Help me hack my TDS! (Tamale Delivery System)
July 16, 2015 1:48 PM Subscribe
Due to popular demand, a friend and I find ourselves going into the tamale business. We've got our recipes down, our salsas are good, we've worked out how to mass produce them without losing quality. What we can't figure out is how to deliver the samples.
So, yeah, we find ourselves going into the tamale business. And while we have friends and coworkers who want to buy them, we'd like to see if we can make this into a profitable, part time (at least) gig. To that end, we need to drum up some additional business.
We came up with the idea of delivering samples to offices, along with a business card and order form with instructions on how to place an order. Where we're getting stuck is - how do we deliver multiple small samples and ensure that they are still hot?
Normal delivery method usually means wrapping each dozen in aluminum foil, then putting them into an insulated cooler, then take the cooler into the building and deliver each order. However, we don't want to be delivering a dozen for free to each office, and we don't want to make our potential customers have to cut them up and parcel them out. We can't be standing in the hallways cutting them up and putting them on a plate right before we go into each office, right?
In an ideal world, while still in my car I'd cut 2-3 tamales into bite sized pieces for each office, place them on paper plates, and drop them off with the receptionists. But if I'm doing this in, say, a 10 floor office building, then;
1. How would I keep them hot? It could take a fair amount of time to go to, say, 40 different offices.
2. And how would I carry that many into a building at once, without stacking them and therefore smashing them?
Metafilter, I have faith in you! Best answer gets my secret green salsa recipe!
So, yeah, we find ourselves going into the tamale business. And while we have friends and coworkers who want to buy them, we'd like to see if we can make this into a profitable, part time (at least) gig. To that end, we need to drum up some additional business.
We came up with the idea of delivering samples to offices, along with a business card and order form with instructions on how to place an order. Where we're getting stuck is - how do we deliver multiple small samples and ensure that they are still hot?
Normal delivery method usually means wrapping each dozen in aluminum foil, then putting them into an insulated cooler, then take the cooler into the building and deliver each order. However, we don't want to be delivering a dozen for free to each office, and we don't want to make our potential customers have to cut them up and parcel them out. We can't be standing in the hallways cutting them up and putting them on a plate right before we go into each office, right?
In an ideal world, while still in my car I'd cut 2-3 tamales into bite sized pieces for each office, place them on paper plates, and drop them off with the receptionists. But if I'm doing this in, say, a 10 floor office building, then;
1. How would I keep them hot? It could take a fair amount of time to go to, say, 40 different offices.
2. And how would I carry that many into a building at once, without stacking them and therefore smashing them?
Metafilter, I have faith in you! Best answer gets my secret green salsa recipe!
Make mini-tamales?
posted by DarlingBri at 1:57 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 1:57 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
I may be misunderstanding the issue here, but is there a reason you couldn't do something similar to what you're doing now, but with bites instead of full tamales? So... cut up several plates' worth, wrap plates in tin foil, stick in cooler, deliver plates with pre-cut tamale samples to each office?
posted by Malleable at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by Malleable at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2015
I would just pull up and hand out tamales during peak times when people are on the street. Selling the second helping, that should get your business going. Seriously, word gets around just as well when people leave the office as when they are in it.
posted by parmanparman at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by parmanparman at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure of the process you go through to keep them hot so this might not work:
What if, in your home base, you cut up bite size tamale bits and then assembled them into foil-wrapped packages with multiple flavors in a package? Think of a sushi roll sampler or something like that. Then you could run through each office and drop off a foil-wrapped package with a business card. With enough planning and consistency you could include a card showing what flavor (beef, pork, chicken, whatever) goes where. If it's a big office you could scale that up to multiple packages for one office.
As far as how to keep them hot, could you carry around these packages in the same way you would carry around tamales? Same cooler, each package just has multiple tamale bites instead of single tamales.
posted by zompus at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2015
What if, in your home base, you cut up bite size tamale bits and then assembled them into foil-wrapped packages with multiple flavors in a package? Think of a sushi roll sampler or something like that. Then you could run through each office and drop off a foil-wrapped package with a business card. With enough planning and consistency you could include a card showing what flavor (beef, pork, chicken, whatever) goes where. If it's a big office you could scale that up to multiple packages for one office.
