Grocerant meal components bundled and portable make a family meal, a happy meal!



Convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization all hallmarks of grocerant fresh prepared food. Whole Foods, Central Market, Sheetz and now 7 Eleven are all creating a new level of competition for restaurateurs. Each focused on new fresh prepared food with restaurant quality are offering bundled meal options.

Alice May Brock said: “Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian, wine and tarragon make it French, sour cream makes it Russian, lemon and cinnamon make it Greek, soy sauce makes it Chinese, garlic makes it good.”

Grocerants allow customers to select from Italian, French, Russian or Greek and utilize the components at home any way they like. The new American meal can be a composite of any prepared food components that the individual may want and they can mix and pair them any way as well. Our society is a composed for people from all over the world, with different cultures, traditions and flavor preferences. The new American meal is a melting pot of flavor and choice.

Prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat foods are now available for all comers and can be found at Convenience stores, Grocery stores, Restaurants, Mobile trucks all just waiting for the taking.

Consumers have been exposed to a plethora of flavors and have not the time to master the skill of cooking each. This growing trend is empowering the consumer to establish new customs and traditions in eating better, more flavorful food. The Grocerant niche is about convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® a Tacoma, WA based consultancy has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For product or brand positioning assistance contact Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Food retail compliancy, economic doldrums, too quagmire and now a prepared food fight.



Our industry has been forced to reposition itself during our current economic doldrums. The grocerant niche once again provides evidence of an ongoing emerging trend. I have dubbed it the “grocerant trend” (fresh prepared ready-to-eat and or ready-to-heat-food--that is better for you). Times have never been better for manufactures to create new products, collaborate and bond with clients while building top lines sales and bottom line profits.

Two strong factors are expanding the niche from emerging to main stream. Dramatic new points of distribution are on the way. Fresh prepared food is emerging in non traditional points of fresh food distribution.

First is at 7 Eleven, which is entering the niche with fresh fruit and fresh prepared food at test locations around the world and at 105 units here in the US. Solid positive signs of consumer acceptance have been reported and this program will rollout to and additional 7,210 units within three years.

Second, Walgreens expanding brand quality in the pursuit of “fresh” prepared food. The halo effect will bolster the brand as contemporized and relevant to consumers. Focused, on its core consumer, portioned, positioned and priced competitively, Walgreens has the ability to over the next 3 to 4 years roll out that program too well over 7,500 locations.

Grocery stores the ilk of Wegmans, Metropolitan Market, Central Market, Harris Teeter, and Whole Foods are each expanding fresh prepared food. Safeway’s lifestyle stores are exceeding initial projections and the company is all smiles while expanding the fresh food focused units.

Convenience stores current grocerant leaders Sheetz, Wawa, Rutter’s, Quick Chek continue to test the bounds of fresh prepared food while doing an excellent job at bundling the meal components and pressuring the QSR industry to keep pace.

Many restaurant chains have or are preparing new programs and offering for this specific niche including Subway, Nathan’s Famous, Atlanta Bread, Denny’s, Jamba Juice and Quiznos. Yes, there does appear to be a new food fight and it is in the grocerant niche for consumer seeking better for you fresh prepared food that is ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For product or brand positioning assistance contact Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru at Foodservice Solutions® most quoted articles of 2010.



If success leaves clues Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru at Foodservice Solutions® obviously has left his share again in 2010. Here is a list of his published articles with links that were quoted from Wall Street to Main Street during 2010.


1. Restaurant Consumer Discontinuity

a. http://foodservice.com/articles/show.cfm?contentid=4112

2. Convenience store sector: the stage is set for consolidation in 2010.

B. http://foodservice.com/articles/show.cfm?contentid=7513

3. The frozen “Food Court” is the new restaurant real estate play!

c. http://foodservice.com/blogs/show.cfm?contentid=14231

4. Roll, Roll, Roll, Away Roller Grill!

d. http://foodservice.com/articles/show.cfm?contentid=5512

5. Legacy retail foodservice operators, why are many stuck in the middle without direction?

e. http://foodservice.com/articles/show.cfm?contentid=11328

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For product or brand positioning assistance contact Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Legacy grocery stores are winning with private label products.



Whole Foods, Central Market, and Metropolitan Market are but a few of the companies leveraging grocerant style fresh and prepared food to build top line sales and bottom line profits. Private label sale are reported to be 18%. However most grocery stores and tracking firms do not record or claim their fresh prepared food sales. That alone can push the 18% much higher. When you add in store prepared meat, fish, poultry and bakery products private label again moves into a new and increasingly valuable position much higher than 18%.


Walmart has focused on price to drive sales in doing so they quit requesting “trade funds”. Instead they focused on driving customer value while building consumer loyalty with private label products that shout competitiveness.

Legacy food retailers the ilk of A&P that have been focused on driving inside margins through trade funds that manufactures offer can’t stop taking the money it’s like a “monetary drug fix”. The problem is the companies relying on trade funds are all going to go the way of A&P.

With that said, there are many additional food retailers who are doing an excellent job with private label, such as Wegmans, Byerly's, Dorothy Lane, Stew Leonard's etc. If success leaves clues building strong fresh and prepared private label food programs at the retail level rank very high.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For product or brand positioning assistance contact Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM

FOODSERVICE SOLUTIONS



Ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat fresh and prepared food is convenient meal planning!



Grocerant niche food is filled with fresh and prepared ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat meal components. It may be from Wawa as a salad or fresh hoagie! It can be from Whole Foods and come as sous vide /cook chill or fresh prepared from one of the display food stations ready-to-eat, it must have the ability to be portable however.

It can be eaten on site, in the car, at the office or down the road at the park. At times it is reheated; it is focused on single serve portions or portions for two. The list of companies in the grocerant niche doing a very good job continues to grow, Central Market, Speedway Super America, Boston Market, Ralphs, Food Lion, Tesco, HEB, Safeway, Sheetz, Burger King, Subway and KFC.

One of the most interesting new developments is bundling of the meal components it’s a Mix and Match combo that is very empowering for the consumer. Subway and Burger King have for years been doing this with individual sandwiches. Today however now consumer’s can buy from grocery stores and restaurants a fresh prepared sauce, and utilize it on fish, steak, chicken, a burritos or pasta. Two people in a home may use the same sauce on two different entrees! The same can be said for each course of the meal.

This mix and match of portion controlled, fresh and prepared food components makes meal time easy. Meal time is now becoming a time of convenient meal participation, with differentiation and individualization for the entire family.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For product or brand positioning assistance contact Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Independent restaurants are mastering the art of 5-minute takeout food.



Ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh prepared portable food has been driving top line sales and bottom line profits for the convenience store sector for over two years. The C-store sector has led food industry in top line growth recently driving sector consolidation. The grocery sector has found new life with ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat prepared food. Chain restaurants continue to grow takeout and to-go food at a faster and faster pace.

Independent restaurants are not being left out and they are garnering attention from consumers and the press. Sue Kidd a staff writer for The News Tribune in an article titled: Master the are of the 5-minute takeout in Tacoma states that independent restaurants food is “CHEAP, GOOD, FAST”

Consumers have been finding grocerant bundled meal options within every sector of the retail foodservice industry. Independent restaurateurs have been paying attention, following the success of industry chain leaders most importantly listening to consumers. They are bundling meal combos from Tacoma, WA to Miami, FL and San Diego, CA to Portland, MA.

With new competition entering the fray for ready-to-eat food from the drug store sector and dollar store sector watch for innovation and regional leaders to emerge from independent restaurants.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For product or brand positioning assistance contact Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Well funded grocer joins Publix entering the restaurant business.



Restaurant companies constantly looking over there shoulder at competitors now have two strong retail grocers focused on the restaurant space. Publix successfully has grown Crispers into a consumer driven chain and last wee Wegmans entered with The Food Bar after success with the concept within the store they now feel it ready stand on it’s own.

“The Wegman's supermarket chain is entering the restaurant business with the launch of The Food Bar, a fast casual/casual dining hybrid opened Dec. 10. The restaurant is located next to Wegman's flagship store in Pittsford, N.Y., and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The restaurant gives customers the option to order at the counter or to have full table service at the bar. Three varieties of wine and beer are on tap and orders are served in picnic baskets with plastic utensils.

Menu items include burgers and other sandwiches, crab cakes, sundaes and milkshakes made with Wegman's proprietary frozen custard. Price points range from $4 to $14.

The Food Bar boasts a distinctive décor “washed in seashore colors,” according to the Wegman's website. “Big windows invite the sun in. Sand-colored brickwork soars over tables and the booths, upholstered in deep-ocean blue. Sky blue walls meet wood-tone floors in the colors of dry and wet sand. Curving design motifs over the counter hint at the motion of ocean waves.”

Ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh grocerant food is entering both Drug store sector and convenience store sector and during 2011 restaurant companies must be prepared for these new competitors as well.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche positioning products and brands for success. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Top five disruptive food trends of 2010.



