“More than a Mouthful” Hooter’s shows why the Restaurant sector will continue to lead.

Grocery stores and Convenience stores are in competition for the share of stomach with Restaurants daily. Last year (2009) particularly we see that both the grocery sector and convenience store sector have picked up marketshare on restaurant sector. They may in fact continue to do the same at least during the first half of 2010. Then Hooters comes along targeting the valued 21 to 35 year old consumer with excitement and fun. Excitement, interactivity and visceral attractiveness has driven restaurant concepts growth for over 25 years. It’s my advice for 2010 don’t count out the restaurant sector. Hooters new menu item is a hamburger! Exciting no but it has been positioned to be exciting. McDonalds is pushing $ 1.00 breakfast you choose. Now that is exciting as well it a promo based of interactive with ad’s that are viscerally appealing.

What’s disappointing is that the Grocery sector exhibiting success with grocerant ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat prepared portable food continues to use extreme restraint when marketing or communicating the value, quality and portability there ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food. My question is why? Who do they thing their competition is? Not only do they not bring excitement to the fresh prepared grocerant style food, in many cases they let it sit under heat lamps and “crust over” diminishing any value attributes consumers may have seen. Restraint remains the new normal for grocery stores prepared food marketing, when it changes so might the consumer value position.

Convenience stores on the other hand have learned to package, display and assemble fresh food with a qualitative point of differentiation. 2009 the number of new products tested, rolled out and presented to consumers in the C-store niche was exciting. Companies large and small were at it, from Rutter’s and Quick Chek to Casey’s and 7 Eleven. Most impressive is the proactive marketing, PR and visceral display changes in food within this sector (by by Roller Grill).

2010 is sure be exciting and “More than a Mouthful” in the grocerant prepared food niche!

Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche. More about us: http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or leave a comment or question below. If you would like to read the latest interview of Steve Johnson on Grocerants here is the link: an interview of Steven Johnson at: www.goodfoodsales.blogspot.com/2009/12/grocerants-steven-johnson-shares-his.html