OPERATION
PROFILE
Vending lives on
Elite Cuisine has a few occassions
where an E-Mart and vending
machine are both in the same location such as in large campus-style
venues. In these cases, Schweppe and
Closser have found vending sales have
not seen a signifcant decrease. One
large location was bringing in $2,100
Steve Closser, coowner of Elite Cuisine,
believes millennials
will opt for micro
markets over vending.
a week in revenue from vending. Now,
a year later, vending sales decreased
roughly 10 percent to $1,900 while
the added E-Mart brings in $1,700.
Together, the total revenue of the location is $3,600, a 52 percent revenue
increase. "That's enormous organic
revenue," Schweppe said. "Yes, there
is a small decline in specifcally vending revenue, but with growth of that
margin, I'll take that trade any day."
Most of Elite Cuisine's E-Mart
locations have been converted from
its own vending business. "Our strategy was to get E-Marts into existing
accounts," Schweppe said. "I wanted
to ensure our existing customers
were receiving the latest and greatest of services available. Now that
our current clients are squared away,
we're targeting new business."
Better staff means better service
Another way Elite Cuisine sets
itself apart is pride in its workforce.
"We all buy the same products and
machines," Schweppe said. "Our customer service reps that are on the
front line are the image of our company and are what make us unique."
Elite Cuisine doesn't take hiring
staff lightly. There are rigorous background checks and interview processes
to become an employee. Those who
qualify are rewarded with competitive
CONTINUED
Profle: Elite Cuisine LLC
Founded: 2004
Owners: Jim Schweppe and
Steve Closser
Headquarters: St. Louis, Mo.
Number of routes: 10+
Number of employees: 250+
Main Software supplier:
Crane-Streamware
Main Equipment Suppliers:
365 Retail Markets, Crane
Annual Sales: Not Revealed
18
Automatic Merchandiser
VendingMarketWatch.com
June 2013
▶