besides, there is no restaurant chain offering the service like S&P, he said.

Another reason for the renewed focus is it wants to upgrade its set-menu delivery service to the same standard as practised at its 90 S&P restaurants.

S&P launched the service just to make use of the kitchens in its restaurants during slow times. It never advertised and the service was known among a limited number of people only.

They would have to pay in advance Bt4,650 or Bt5,250 per month, depending on the menus. S&P would give them a list, featuring three different items every day that would be delivered in the evening only.

With the new Gold service, customers will be served better meals and can request delivery at any time. The traditional service is named Silver. Both Silver and Gold guarantee 15-minute delivery with no transportation charge.

Since it started advertising the service via direct mail, the company has witnessed a 20-per-cent increase to 1,700 customers, mostly living in the suburbs.

The company has not set a sales target this year for the business although it is devoting more attention to it, but Vitoon said the service usually generated Bt70 million annually.

S&P has another delivery service called Food Delivery, which allows customers to choose from the same menu used in its restaurants and pay the same prices with a Bt20 transportation charge per order.

It contributes 70 per cent of delivery sales, while the set-menu service makes up the rest.

At its restaurant chain, food and beverage sales have shot up more than 20 per cent since early this year, while bakery sales trailed with 10-per-cent growth over the first half of last year.

S&P will keep concentrating on building a close relationship with customers, which has been its policy for the last four years, said Vitoon.

The company's marketing research found that its restaurants had three major groups of customers - families, working people and adults.

S&P has budgeted Bt90 million for marketing this year to achieve its sales target of Bt3.7 billion.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation