Lisbona (Portugal)
Italian Modern Trattoria
The Challenge: Owner trying to cut costs with frozen pasta, pre-made sauces, and industrial mozzarella. Customers started noticing the difference. Online reviews dropping, regulars disappearing. "Why pay restaurant prices for frozen food quality?"
The Solution: Showed them the real math. Fresh pasta costs 60 cents more per portion but justifies €3 higher menu price. Developed simple, scalable sauce recipes that cost less than premium frozen alternatives. Created a "made fresh daily" story that became their competitive advantage.
The Result: Menu prices increased 20% with zero customer complaints. Food costs actually decreased by 8% through better sourcing and waste reduction. Most importantly - became the "authentic Italian" place in the neighborhood again.
The lesson: Fake shortcuts cost more than real ingredients. Customers aren't stupid - they know the difference between fresh and frozen, even if they can't articulate it.
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