2018 Eating-Out While Eating-In Continues

We have been told that as a result of the tax cuts to expect higher wages, a booming economy, and growth which means time starved consumers will see an increase demand on their time according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® So in 2018 expect to see an increase in consumers desire for Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.

According to foodservice industry icon Bonnie Riggs of The NPD Group, “50 percent of dinners purchased from restaurants are consumed at home, and Riggs expects that to grow in 2018.” Once again our own Grocerant Guru® was the first identify, quantify, and qualify Eating-Out while Eating-In. Is your food portable?  Are you selling meals for both inside and outside your four walls? 

Price just might trump portability in 2018 as McDonalds launched1,2,3 value promotion beginning in January and the one thing we all know is within the restaurant sector it is a proven fact that follow-the-leader mentality.  The retail foodservice Price + Value +Service = Equilibrium will be reset in early 2018 as consumers value price over most loyalty programs.  Do you have menu items designed, positioned, and priced to garner a larger share of stomach in 2018? 

The team at NPD forecasted that “the only growth in the industry next year will be from quick-service restaurants, not full-service operators. ..Full-service operators can drive their business forward any way they can get food and beverage into the home”. Now consider that NPD found” In the year ended February 2017, 18 percent of in-home meals included at least one ready-to-eat item from foodservice, an increase from 15.5 percent in 2015”

Foodservice Solutions® team believes that mobile marketing drives delivery creating a new platform of fresh food distribution.  Foodservice branded mobile App’s that extend a branded messaging, offered as a trial invitation will become more relevant as a marketing tool than most legacy loyalty programs.

Foodservice delivery continues to expand as branded mobile digital marketing elevates personalization driving incremental growth in digital ordering. Digital ordering has posted rapid growth in the last five years, and the most recent data reveal its represents 53 percent of all delivery orders, up from 33 percent in 2013 according to The NPD Group.

Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.