The consumer drove change and acceptance of new opportunities in food retailing during 2010. It was the year the consumer rejected retail food niche labels while demystifying channel blurring. Empowered with technology and driven by choice the retail food consumer entered new channels of food distribution and like what they found.

Legacy food retailers 2011 will not be an easy one for those of you practicing brand protectionism. The grocerant niche filled with ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh and prepared food continued to boom in 2010. That niche filled with customer perceived “better for your” products, packaging and price continued to add focus too the new retail foodservice model on how to grow your brand.

The top five disruptive food trends / developments of 2010 are:

1. Low price point war while we are seeing commodity inflation:

2. New avenues of distribution: Walgreens, Dollar Stores:

3. New Product trial with deep discounts via electronic distribution – Groupon:

4. Convenience stores consolidation with new fresh food focus:

5. Burgers, Burgers, Burgers.

Success does leave clues and many retail food operators are now adopting Foodservice Solutions® 5 P’s of food marketing: Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability and Price. Foodservice Solutions® can assist you in understanding the role of each P and it relationship to each other is key for all companies in today’s retail food environment.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Private Label brand managers need to keep swinging vs. lame slotting fees.

Diminished is the role of the legacy national brand manager in a world where private label is branded. When national brand manufactures continue paying slotting fee’s to grocery stores and supermarkets as the easiest way to reach the consumer. The slotting fee’s continue to go for space on the shelf but the key location End Caps are now being filled with the stores own private label products. If your paying a National Brand manager and your brand value is gone, fire the brand manager or pay higher slotting fees and fool some of the people some of the time.

Who likes slotting fee’s well for one Wall Street analyst love to see sales via pushing slotting fee’s at the end of a slow quarter to meet “goals”. Why they like it is beyond logical reason. Mediocre C-level grocery store chain managers like it better than being force to become merchants. They utilize slotting fee’s to supplement profits. Is justifying being a poor merchant with rationalization enough?

Brand managers of the private label products are utilizing a tool out of the National Brand Managers playbook to build loyalty, reinforce value and generate additional sales and profits for the store and their particular private label product. They are taking the end caps for themselves!

Price Chopper is utilizing what they call “power displays”. Wal-Mart is utilizing the end caps to reinforce value of their private label products and consumer is picking them up! Wegmans gets the customers coming and going utilizing the vestibules with the likes of Wegmans private label potato chips and the next week Wegmans own canned tuna and their own mayo for example. I say keep it up!

Deep in the store the private label battle continues with ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat portable food. All prepared fresh and in most cases right in front of the customer. Private Label Grocerant ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food now has brand managers of their own and they are building sales not slotting fees. Think about it, building sales on demand from consumers? Novel ideation or business fundamentals, you chose.

Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us  for more. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, twitter.com/grocerant  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us

Don’t dust off your stove yet.



Restaurateurs the world is a little brighter after the NPD Group reported that “use of stove” is still flat and even more exciting microwave cooking is not growing either. Broad Street Licensing Group (BSLG) reported that in a recent news letter that “There has been a gradual increase in per-capita meals prepared & consumed at home (including partially pre-prepared foods): 877 in 2010 vs. 861 in 2007 (though the trend began in 2003).”

BSLG continued “This is far below the 1980s when the peak was 914 (1986). The nadir was 817 in 2002. More significant are the changes in how food is prepared: in the 80s, 72% of main dinner dishes were homemade; today only 59% are. The shift has been to prepared foods or meals that can be “assembled.”

NPD predicts ready-to-eat meals prepared outside of, but eaten at-home, along with fresh and frozen foods will grow in the next ten years. That convenience trumps everything is underscored by the decline in the number of items per meal from 4.44 in the 1980s to 3.5 in 2010.

Microwave usage rose between 985-1994 (from 10.5% of main meals to 20.4%), but remained between 19%-20% through 2008 when it began to grow slightly (currently it stands at 22%). How are Americans cooking their meals, then? They are purchasing ready-to-eat take-home foods in restaurants and food stores, along with the rise of grilling and slow-cookers. Use of grills grew by 42% between 1998-2008, but still only accounted for 3% of main meals by 2009). Slow cookers grew 36% from 1998-2008 (but still only cooked 1% of main meals by 2009).” Thank you too both BSLG and NPD.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Retail Foodservice the Status Quo is not: from compliancy too economic doldrums, too quagmire and now prepared food fight.



