As it happens, I have been back at the day job ever since Wednesday, listening the the monotonous drone of people dissatisfied with the outcome of Christmas and trying to drum up a little sympathy for the remnants of my cold. The evenings, however, have been reclaimed from the evils of overtime, and I am now once more free to stalk the internet, trying to find new and interesting ways to make the Jabberwocky great or, at any rate, vaguely corporeal.
Having said that, the ghostly and ever expanding internet presence has its uses. For a start, it recently secured us our very first online booking. A local company in need of a buffet got in touch and booked us for the bit between Christmas and new year. Three days, three buffets, one very reasonable price and Barny can get them all there and still put in a full day’s work. We had to abandon Christmas a little earlier than usual, which was hard to do now that the nieces are being so spectacularly cute, but having spent the Tuesday roasting beef, boiling ham and peeling eggs we were all set for sandwich greatness.
Chances are we probably won’t be getting any feedback, but from what I saw the food looked beautiful, so we now have to hope the gods of feedback will not curse us with the unpleasable customer, but will bless us with five stars or nothing at all.
It provides some justification for my spending the best part of a year tinkering with the website, and will hopefully be the first of many. It brings with it a few minor teething problems, but I am confident that an optimistic attitude and a cup of tea will solve those. Speaking of which…
Teething problems, you see, in that the blog is public, to be read and hopefully enjoyed by everyone, possibly even commented upon or shared on social networking sites. That brings with it the understanding that customers, potential customers and people who work for potential customers may read the blog prior to placing a booking, just to see what sort of people we are. Putting myself in their stylish, eloquent and all round good-natured shoes, I would look at this post and be a little concerned that this appears to be our first proper booking.
It’s not unreasonable. I’m guilty of it myself as well, because I am a creature of habit and I think that change is something that is collected in tins. Barny, incidentally, believes it is to be carried around in pockets and deposited down the back of the sofa at ones earliest convenience, to be found later on an adventurous cleaning spree and collected, for prosperity, in tins. With that in mind I can understand that a potential customer might be put off, and my word will probably not count for much in reassuring you otherwise. Luckily this will change. We will get more bookings, serve more people amazing food and keep telling anyone who would like to know all about it.
I think in this case I am really looking forward to that change, and I think providing it is accompanied by tea we should all be fine.
I suppose as the Jabberwocky this is your first event but by no means is this the first catering event that I have seen you do. Unless I imagined those absolutely scrumptuous scones and ratatouille pasties. I’m still waiting for the perfect occasion at which I will see those delights again…
It’s your first “Proper” booking for a given value of proper. Maybe you need to define what “proper” is to you or at least understand your customers definition of “proper”.
If nothing else your blog demonstrates a sense of humour. Something important in a service industry and that will probably help garnering customers. Now drink your weak lemon drink…