Dennis Mayer with Once Upon a Grill has a Taste of Customer Appreciation
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Dennis Mayer, owner and chef of Once Upon a Grill catering company, believes every company should have a customer appreciation day. He takes his own advice to heart by offering free regular food tastings once or twice a month.
“I believe in taking care of the clients you have rather than always looking for new ones,” Mayer said. “The tastings help me stay in touch with past clients.”
Tastings are open to the public, but require advance registration. The menu is never set until the day of the tasting, but typically includes four to 20 different items from savory to sweet. Mayer has more than 40 years of experience in food preparation, receiving chef training while still in high school. His catering business offers many different styles of cooking from barbeque to fine dining.
Lean times
With the slow economy, catering sales have declined. According to Mayer, people still have the desire to entertain, but now many lack the means.
“Entertaining is a luxury and people cannot afford it as they did three years ago,” Mayer said.
“With the economy, we’ve had to get very creative with our catering packages. For example, we can offer low-cost wedding packages now without sacrificing quality. We want to help brides stretch their dollars.”
The food does the talking
Mayer believes that when people taste his food, they are sold on using his services. Replicating that taste experience is the challenge. Once Upon a Grill is not a restaurant. It is a licensed, bonded and fully inspected catering operation in a 2,250 square foot commercial kitchen located in an industrial park.
“We offer a wide-range of foods made from scratch,” Mayer said. “We don’t have a lot of competition based on quality.”
Mayer enables people to taste the quality of his food in many different ways. In addition to regular tastings, clients can order prepared meals in advance for pick-up at the kitchen. The frozen entrees can then be eaten at home for a special occasion or everyday meal.
Clients can arrange for a private, special occasion meal at a Chef’s Table in the kitchen. The table seats four and the menu can include anything requested from any part of the country.
Once Upon a Grill also caters any type of event from elaborate weddings to corporate ribbon-cuttings to small luncheons. The company can provide all-inclusive service with items such as floral arrangements, crystal and beverages.
“We’re fearless when it comes to food. I love to show people what we can do,” Mayer said.
To learn more about Once Upon a Grill, visit www.onceuponagrill.com. To register for the next food tasting, contact Dennis Mayer at [email protected] or (229) 883-5535.
