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Pharmaceutical sales reps recognize great cuisine
Pharmaceutical sales reps recognize great cuisine
Pharmaceutical sales reps recognize the lure of acclaimed restaurants and exceptional cuisine
Though drug companies are no longer permitted to offer fancy gifts and
glamorous trips as perks for physicians to buy their products, they can
still host dinner presentations. These events represent a valuable
added revenue stream for Doc’s Restaurant.
Orlando, Fl – With its proximity to the Orlando Regional Medical Center
and surrounding medical offices, Doc’s Restaurant is a favorite spot
for business dinners in the spacious upstairs banquet facility.
Naturally, the fine dining destination is especially attractive to
pharmaceutical sales reps who invite physicians to their product
presentations with the lure of an exceptional dinner.
Even though federal guidelines have curtailed the ability for drug
companies to offer physicians perks like fancy gifts and complimentary
trips, these manufacturers can still sponsor meals and receptions as
long as they feature an educational component about their products. And
sponsor dinners they do.
Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record $476 billion
in 900,000 restaurant locations in 2005, according to the National
Restaurant Association's 2005 Restaurant Industry Forecast. These
revenues are not achieved by dining room business alone. On-site dinner
meetings and off-site catering for professionals such as pharmaceutical
salespeople represent a valuable portion of the bottom line at fine
dining restaurants.
“About 30 to 40 percent of our banquet business stems from
pharmaceutical-related dinners,” said Neil Connolly, who is co-owner
and executive chef of Doc’s. “We have the advantage of a large banquet
space. On a given night, we can have 150 in the dining room and 100 in
our banquet facility.
“Events like the pharmaceutical dinners provide benefits for all
parties involved,” Connolly added. “The sales rep is better able to
attract a larger audience because of the cuisine and the ambience, the
physicians are able to learn about a product and enjoy a nice dinner,
and the restaurant gains an added revenue stream.”
An esteemed chef who has earned more than three dozen culinary awards
and medals, and served as the personal chef to Sen. Edward Kennedy for
11 years, Connolly’s restaurant features many of the same recipes
Connolly developed when he was the Kennedy family chef. Cape Cod clam
chowder and lobster stew are examples. So are dishes like Grilled Filet
Mignon and Maine Lobster Tail, clams, mussels and halibut; and desserts
such as soufflés.
Like the dishes, the dining room atmosphere at Doc’s Restaurant is
designed to make a bold impression. The two-story glass-building, that
provides a panoramic view of downtown Orlando, emanates elegance with
its stained concrete floor, mahogany bar, earthy colors and elevated
ceilings.
Restaurants with acclaimed cuisine and sophisticated décor are
obviously the dining destinations the pharmaceutical companies prefer.
“People like to go out to dinner, and food is associated with
socialization,” said Dr. Tom Winters, an Orlando orthopedic surgeon who
owns Doc’s with Connolly. “Dinner presentations at a nice restaurant
with exceptional cuisine provide a positive reflection for the
presenting company and its product.”
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Media Contact:
Krista Zilizi
Quantified Marketing Group
706-627-3204 cell
407-936-1010 office
kzilizi@quantifiedmarketing.com
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