Pilot Flying J’s Food First Footprint Fuels Success

Success does leave clues and grocerant niche fresh food has been the platform of success that most food retail choose when they decide to evolve their brans with customer relevance and Pilot Flying J has made the right choices according to Steven Johnson, Tacoma, WA based Grocerant Guru® at Foodservice Solutions®.

When it comes to homestyle comfort foods PJ Fresh offering at Pilot Flying J are filled with grocerant grab-n-go fresh food options that make the ‘pit-stop’’ well worth it according to Johnson. In an effort to drive incremental growth Pilot Flying J developed a third branded footprint called Pilot Express unit as a way to enter areas where a typical major travel center won't fit from a land and acreage standpoint.

Pilot Flying J Chief Merchant Brian Ferguson describes the Pilot Express concept as a "Food first" unit. Pilot Express stores spotlight the retailer's commitment to food and beverage innovation, offering homestyle meals, grab-and-go and made-to-order sandwiches and salads, premium beverages, a bean-to-cup coffee experience and weekly limited-time offers.

Ferguson continued "We want you to walk in to an experience that you've never [had] at a Pilot before. We created a store environment that's about getting you fueled quickly, giving you tremendous options in food and beverage, and getting you out quickly," 

 Pilot Flying J's Vice President of Food Innovation Shannon Johnson said Pilot Express stores have found a sweet spot by offering a variety of food offers that meet different needs. The winning equation includes:

·         Anticipating guest need — both immediate transaction and relaxing destination; 

·         Being varied and flexible — in the same store, you can see a hot homestyle offering that allows a guest to eat and relax next to a grab-and-go item for the person of the go; 

·         Splitting grab-and-go into two categories: hot and chilled; and

·         Tying in authenticity and quality.

"We went out to market with a variety of food offers all at the same time and what we found was somewhat unexpected: that the blend of all those things was how we’re going to win," Shannon Johnson shared. "It really differentiates us in the marketplace because a lot of our competitive set doesn’t have the mix of offers that we do. We learned so much from Pilot Express." Is your business ready to evolve?

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