Taste Unlimited SWOT Analysis

Purpose

Imagine you are a Communication Manager at a locally owned company in your area. The purpose of this SWOT analysis is to review the chosen company and make a suggestion of an event that would improve the company’s image within the public, while also benefiting the community per orders from your manager. My analysis will be from a local contemporary and dynamic specialty food company; Taste Unlimited.

Introduction

With the mission, “Cultivate Community through The Good Life”, you can find Taste Unlimited at over 13 unique shops. Peter Coe opened the first taste Unlimited in Virginia Beach in 1973. According to a document from Weldon Cooper, Virginia Beach’s population in 1973 was 198,700. The Census Bureau listed the population in 2020 to be 459,470. That increase shows the needed demand for the other 12 stores in the area! Today, each of the 13 locations are part specialty foods market and part upscale café offering made to order salads, sandwiches & soups; small batch, from scratch house made prepared & packaged foods; boutique wines & craft beers; specialty food & gift items and culinary events.

S

• Website, Social Media & App

• Locations

• Sandwiches

W

• Limited Menu

• Lunch Style Food

• Covid-19 Protocols

O

• Menu Growth

• Social Media Expansion

• Events to bring in Diverse Customer Base

T

• Lack of Employees

• Tourist numbers decrease

• Cost of Supplies & Materials

Strengths:

Some strengths that Taste Unlimited has as a company start with their networking and delivery of content. Taste Unlimited has a strong website, social media platform, and an app. The website is very user friendly with lots of information about them and the 13 locations they offer. On top of all that, they have an app that is downloadable to access their rewards systems and even order ahead! Their multiple locations is a huge benefit for their company as it allows for more people to see their brand. Their largest strength point though in my opinion, their sandwiches. The fresh homemade bread and home cooked ingredients keep them a step above competitors.

Weaknesses:

The greatest weakness that Taste Unlimited faces is their limited menu. To some, that is the one reason they come to the café. But if you aren’t familiar with their menu and just show up looking for food, you may find disappointment in the lack of options you will see. In addition to the limited menu, the only options on it are your typical lunch style plates. Some of their locations are known for their outdoor seating. Many locations have very limited inside sating to begin with and with pandemic protocols set in place, that limited indoor seating even more.

Opportunities:

Taste Unlimited could seek opportunities from growing their menu, expanding their social media platforms and increasing events showcasing locals to increase the diversity in customers. As stated above, Taste has a limited lunch style menu. The company could diversify their menu or even add a “dinner’ section with different additions. While they have a set platform to social media, after review it doesn’t seem like their team is using social media to the full potential to attract new customers. To keep the locals interested in the business, Taste could hold events to showcase local talent and artists.

Threats:

You could encompass all three of the threats in response to Covid-19 but nothing changes the fact that those threats are still there. Taste Unlimited is facing staffing issues, a drop in patrons from the tourist industry and a rise in cost of supplies for the cafe’s. Like many companies around the industry, Taste has had a decline in employees and had a hard time hiring more. On top of that, there has been a drop in some tourist destinations which can decrease the amount of sales in high traffic months. The world is facing an increase in the cost of goods. This puts a price increase on the items needed to stock the different locations.

Event Recommendation

At the Taste Unlimited location on Shore Dr, it has a large outdoor area. There, I think a great event to host would be a farmers market housing all local farmers and their goods. Taste could advertise their sandwiches as the food option, hosting the event at lunch time, to get patrons inside to spend money at their establishment. This could bring new customers to Taste as they are there for the produce aspect that the farmers market brings but also bring exposure to those in the community wishing to sell their produce to people visiting Taste. I feel that this is a simple event that wouldn’t cost any money to the company, only benefits across the board for Taste and community members.

References:

Cooper, W. Vbgov.com. Retrieved 30 January 2022, from https://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/budget-office-management-services/benchmarks_and_comparisons/Documents/Virginia%20Beach%20Population%20Weldon%20Cooper.pdf.

TASTE. TASTE. Retrieved 30 January 2022, from https://www.tasteunlimited.com/.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Virginia Beach city, Virginia. Census Bureau QuickFacts. Retrieved 30 January 2022, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/virginiabeachcityvirginia/PST045221#PST045221.