As far as how to keep them hot, could you carry around these packages in the same way you would carry around tamales? Same cooler, each package just has multiple tamale bites instead of single tamales.
posted by zompus at 1:59 PM on July 16, 2015
The tamale sellers in Portland OR wander around the outdoor markets and neighborhood fares (really any outdoor events) with wheeled coolers. They seem to do a decent business.
posted by dchrssyr at 2:01 PM on July 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by dchrssyr at 2:01 PM on July 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
When Jimmy Johns delivers sandwich samples to our office, they just give you a third-of-a-sandwich wrapped the way a normal sandwich would be wrapped. It's nice, because if you're in the middle of a task, you can just save it for lunch. I think we would be way less excited about a lukewarm unwrapped sandwich bite with a toothpick on a plate than we are about mini-sized-sandwiches.
posted by Juliet Banana at 2:02 PM on July 16, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Juliet Banana at 2:02 PM on July 16, 2015 [3 favorites]
Your tamales have corn husk (or plantain leaf) wrappers, right? I hope you leave them on when you wrap them in foil also. Have you tried re-wrapping half or quarter tamale pieces in corn husks that you have pre-steamed and cut smaller? Then you wrap that in foil, proceed as normal. That way they don't dry out, the people trying them get the handy plate-like action of the corn husk, and it feels like a mini-tamale without all the hassle of recalibrating your recipes.
posted by Mizu at 2:11 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mizu at 2:11 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would snugly stack the tamales standing on end in open containers. If your containers aren't the same height or greater than the tamales, the bottom layer should be able to take the load of the upper layer/s without crushing.
For keeping them hot: Pre-warm your cooler using a couple/three microwaved hot/cold gel packs. Nuke the packs again and put them on the bottom layer, then load the cooler with food. Use heavy duty tin foil over the top layer.
Using kitchen scissors would be a quick on-the-spot way to make samples out of regular portions.
posted by mal de coucou at 2:15 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
For keeping them hot: Pre-warm your cooler using a couple/three microwaved hot/cold gel packs. Nuke the packs again and put them on the bottom layer, then load the cooler with food. Use heavy duty tin foil over the top layer.
Using kitchen scissors would be a quick on-the-spot way to make samples out of regular portions.
posted by mal de coucou at 2:15 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Can you call ahead so they know you're coming and can alert employees that free tamale samples will be available that day? Then you leave them in one location with ordering information so that either the company could order with you for weekly/monthly deliveries, or individual people would know where to find you?
posted by DuckGirl at 2:24 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by DuckGirl at 2:24 PM on July 16, 2015
When we've had vendors like this at our office, they usually have a table near reception that they staff for a few hours, and they both sell items and hand out free samples. It means you can't hit as many offices in a single day, but it also means you can better connect with potential customers, gather feedback, get an understanding for which offices are the most promising leads to follow up on, etc. If you did this, you could cut up the tamales live/on the spot.
posted by phoenixy at 2:29 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by phoenixy at 2:29 PM on July 16, 2015
Are you sure this is all (ahem) "kosher" in re: food safety etc?
posted by bookworm4125 at 2:30 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by bookworm4125 at 2:30 PM on July 16, 2015
I think you should advertise via flyers first and arrange for free samples/tastings. Hot food just randomly showing up from a stranger in my office might not actually get an enthusiastic reception. I'd also see if your local markets/ neighborhood stores would be willing to host a demo--that's what my husband's condiment company did at first.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:21 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 3:21 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you are doing mail order, I would like to buy some samples?
posted by yueliang at 3:58 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by yueliang at 3:58 PM on July 16, 2015
Do they have to be delivered hot? Could you do a bunch of specially made mini tamales that are all wrapped up and ready to microwave? They could come with cards that have both re-heating instructions and your business info so they can order more. Plus, then you could go at any time; you wouldn't be trying to make your samples show up at lunchtime. And if people had other plans for lunch, they could keep it until later.
posted by Weeping_angel at 4:06 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 4:06 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Get a wheeled cooler and prime it with a rinse of boiling water. Add some hot packs.
