Too Busy to Blog!

I read somewhere that the only acceptable excuse for not keeping up with your social media outlets is that you are too busy with work. That has certainly been the case around the Three Chicks Catering kitchen. Summer is always the busiest season for the events industry and 2009 is no exception. This is a double edged sword, however, because people are expecting more for less. Why shouldn’t they? Society has reached a point where they say “I want transparency, value, and quality.” At Three Chicks, we say “we can do that!” With pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger, we respond to the demand for transparency. Get to know us! Love us! Friend us! Fan us! Follow us! The most exciting part of being transparent is the doors it opens up for new relationships with other like minded companies. Kieranslist.com, In House Communications, RE Bar Camp, Association of Bridal Consultants and National Association of Catering Executives to name a few. There is a supportive community of bloggers, tweeple and facebookers out there navigating online territory together.
Because of the pace we are keeping in the kitchen, the pace of our social media has slowed a bit. Isn’t that the whole point? If your social media campaigns produce so much return that you find yourself “behind” on your status updates… you are doing well! In fact, I am typing this post while taking a Sunday drive to Portland. Don’t worry, I am not driving.

Three Chicks Catering - Best of Western Washington 2009!

Nems Flash

What a difference a generation makes!

While delving into the world of Social Media Marketing, we at Three Chicks Catering have discovered the very interesting subtopic of generational studies. At first glance, judging someone by their generation seems like stereotyping, however, once you spend a little more time in the subject you will discover some truths that will make relating to other generations so much easier. There are five major generations of the last century and four of these are active in the workplace. This contributes to opportunities of miscommunication all over the place. While some of the exact years are contested, this is a list of the traditionally recognized generations in the 20th century;

Born Between 1900-1924 GI Generation – This generation is comprised of our national treasures that fought in WWII. They have known nothing but hard work and sacrifice. My mom sings in retirement homes and these are the people who close their eyes and sing songs like the Battle Hymn of the Republic with tears streaming down their faces. Their memories are spotty, but they identify with the struggles and horror of war.

Born Between 1925-1944 The Veteran Generation – This generation is also a hard working bunch who were raised by the GI Generation. They believe in work before leisure time, traditional pyramid hierarchal structure, and very formal communication styles. Clients of this generation prefer to have menus/proposals mailed to them to look over. Everything is carefully calculated and decisions take time.

Born Between 1946-1964 The Baby Boomer Generation – This generation is one of the most outspoken of the last century. They rebelled against their parent’s way of life and cling to values such as making the world a better place through hard work and getting involved. People of this generation respect job titles, public praise and financial compensation for a job well done. Rather than the formal memos of the generation before them, Baby Boomers prefer to discuss important matters in person. Clients of this generation are appreciative of sitting down with our event coordinators to discuss details, pricing, etc.

Born Between 1965-1980 Generation X – This generation is the first to demand that a value be put on their personal and family life. Work is about the challenge, not necessarily the paycheck for Generation Xers. They want immediate feedback and constructive criticism whereas the generations before believe that “no news is good news.” Their communication style is based on instant response so they prefer the use of cell phones and other technologies. Clients of this generation are very happy planning events over the phone and typically have little need for formal meetings. Typically meetings are planned with the parents in mind.

Born Between 1981-2000 Generation Y or Millenials – This generation has never known a world without internet, cell phones, texting, etc. Everything moves at lightning speed and Millenials place a high value on their friends and family. Work should be challenging and a way to pay the bills. Achievements are based on personal growth and the opportunity to work with intelligent peers. Their communication style utilizes e-mail, text messages, social media, and voicemail. The use of the phone for actual vocal communication seems almost archaic. Clients from this generation are perfectly comfortable planning an event totally over email.


It is important to note the values of each generation because what will work for the client of one generation will be unacceptable for the client of another. When I am contacted by a client, I try to mirror whatever mode of communication they used to contact me because it is typically the form they are most comfortable with.

Nems Scarim (owner chick) has recently started a series in which she speaks about generational differences. In fact, she is sharing her insights with the Business and Professional Women’s group of Kent today. Knowing a little bit about your clients before you start is a great way to put them at ease.

