GOOD LUCK!
I can't wait to check this out. I've been watching this for months! Only in NYS does a respectable business run by people who care about the community have a problem getting a liquor license to sell good beer- while meat market "bars" that permit and attract seedy behavior continue to be allowed to stay in operation - probably because the SLA doesn't want to lose the revenue from their license?. Ah, I love NY - and yet - here I am, a glutton for punishment! At least the good beer will be flowing soon!
I watched Geo eat since he was 8, his size is an indication of his knowledge about food and how things should be made and taste. If any family secrets find their way into the Deli scene, Geo may get to visit Valhalla.
I wish them good luck. Can't wait for the beer to be available so that I don't have to go to Consumer's or Premier. The prices for those two sandwiches are incredibly high! For self-service, they have to be at or near the top. Hope it all works out.
Why is Amstel light promoted,(see photo), in a store that is to feature good beer? Are we once again witness to a god idea done in buffalo half-assed fashion? Can I expect to find luxurious "micro-brews" like saranac and great lakes Or will we finally up some ante? C'mon lets replace that amstel light globe with the fat man of Oerbier!
I was at the market this afternoon. George wasn't there but the owner made me a great sandwich anyway- salami, cappacola, provalone and sundried tomatoes- it was great, well woth the $7. No beer liscence yet but the owner said beer tastings are about three weeks away. I'm sure Amstell won't be a featured beer!
Item pricing is usually accomplished by a food cost formula, the products being used to construct these sandwiches is more than the Buffalo market is use to. My comments in talking to Geo. weeks ago about this issue pointed out the fact that there are less expensive brands with as good quality not subject to the same cost formula used to make Boar's Head cold cuts and this may have to be adjusted to make the product cost inline with the regional norm. Geo. is good at what he does but doesn't have final say in item pricing. This maybe an example of a practice that works somewhere else but not in Buffalo. I know for a fact that the cost of many items are far more in other area's, in fact sometimes even at the point of origin than found in Buffalo. Buffalo residents enjoy lower food cost across the board than almost any other area of the country. The competition for business based on price is responsible for this fact and a reason many businesses don't survive here.
At Premier Gourmet's deli you can get sandwiches made with some of the same stuff (Boar's Head meats, for instance) that are cheaper. They have daily lunch specials where you get a sandwich/wrap or salad along with a side and a drink for $6.19 (after-tax price). So I don't know that the pricing is entirely a necessity based on ingredient cost.
The real question is, the amount of individual items used (weight, count, volume) and the food cost target attempted to be obtained. Apples only to apples only is a fair comparison, but that aside knowing the market conditions is important. If pricing isn't considered by product cost ratio, the possibility of failure becomes greater.
Try this contest, by what is pictured, what would the estimate of ingredient's be, their portion size, cost per portion and finally total product cost. Most operations look for a .33% food cost but the range between 25 and 50 percent is historical. Ask Geo. for the true answers, good food service operators should be able to be within 5% of the answer.
The sandwiches look good, I'll be in there soon and, once they have beer, regularly. Hopefully there will be a wide selection of good micros and imported macros.
A place like Premier or Wegmans has an advantage on how they price their products over the little guys like the Village Beer Merchant partly due to larger businesses getting price breaks on their ingredients with the larger volume they do with the food broker. They also have the luxury of not relying exclusively on the sale of the sandwich as the make or break on turning a profit....... they can afford to take a hit on the sandwich if they also are able to sell some wine, cheese, chocolate covered pretzels or any grocery item as well.
Viking, I don't follow you. I've had terrific sandwiches in Buffalo and Boston for far less. In addition to Premier, Marco's Italian Deli also uses Boars Head meats (at a lower cost). I don't know the cost of his ingredients, the size of his sandwhich, the break-even needed to help pay rent or his expenses (nor do I care). $8.00 - $8.50 is way too much for a deli sandwich in Buffalo. Lots of quality alternatives at a lower price point.
If Jim's Steakout can charge almost $10 for a footlong steak sub, then the VBM can chagre $8 for a gourmet sandwich.
You guys can always try the Dollar menu at McD's (I hear there's a venr nice one on Niagara) to save yourself some change.
I have no problem paying $8 for a sandwich as long as its great quality. My bill is never cheap at Globe Market, but man, it is worth every penny! Hopefully the VBM will have some sort of patio eventually!
Bufrox I, agree about being careful of pricing and by the way it isn't his, he works for someone he doesn't determine pricing or portions. In truth I believe the distributor of some of the products had more influence than others on both portions and pricing. $6.95 is the average number for upscale sandwiches in our area and 3/4 a pound of ingredients combined for portion control in multi ingredient sandwiches. We agree on most everything, and don't follow me, I am direction challenged.
viking - I agree that seems more in line with pricing for upscale sandwich in Buffalo. Globe Market has a 1/2 sandwich (healthy size for 1/2 sandwich) and soup or salad combo (with drink) for around $7.50 - $7.75. Sure you can eat "supersized" at McDs for less with Metropolis, but Globe has fast become very popular downtown at lunch due to the high quality of the ingredients. It will be interesting to see how Delish does when it opens in the old Theo's Place because I heard that pricing was going to be on par or higher than Globe.
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