Foreign respondents thought “Srdela Snack” was a very positive thing in Croatian tourist offer,
since it provides food characteristic for the country and the region which can not be found in
their own countries.
The fishermen and restaurant- owners also expressed their satisfaction with
the first results of this project. A higher price is achieved for the supply of
fish, and the restaurants have a new offer for their customers and in this way
the whole tourist market is enriched.
Further development of the franchise
After the encouraging results of the pilot project, the project was promoted in
the media to attract the attention of future consumers as well as
entrepreneurs willing to participate in the development of the franchise. In the
following year, eight new “Srdela Snack” outlets were opened - two in Zagreb,
and six more on the Adriatic coast.
A very important part of the project development was media advertising of
positive results of the franchise. In this way, the interest for further
strengthening and development of the project was created. The project
received extensive media coverage and efforts are still being made to reach
target audience of consumers and entrepreneurs which is vital for the survival
of this idea.
The owner of the franchise for the first five years (project period) is the State
(Ministry of Agriculture) and after that the ownership will be transferred to the
participants in the supply chain. The control of the franchise is the
responsibility of the owners (the State - inspection bodies).
Conclusions
The results obtained in the test object of “Srdela Snack” showed that the
demand for healthy and affordable fast- food consisting of pelagic fish exists
in the Croatian market. This innovation was welcome for all consumers
because it offers a new and interesting product, different from the current
offer in this segment.
After the successful launch, systematic work is needed to promote the
franchise in order to open new restaurants.
Possible obstacles in this process can arise due to the insufficient knowledge
of Croatian restaurant owners who are not familiar with the franchise system.
Therefore, the education of all participants would be necessary.
All the members of the newly formed chain from fishermen, processors,
restaurant owners and consumers are satisfied with the first results of the
project because it provides a chance for a bigger income. This way of
commercialization of pelagic fish has shown better economic results than the
usual offer of food.
The idea of franchise fast- food chain can be developed further as a family
business by opening new outlets, especially in the tourist areas. Besides that, it
is possible to implement the strategy of marketing on the national level. This
strategy can also have a significant social effect through opening new