April 24th, 2006   (See below for a discount on every order!)

Hello folks, this is Jim (the Cook) with a Rooster News Flash.

Fewer Flashes From Us

I've decided to cut back on the frequency of Rooster News Flashes that I mail out.  In no small measure, this is a response to the large amount of email I get in my inbox, most of which is unsolicited garbage that I have to delete but some of which is emails I have asked for but sometimes don't even have time to read.  It dawned on me that maybe lots of you loyal Rooster-fans have the same issues.  While we want to keep you abreast of the menu and other new things, we don't want to be part of anyone's inbox problems, either.

So, starting in May (next Monday), you will get a monthly Rooster Newsletter at the beginning of the month and a mid-month Rooster News Flash.  Each will have a half-month's worth of menus, highlights of new or notable menu items, the usual poll or other feedback solicitation, and last but not least, the subscriber's special discount.  Of course, the discount will be good for longer than a single week starting in May as well.

We will still be able to keep you informed and have a regular dialog with our customers, we just won't be popping into your inbox quite as often.

Here's our menu for this week.  If you have any questions or wish to reserve something, please call the store at 831-634-0135.  To see a description of any of these items, go to our online menu.

Lunch Soup:  Soups this week are Cream of Broccoli (Monday and Tuesday) and Chicken Noodle (Wednesday through Friday).

SUN:  23	MON:  24	TUE:  25	WED:  26	THU:  27	FRI:  28	SAT:  29
						Running Rooster Closed Saturday
	Wood Roasted Garlic Rosemary Chicken
HSD Elementary	Memphis BBQ Back Ribs
School Band	Old Fashioned Lasagna
Fundraiser	Teriyaki Chicken			North Beach Eggplant Parmesan
Week		Mel's Diner Meatloaf			Picasso Pizza
			Texas BBQ Brisket

Note:  All menu items may be subject to substitution or selling out, depending upon our suppliers, our customers' appetites, and the whims of Jim (The Cook).

Monthly Picasso Pizza

This Friday is the end of April (already?) and so we are offering our Picasso Pizzas that day to the few, the proud, the gourmet take-and-bake pizza lovers.  For those of you who haven't tried one, it's called "Picasso Pizza" because you put the toppings on yourself, however you want them, making your pizza your own personal work of art.  This is, in my admittedly biased opinion, the only pizza in Hollister (frozen or take-and-bake) worthy of that pizza stone that's gathering dust in your pantry.  If you love good pizza and you haven't tried one of ours, this is as close as you can come to truly home-made, and it's easy!  Reservations recommended.

Customer Research Follow-up

Thanks to all of you (and there were many) who responded to last week's poll about the frequency with which you pick up dinner from Running Rooster.  The results were as follows.  One quarter of you get Running Rooster for dinner at least once a week.  About half of you get dinner every couple weeks or so, and the last quarter get it once a month or less.

This, of course, got me to thinking "What could we do better or different which would get people to come in a little more often for a Running Rooster dinner?"  Our business is growing (very nicely) but I would rather grow by making you, my existing customers, happier and coming in more often than by continually looking for new customers.  For instance, we could lower prices, but would have to portion smaller or produce cheaper food.  We could increase the variety of food we offer at any one time, or maybe change our two-person portioning to single person, but those choices would drive our costs and prices up.  Maybe hot dinner options?  Maybe more ethnic/gourmet/spicier/fill-in-your-own-adjective food?  There are many possibilities, each with advantages and tradeoffs.  But I want to know what works for you.

I'm going to take a two-pronged strategy with this research.  Those of you who answered my last poll question will get an email inviting you to take part in a more detailed satisfaction and desires survey.  You'll get a Running Rooster gift card as a thank you for your time if you choose to participate.  Anyone else who would like to take the in-depth survey is also welcome.  Just send me a quick email.

For the rest of you, I'm hoping you can quickly tell me what you would do were you in my shoes.  What one change (minor tweak, major shift, I'm open to all ideas) would you make to Running Rooster to improve it for you?  You are our customers, and keeping you happy is our path to success.

Thanks for all your help.  I take this feedback very seriously.

Poll:  What would make you come to Running Rooster more often for dinner?

This is an open question.  Feel free to be as terse or verbose as you like.  If I don't understand something about your answer, I'll reply to you directly asking for clarification.  Click the link below to send me an email with your suggestion:

• Click here to send an email to Jim (The Cook)

Weekly Subscriber Discount

On May 3, Running Rooster will be celebrating its One-Year anniversary at the downtown store (800 San Benito Street).  That's a pretty big milestone for us and lots of great things have happened this past year.  We'll be doing a few special things to celebrate but more on that in the next Newsletter.  Meanwhile, your secret discount phrase for this week is "Don't you have a birthday coming up?"  Remember to use this phrase for a quick 10% discount on every order throughout this week at Running Rooster.

Mailing List Note:
You received this email because you either added yourself to the Running Rooster mail list on our Rooster News page, or you indicated that you wished to be added to the mail list via some other format, such as at the store. To be removed from the Running Rooster mail list, simply reply to this email with the subject line “REMOVE”. Please allow up to 3 days for removal, as I do it manually. After all, I cook chickens for a living.  This tech stuff is a pain.