Grocerant Guru Talking Food and Beverage Price, Value, Service Equilibrium

 

Success does leave clues. Getting things right takes hard work and continue refinement and retooling according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Johnson first identified quantified and qualified restaurant, convenience store, and service deli opportunity within the retail foodservice space.

That first formula for the price, value, service success was: Price + Quality + Service + Portability = Value.  That formula has evolved with Gen Z and Millennials today.  Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® then retooled, reevaluated, calculated then evolved the formula and here is the new formula:  Price + Quality + Social + Portability = Value. 

With portability comes an increased focus on packaging according to Johnson.  Increasingly foodservice is a key category for the convenience channel as consumers increasingly view c-stores as a destination for food and beverage items. Price/value, food quality, taste and freshness are the most important factors shoppers consider when purchasing prepared food at a c-store, according to the 2023 Convenience Store News Realities of the Aisle Study, which surveyed 1,500 consumers who shop a c-store at least once a month. The study also found:

Get this, NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF SHOPPERS (64%) Nearly two-thirds of shoppers (64 percent) say the reasons why consumers do not purchase prepared food at convenience stores include:

1. 40% Price at c-stores is too high
2. 35% Don't trust the quality sold at c-stores
3. 29% C-stores don't offer good selection/ variety
4. 21% I've just never thought of looking for these products at c-stores
5. 18% C-stores don't offer sales/promotions say they were extremely or very satisfied with their most recent prepared food purchase at a c-store
6.  while just 6% say they were not satisfied.

In case you did not know. The top five prepared foods consumers say they regularly purchase at c-stores are: Millennials favor breakfast sandwiches and fresh fruit or vegetable smoothies at higher rates than other generations, while Generation Z is more likely to buy French fries and Mexican food. 1. Breakfast sandwich 2. Pizza 3. Hot dog 4. Deli/ sandwich 5. Hamburger

The report continued, in a sign of the post-pandemic return to in-person or hybrid work, breakfast sandwiches jumped to 40% incidence among c-store prepared food shoppers, up 17 points from a year ago.

With the increase in demand for grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-Eat-Fresh prepared food up in all sectors of retail foodservice including restaurants, grocery service deli, and convenience stores the need for sustainability packaging is beginning to take center stage according to Johnson.

In case you did not know, Novolex, is a leader in packaging choice, innovation and sustainability, is introducing Power Prep wrap for grab-and-go hot sandwiches and other freshly made foods. 

Manufactured by Novolex brand Bagcraft, the new wrap is laminated and insulated to keep food tasting fresh as it moves from the freezer to thawing and re-heating, and while it’s held under heat at the point of sale. This allows customers to enjoy a delicious hot sandwich that was made and wrapped off site. 

Power Prep wrap is ideal for convenience stores, supermarkets and other foodservice operators, catering to the growing demand for high-quality, freshly made offerings. 

Tim Coulson, Director of Technology, Paper at Novolex, stated, “When a national convenience store needed a new flexible packaging option for grab-and-go hot sandwiches, our innovation team developed a unique four-layer structure specifically designed to control moisture and heat,” .... “Our new Power Prep wrap is a true gamechanger, a unique solution that revolutionizes the way hot foods can be made, sold and enjoyed.” 

Service Deli’s, restaurants and convenience stores operators invest in central kitchens to provide more prepared grab-and-go food options, maintaining consistent quality and food integrity is critical. The Power Prep wrap protects food and performs across multiple temperature requirements. 

So, Power Prep wrap uses non-fluorinated oil-and-grease-resistant paper that is laminated to a liner using a honeycomb pattern that creates an insulated layer. Among the many features of the multilayered wrap: 

The lamination is designed with unique anti-curling capabilities to allow flat sheeting, saving time and increasing efficiency because foods can be quickly wrapped and frozen at scale.

It is more puncture-resistant than foil or foil/paper structure, providing an alternative to other packaging options. 

The wrap can be custom printed to include branding and promotional messages. 

Power Prep wrap is available as cut sheets in different sizes and can also be purchased as a roll.

Bagcraft food packaging products serve a wide range of foodservice, restaurant, supermarket, convenience store and bakery applications. Power Prep wrap is just the latest addition to the range of innovative packaging solutions from Novolex. 

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® 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 us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter