Brendo's Afternoon Bite: Week 1 - Insomnia

I think it is worth noting in this blog (on an on-going basis), the incredible value breakfast and lunch deals that are available in the city centre these days. I mean, all this talk of pay cuts, pension levies and all that......people are obviosuly unaware of these great deals. I think if people are feeling angry or betrayed by our government, they should take out all their anger on these lunch deals to help turn this situation around.

Eating out has become the new eating in (I think I stole that from Four Star Pizza, but it's the other way around so it's alright).

Brendo's Bite

1. Insomnia:

ANY sandwich and ANY coffee for €5
ANY Panini and ANY coffee for €6
and I think it's ANY scone and coffee for €3

The deal is made sweeter when you think that if you were to buy these items separately, you would pay:

Chicken and Bacon Gourmet Sambo (€5.40)
Large Cafe Latte (€3.40)

Total €8.80 (saving of €3.30)

Kudos to Bobby Kerr* and his entourage whoever they are, they bit the bullet and took the plunge before anyone else. I think it's pathetic that O'Brien's would counter with not only the same deal, but less value. Wheres the originality there Brody**?Their counter was "Any REGULAR sandwich and any REGULAR hot drink for €5". Given the fact that Insomnia is preodominantly a coffee-making company (and even still their ready-made sandwiches are arguably better than that of O'Brien's), the competition between these two chains looks nothing more than a puppet show, with Big Bobby pulling the strings.

Going back to the Insomnia deal, the sandwiches are great-tasting and attractively packaged, making you feel like you are getting even more value for money. Ready made sandwiches, as far as I am concerned, have come a long way in recent years. Competition is tightening and customer satisfaction is now a top priority for any business. Long gone are the days when you would walk into a top coffee shop and pick up a sandwich that was 2 weeks out of date and pay €6 for it.



*Bobby Kerr is one of the dragon's on the hit TV show Dragon's Den which has arrived on Irish screens this season. He is also the man behind the coffee giant Insomnia, click the link below to see his profile:

http://www.rte.ie/tv/dragonsden/profile_bobby.html

**Meanwhile (in the blue corner) Brody Sweeney set-up O'Brien's Sandwich Bar in 1988. He has also applied his expertise in the food and catering industry to his restauarant chain Cafe Bar Deli, as well as being active in international aid circles with his Ethiopian charity called Connect Ethiopia. Click the link below to find out more:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article1169990.ece