COMPILING A LOCAL RESTAURANT GUIDE

Oxford Vegetarians have published Vegetarian Oxfordshire (formerly The Oxford Vegetarian Guide) for several years now. For the benefit of groups considering publishing a similar guide, the following article describes the steps involved. These are not meant to be definitive, since different groups will have different aims and will be limited by the resources at their disposal, but are presented as suggestions to be adapted according to local circumstances.

The first task was to list possible establishments for inclusion in the guide. Our main sources were the previous edition, personal recommendations from our members and friends and the Yellow Pages. (For groups covering a small area, or with several members with plenty of spare time on their hands, going round the patch reading restaurant menus would be a good but laborious method).

In this way, about 100 establishments and businesses considered suitable for inclusion in the guide were identified, each of which was sent a covering letter (appendix A) and the appropriate entry form (appendix B). There were four different entry forms, one for each of the four sections of the guide: accommodation, eating places, health food and wholefood shops, and miscellaneous businesses. You can include a SAE for the reply if you wish, although this doubles your initial postage costs. An alternative approach is to send out reminder letters to non-respondents (see below). Always set a deadline for return of the completed entry forms, and try to stick to it.

Although a basic entry in our guide is free of charge, establishments were asked if they wished to place a paid advertisement in the guide as well. This can provide a very useful source of income, but remember that adverts make the guide bigger, adding to the printing costs. If you are using a computer you may be able to accept advertisements in electronic format, or you may be able to scan a printed copy.
It's then a case of sitting back and waiting for the replies to arrive, whereupon the data were stored on computer database ready for inclusion in the guide. The database was designed so that the 'fields' closely matched the questions on the entry form. Access to a computer database is by no means essential, of course, although it can save a lot of time. In order to check for mistakes, and for politeness' sake, a letter was sent confirming the entry. The computer was really useful here, enabling me to individualize the letters using 'mail merge'. As a result of this, a number of minor corrections were made to the entries.

It never ceases to amaze me how many restaurant managers seem happy to pass up the opportunity of some free publicity. Nevertheless many do and some of these will be places you know ought to be in the guide. These reluctant establishments were sent a reminder along with a spare entry form in case the original had been mislaid. Even then we had to chase up several establishments by telephone, and include 'name and address' only entries for some others considered too important to exclude altogether.

Finally, the entries were collated and a manuscript prepared using Microsoft Word. Other word processing or desktop publishing software could probably do the job just as effectively. We then transferred the document, image files and cover file (the latter was created separately as a PDF file) to a local computer shop for printing. If you have a high-quality laser printer you may be able to print the guide yourself. The cost of typesetting and printing 200 copies came to about £150, or roughly 75p per copy. Much of this was taken up by the cost of printing the colour cover (25p per copy, plus 5p for the glossy card). A cheaper alternative would be to have a monochrome cover design printed onto coloured card, although we think that a full-colour cover is much more attractive. The printed pages (5 per copy, plus the cover) were then collated and stapled at the local printers (conveniently situated near to the computer shop). Adding in compilation costs (mainly postage) and the cost of posting complimentary and review copies gave a total production cost of just over £200. Against this, advertisements for the guide brought in £140, leaving £60 to be recouped from sales.

The cover price of the guide is £1.50, although copies for resale cost £1 each, leaving a reasonable profit margin for the retailer whilst covering the printing costs. Vegetarian Oxfordshire is sold through several Tourist Information Centres, bookshops and health food shops in the county. Selling the guide provides a steady source of income, although we regard it more as a publicity tool, helping to get the group known in the more remote parts of the county. The inclusion of a membership application form on the inside back cover gives purchasers the opportunity to join Oxford Vegetarians, making the guide a useful recruiting tool as well.

Paul Appleby
Oxford Vegetarians & Vegans
April 2002

Points to Ponder

- Please make sure you clearly state in your guide that "inclusion in this Guide does not mean your establishment is approved by The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom Ltd nor by the Vegan Society". Establishments can gain the approval of the Vegetarian Society by applying to join The Food and Drink Guild - please refer them to the Business Development Officer at Parkdale for information.