Retail foodservice is an exciting landscape in which to work, follow or enjoy as a consumer participant. The one thing that is for certain is the Status Quo is not! Each day millions go to work with passion and contribute to the ongoing evolution and rediscovery of an ever growing and important sector of our society.

The industry forced to reposition itself during our current economic doldrums has provided evidence of an emerging trend that is once again expanding the size, and availability of food in the US. I have dubbed it the “grocerant trend” (fresh prepared ready-to-eat and or ready-to-heat--- better for you-- food). Times have never been better for manufactures to create new products, collaborate and bond with clients while building top lines sales and bottom line profits.

Two strong factors are expanding the niche from fad to trend. Dramatic new points of distribution are on the way fresh prepared food emerging in non traditional points of fresh food distribution. The first is at 7 Eleven, which is entering the niche with fresh fruit and fresh prepared food at test locations around the world and at 105 units here in the US. Solid positive signs of consumer acceptance have been reported and this program will rollout to and additional 7,210 units is now well underway.

Second, Walgreens expanding brand quality in the pursuit of “fresh” prepared food. The halo effect will bolster the brand as contemporized and relevant to consumers. Walgreens focused, on its core consumer, portioned, positioned and priced competitively. Walgreens has the ability to over the next 3 to 4 years roll out that program too well over 7,500 locations.

Grocery stores the likes of Wegmans, Central Market, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods are each expanding fresh prepared food. Safeway’s lifestyle stores are exceeding initial projections and the company is all smiles while expanding the fresh food focused units.

Convenience stores current grocerant leaders Sheetz, Wawa, Rutter’s, Quick Chek continue to test the bounds of fresh prepared food while doing an excellent job at bundling the meal components and pressuring the QSR industry to keep pace.

Many restaurant chains have or are preparing new programs and offering for this specific niche including Subway, Nathan’s Famous, Atlanta Bread, Denny’s, Jamba Juice and Quiznos. Yes, there does appear to be a new food fight and it is in the grocerant niche for consumer seeking better for you fresh prepared food that is ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Its 5 PM What’s for Dinner?



When 5 PM rolls around most Americans start wondering what am I going to have for dinner and very, very few will even entertain the idea of cooking from scratch. Most people don’t have a clue what they want let alone what is for dinner. At least that is what research has shown over the past several years. At 4 PM it’s time that the competition between Supermarkets, Grocery Stores, Convenience Stores and Restaurants for share of stomach heats up.

The grocerant sector, that is to say fresh prepared ready-to-eat and or ready-to-heat food is booming. Grocery stores tout rapidly growing Takeout or Take Away foods that are fresh prepared ala restaurant quality. 7 Eleven is slowly rolling away from the roller grill and into fresh prepared consumer focused ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food.

Grocery Stores and Supermarkets are pushing the high margin prepared portable food section all the while Convenience Stores are bundling and pricing ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat food extremely competitively. Whole Foods hot food stations are thriving all around the country.

Restaurateurs are packaging, bundling and marketing Take Away and Togo food better than ever. The consumer focused on menu selection, portion size and price have responded nicely to the restaurant new offerings and customer counts are growing again. Subway is now entering breakfast in a big way with better for you products.

Here at Foodservice Solutions we specialize in understanding successful bundling of the fresh prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food. It is the increasing margins and growing sales that are attracting restaurateurs, grocery stores and convenience stores into this sector.

These my friends are the good times. Bundled meal components are changing and evolving by region and family size. If you would like a strategic grocerant program assessment or a grocerant tour we can arrange them for you, your group, by niche, city or country.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Accelerating retail foodservice innovation success starts with listening to consumers.



Ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food must have a high degree of consumer relevance to succeed in any retail food niche today. Technomic Inc. understands retail foodservice, the foodservice consumer. For over forty years they have been listening to consumer and benchmarking key retail food data for manufactures, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores. They understand what the consumer wants, how they have changed and importantly how they eat. How we eat, when we eat by the way has evolved dramatically over the years.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets listens to consumer and understands that building top line sales and bottom line profits is a result of giving consumer what they want. Fresh & Easy has recently launched a better for you line of products called eatwell “a line of more nutritious products to help customers manage their diets without compromising on taste”. They understand that in America we want to eat our way thin.