Put cut up samples in this type of container. Tape your business card to the top of each container.
Put salsa in portion cups with lids.
Stack the containers in the cooler and tuck the salsa in along the side (or in a separate cooler if you want to keep it, you know, cool).
Print out a big stack of order forms (you'll want to leave at least 2 with each office - 1 for the receptionist* and 1 for whoever else wants it).
Put on your chefs coat or branded Tshirt, etc and you are ready to go!
*In addition to the samples, consider bringing a full tamale for receptionists ... in some offices, they are often in charge of ordering catered lunches, so you want them on your side.
Good luck!
posted by jenquat at 11:24 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Put cut up samples in this type of container. Tape your business card to the top of each container.
Put salsa in portion cups with lids.
Stack the containers in the cooler and tuck the salsa in along the side (or in a separate cooler if you want to keep it, you know, cool).
Print out a big stack of order forms (you'll want to leave at least 2 with each office - 1 for the receptionist* and 1 for whoever else wants it).
Put on your chefs coat or branded Tshirt, etc and you are ready to go!
*In addition to the samples, consider bringing a full tamale for receptionists ... in some offices, they are often in charge of ordering catered lunches, so you want them on your side.
Good luck!
posted by jenquat at 11:24 PM on July 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Don't do this if you're also here in Chicago because the market is already saturated (hey Claudio!), or if you are looking to operate strictly within normal business hours, but anywhere else might need this genius tamale delivery system:
1. Do your kitchen magic, then pack your hot tamales & containers of sauces into little handheld coolers, the kind construction workers might carry with them.
2. Visit all the different bars in your neighborhood or wherever you want to work during bar rush hour times in your area. Walk in and announce, "Tamales! Tamales!" and do a quick pass through the bar.
3. Profit.
Caveats:
- Make sure you have at least one no-meat version (drunk vegetarians like bar delivery of tamales as much as drunk carnivores. Cheese & cactus FTW!)
- Don't be annoying to the bar staff - be fast and courteous, get business done, get out.
- Give your samples and freebies to the bartenders and door people so they will be happy to see you instead of keeping you from coming in in the first place, and will recommend you to their patrons.
- Places that serve hot food are way less likely to be happy to see you or let you in, but there are always hipster neighborhood beer-and-shot bars that only have a few old bags of chips behind the bar where you will be welcomed.
@TamaleTracker is specific to Chicago but you could come up with something equally useful for your city. The Tamale Guys are legend here and one of the things my out of town friends have loved the most when they've come to visit. I never understood why this wasn't happening in other cities.
posted by deliciae at 9:19 AM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
1. Do your kitchen magic, then pack your hot tamales & containers of sauces into little handheld coolers, the kind construction workers might carry with them.
2. Visit all the different bars in your neighborhood or wherever you want to work during bar rush hour times in your area. Walk in and announce, "Tamales! Tamales!" and do a quick pass through the bar.
3. Profit.
Caveats:
- Make sure you have at least one no-meat version (drunk vegetarians like bar delivery of tamales as much as drunk carnivores. Cheese & cactus FTW!)
- Don't be annoying to the bar staff - be fast and courteous, get business done, get out.
- Give your samples and freebies to the bartenders and door people so they will be happy to see you instead of keeping you from coming in in the first place, and will recommend you to their patrons.
- Places that serve hot food are way less likely to be happy to see you or let you in, but there are always hipster neighborhood beer-and-shot bars that only have a few old bags of chips behind the bar where you will be welcomed.
@TamaleTracker is specific to Chicago but you could come up with something equally useful for your city. The Tamale Guys are legend here and one of the things my out of town friends have loved the most when they've come to visit. I never understood why this wasn't happening in other cities.
posted by deliciae at 9:19 AM on July 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by ssg at 1:56 PM on July 16, 2015 [2 favorites]