- Entries in your guide don't have to be limited to restaurants and accommodation. You could also include such things as health food shops, shops that sell cruelty-free toiletries and make-up, suppliers of recycled and biodegradable products, other groups and societies with similar aims. Another option is to include a beginners' guide to vegetarianism, with some background information and a few recipes. Alternatives such as these will help ensure that your guide has a good sales potential, even if you are based in a small town.

- When canvassing for either advertisements or basic entries, you may find people more willing to reply if you can give some idea of the circulation your guide will have. After producing your first issue, remember to record the sales figures so you will have the data ready for the next issue.

- Get quotes from several printers! Printing prices can vary enormously.

- Don't forget to use some space in your guide to promote your own group! Please give the Vegan Society a mention too.

- Get extra mileage from your guide by issuing a press release to all local newspapers, magazines etc. when it is ready, and try to get it on sale in local health food shops, Tourist Information centres etc.

- Keep a few copies on file to show potential advertisers next time.

- Don't forget to send the Vegan Society a copy! We can mention it in the magazine and our Information Officer will also be able to recommend it when replying to enquiries.

Copies of Oxford Vegetarians' press releases are attached to help you design your own.

Sample Press Releases

OXFORD VEGETARIANS NEWS RELEASE

5 November 2001

ENTRIES SOUGHT FOR NEW VEGETARIAN GUIDE

Oxford Vegetarians have begun work on a new edition of The Oxford Vegetarian Guide. As previously, the guide will include sections on accommodation (hotels, guest houses, B&Bs), eating places (restaurants, cafes, pubs), health and wholefood shops, and miscellaneous businesses (vegetarian caterers, suppliers of organic food, etc.) in and around Oxfordshire that cater well for vegetarians & vegans. The current (second) edition of the guide, published in 1998 and updated in 1999, is available from Oxford Tourist Information Centre and the Quaker Bookshop at 43 St Giles, Oxford, price 95p.

Businesses wishing to be considered for inclusion in the guide are invited to contact Oxford Vegetarians on 01235 769425, or by email at oxveg@ivu.org, stating which section of the guide they wish to be considered for. Entries in the guide are free of charge.

Oxford Vegetarians' secretary Paul Appleby stresses that "the guide is for the whole of Oxfordshire, not just Oxford, and we want to include establishments in and around the other major settlements in the county such as Abingdon, Banbury, Bicester, Chipping Norton, Didcot, Henley, Thame, Wantage, Wallingford and Witney."

It is expected that the new edition of the guide will be published in Spring 2002.

ENDS

OXFORD VEGETARIANS NEWS RELEASE

23 February 2002

VEGETARIAN OXFORDSHIRE

Oxford Vegetarians are pleased to announce the publication of Vegetarian Oxfordshire. Like its predecessors (published as The Oxford Vegetarian Guide in the 1990s) the booklet lists a selection of establishments in and around Oxfordshire that cater for vegetarians and vegans, including guest houses, B&Bs, cafes and restaurants, health food and wholefood shops, and miscellaneous businesses.

The guide consists of four sections: Accommodation, Eating Places, Health Food and Wholefood Shops, and Miscellaneous Businesses. For the first time the guide has an attractive colour cover (created by The Vegetarian Society's chief designer Stephen Bingham), and a number of establishments and businesses new to the guide are included among the 35 full entries.

Copies of Vegetarian Oxfordshire, priced £1.50, may be purchased from Oxford Tourist Information Centre, Gloucester Green; The Oxford Quaker Centre, 42 St Giles; Abingdon Tourist Information Centre, 25 Bridge Street, Abingdon; and Evenlode Books, Market Street, Charlbury. The guide can also be purchased by mail order from Oxford Vegetarians, c/o 57 Sharland Close, Grove, Wantage, OX12 0AF.

ENDS