John Burry, chief commercial officer for Fresh & Easy stated. “We created a range of items designed to make it easier for customers to eat well without compromising on flavor. With products like mojito shrimp and sweet chili chicken, we’re building on the huge success of our kitchen items and helping our customers more easily manage their diets. This line was based on direct customer feedback, ““Customers asked us for products with less sodium, calories and fat, and we listened “

The eatwell product line contains no more than “25 percent of the daily values (based upon a 2,000-calorie diet) for calories, fat, saturated fat and sodium… The eatwell products also carry front-of-pack nutritional labels, which are designed to communicate the calories, fat.” Grocerant ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food continues to get better for you!

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Restaurant chains face a confluence of obstacles for growth in Q 1 2011.



While 2010 is winding down restaurant chains have been all smiles with frequency of visits on the rise and sales rebounding. Public restaurant chain stock prices have been on fire and there is hope in our beleaguered industry once again. All of us want this tend to continue.

Three issues could put a damper on those smiles. First unemployment continues to remain high and in fact ticked up again today. There is a direct correlation between unemployment numbers and restaurant growth/sales.

Secondly the retail price of gasoline is expected to reach $ 3.00 per gallon by the end of this year and could well stay there during Q1. The correlation between gasoline price and restaurant sales is direct and this up trend is not positive for restaurants either.

Last but not least is increased competition in the ready-to-eat and ready to heat prepared food niche. Companies the ilk of 7 Eleven are rolling out fresh prepared food. The convenience store sector led the foodservice industry in growth in 2009 and 2010 in large part because of new fresh food sales that drove consumer frequency.

Food manufacturers have been focused and working with Drug store and grocery chains on new fresh food products and portion packaging. In each case they are focused on new consumers and building loyalty for low-cost prepared food ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat options.

NPD group’s Ann Hanson said: “The frequency of meal planning is an indication that many purchase decisions are made prior to grocery shopping. Retailers and manufacturers who can help consumers address meal planning challenges have the potential to become ingrained in the family meal planning and shopping cycle.”

These new avenues of distribution combined with new meal bundling and low cost options provide a window of opportunity for those prepared and focused on the consumer. Restaurateurs will need to be prepared with a competitive set of options entering 2011 in order to maintain current momentum.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Bundling mix and match meal components in 2011 will be an integral part of foodservice success.



McDonalds learned years ago that positioning bundled meal options in the drive thru saved time in the ordering process. Consumers have learned to appreciate the time saved and continue flock to bundled choice in all retail food channels.

Kathryn Sharpe, professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business found in a recent study stated “that consumers place a perceived value on combo meals, even if it costs the same as choosing items a la carte.”

Sharpe continued "Based on our research, it appears that they would be just as happy with including smaller portion sizes as part of the combo meal," Sharpe said. "However, consumers are currently given subtle signals that smaller sizes are not appropriate. Realigning the meals to appropriate levels across the industry would make them just as satisfied."

Success does leave clues and many retail food operators are now adopting Foodservice Solutions® 5 P’s of food marketing: Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability and Price. Understanding the role of each P and it relationship to each other is key for all companies in today’s retail food environment.

Bonnie Riggs of The NPD Group found in another study that “Today, the heaviest buyers of healthy/light sandwiches are consumers ages 18 to 34," Riggs stated. "However, it is consumers 50 and older, who are the most health-conscious consumer segment, who will contribute the most incremental servings in the years ahead." OK, you all now get bundle healthier food. Success does leave clues; use those clues to build top line sales and bottom line profits.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant

Eating our way thin is the goal; only in America!



The grocerant niche filled with ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh prepared food that is better for you spanning multiple channels including Drug stores, Grocery stores and restaurants are catering too consumer’s desire for less fat, less salt and fewer calories.

Bonnie Riggs a restaurant analyst for The NPD Group stated Restaurant operators are responding to their customers’ needs for healthier or lighter foods…. This shift in consumers choosing healthier foods at restaurants is partially due to the increasing availability of healthier foods on restaurant menus”

Not only do Americans want to eat too get thin. We want to eat and obtain fresh prepared ready to eat and or ready to heat food wherever they are. That is way the grocerant niche is growing so fast. The convenience store sector has led the foodservice industry in top line sales growth for the past two years in large part to the introduction and growth of fresh prepared food.

Yes, by, by roller grill. NPD’s Crest service that tracks consumer usage of foodservice both commercial and non-commercial found “a decrease in consumption of regular carbonated soft drinks, hot dogs, fried chicken and French fries. Simultaneously, some foods that could be considered healthier (lower in sugar and fat) have been ordered more than in the past.

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or on Facebook at Steven Johnson, BING / GOOGLE: Steven Johnson Grocerants or twitter.com/grocerant