Fundraising for Non-Profits

Fundraising for Non-Profits might seem like a huge challenge in this economy but it doesn’t have to be impossible. Most organizations, especially charitable ones, have had to rethink their business plans. People are holding tight to their pocket books and it takes a little more to convince them to loosen their grip. The recurring theme that I keep hearing is that people are looking for value in their expenditures and donations. People want to feel valued and respected for their support and patronage.
As a catering company, we have clients in both the for-profit and non-profit sector and we have had to learn to evolve with the economy in order to successfully serve all of them. Gone are the days of lavish fundraising dinners, and here are the times of budget conscious pasta feeds and spaghetti dinners. To caterers, this makes a huge dent in the bottom line during a time when the bottom line is looking a little more feeble than it has in the past.
To further challenge fundraising efforts for non-profits, they need to foot the original bill for dinners, concerts, rentals, etc. The hope is that enough tickets to the event will be sold and they will come out on the other end with a surplus of money to put towards their cause. This scenario has the potential to fall short of expectations and even become a financial liability to the organization.
Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of teaming up with The Dana Harris Full Recovery Initiative in order to help raise money for Dana’s continued recovery. After a few months of discussions and plans for a fundraising dinner, we decided to put plans on hold for financial reasons. Being the innovative caterers that we are, we decided to think outside the box for solutions. Our solution was to combine our already successful cooking classes with The Dana Harris Full Recovery Initiative and designate a class to benefit their cause. The result is the potential for successful fundraising and no financial liability for the non-profit. In this particular situation, Three Chicks Catering will be able to cover its’ cost by taking that amount from the ticket sales. The remaining profit goes directly to The Dana Harris Full Recovery Initiative. Win-Win.
If you would like to know more about this event taking place on Sunday June 28th, please click here.

Let’s talk Pizza!

About a week ago, Owner Chick Nems Scarim and I were sitting in the lounge area of The VENUE recoiling after a large event. For some reason, the topic of conversation turned to pizza. I can’t say it was the first time I have found myself obsessing about pizza at 1am… and it probably won’t be the last. Have you ever noticed that pizza “side dishes” are actually another form of pizza?

Customer; Hi, I would like to order a cheese pizza…
Pizza Parlor; Would you like cheesy bread with that?
Customer; What does that come with?
Pizza Parlor; A piece of bread, much like the crust of a pizza, that we put cheese on and then bake. It comes with a marinara dipping sauce.

Of COURSE we order the Cheesy bread. The side salad pushes us over the allotted budget for the night, but the cheesy bread is a “must-have.” The literal icing on the cake is the dessert pizza. But I digress…

Social Media Marketing Recap

Ohhh… where to start? We are literally floating on cloud 9 after another successful Social Media Marketing class. It was our largest class ever with nearly 150 in attendance. It has brought to light just how hungry people are for this information. Every class is kicked off with the disclaimer that we are NOT experts… merely a group of “chicks” who want to market. In this economy, working capital translates to time rather than money. We are finding that the more we interact with the community, the less time we have to concentrate on our own media efforts… I guess that’s an unavoidable side effect. The win-win situation that is created is a strong local economy built on empowered small business owners, and loyal friends and peers for us at Three Chicks Catering, Inc.

There were a few notable connections made at The VENUE during this amazing event. The first was with Addy Tseng (@Addyt) from Word of Mouth™ Book Club. She is an amazing example of how Social Media brings us all together. Her group of contacts and friends is literally worldwide, and we are privileged to have connected with her!

Another fantastic connection that was made was with Kieran and Sherri Murry of www.Kieranslist.com Their company has a website that promotes local business and helps with tech support for those interested in focusing more on Social Media aspects of marketing. Kieran and Sherri are wonderful people and we are happy to call them “friends of The Chicks.”

Finally I have to give Gary Burkhart some credit. At the beginning of the presentation, Nems took a playful little jab at web optimization companies. Sitting at the front table, was Gary, whose company Dennison Business Solutions caters to your computer needs… including Search Engine Optimization. At the end of the presentation, he graciously gave away a YEAR of SEO service to a lucky raffle winner. Gary was a great sport and is now a good “friend of The Chicks.”

There are many more people and companies that we have developed relationships with through this class and I will mention them in future posts. For everyone who attended  Thank you!