In the last 20 years, the number of restaurants in Quincy has quadrupled while the population has stayed consistent, according to Great River Restaurant Association President Mark Aleman, who owns Tony’s Too. While it is a challenge to turn a profit in this highly competitive industry, many owners have found that working together benefits all.
“We’re going to have to live with each other, so why not build a network where we are helpful to each other?” says Aleman. “The other restaurants are trying to make a living just like I am; they are not trying to put me out of business.
“There are very few trade secrets in our industry and good operators will be open to sharing what works,” he continues. “We believe we should all try to create a great product and then let the chips fall where they may. That’s what is best for the customer. The Great River Restaurant Association builds a sense of community and helps us all see the bigger picture.”
Created in 1972, the Great River Restaurant Association currently has 35 members—20 restaurants and 15 partner members who provide restaurants with goods and services. As an association, they are proactive in improving the quality of the labor pool available in the Quincy area, they offer gift certificates that are accepted at all member eateries, and they share knowledge of the food and beverage industry and how to make a profit.
Members of the association serve as advisors to the food service program at Quincy Area Vocational and Technical School, offering input into the curriculum so graduates have the skills needed for employment in the area’s restaurant industry. They also sponsor scholarships at John Wood Community College with the hope of developing future managers.
Both experienced and brand new restaurateurs benefit from the sharing of best practices: successful employment applications and tip recording sheets, resources about Worker’s Comp and Unemployment Insurance issues and other “nuts-and-bolts” of the restaurant business. Members will even share equipment for a special event.
“This is a very difficult industry,” says Aleman. “The profit margin is very small and it attacks an owner’s weakest skill set: people skills, product management, accounting skills…you have to do it all. It is very helpful, though, when people with different strengths work together.
“You can really lose a lot of money in the restaurant business and some very good businesspeople have done just that,” he says, noting that in the same 20-year period, 117 Quincy restaurants have opened and closed.
The Association’s most visible program, however, is its gift certificate program. All 20 restaurant members accept these certificates as cash and, once redeemed, the restaurant is reimbursed 100% of the face value of the certificate. More than $40,000 worth of certificates were purchased in 2010, and Aleman says that number continues to grow as word of the program spreads.
“People love giving—and getting—gift certificates,” says Aleman, “and these certificates are so flexible. You can purchase them in any denomination, and the recipient is not limited to a certain type of food or dining experience. Certificates are great for thank-you gifts, birthdays, Christmas, you name it. And, one size fits all!”
Great River Restaurant Association gift certificates may be purchased through the Quincy Convention and Visitors Bureau located in the Villa Kathrine. Call in your order at 214-3700 and they will be ready for pick up.
.gif)
Meet Great River Restaurant Association