Panera Bread Targets Non-Traditional Locations for To-Go Fresh Food

Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food with the ‘halo’ of better-for-you continues to drive sales in every sector of retail foodservice today according Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

HMSHost one of the largest contractors of airports, announced an exclusive, multi-year, multi-unit development agreement with Panera Bread that will expand the fast-casual chain’s presence within major U.S. airports and travel plazas proving travelers ‘better-for-you’ meals at airports and for meals in the air as takeout. 

HMSHost will debut two new Panera airport locations, first at Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s Concourse E, and soon to follow at Salt Lake City International Airport’s Concourse A in 2020. Additional airport and travel plaza locations are slated to open throughout 2020 and beyond.

HMSHost president and CEO Steve Johnson stated  “At HMSHost, we’re leaders in expanding travelers’ dining options with the most in-demand, unmatched choices. With Panera Bread as our exclusive partner, we are transforming the fast-casual category in airports and motorways across the United States,” …“Traveling consumers have been clamoring for Panera Bread to expand into airports and motorways. With this agreement, we are answering that demand for travelers seeking craveable, better-for-you food, delivered fast and efficiently.”

Dan Wegiel, Panera’s Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer. “Panera is uniquely positioned to fill the void between quality and convenience for hungry travelers, offering the same better-for-you menu options they know and love from our traditional bakery-cafes, with all the speed they need while in transit. The HMSHost partnership expands consumers’ access to the brand, delivering on our vision to bring Panera closer to those who hunger for our food wherever, whenever and however they choose.”

Panera’s all-day menu of clean and flavorful food choices, the brand’s innovative digital kiosk ordering system, popular mobile app and Rapid Pick-Up® feature make it an ideal solution for hungry, time-crunched travelers. How is your brand expanding?  Where and Why?

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.

Business Travelers, Families, and you can Grab a Ready-2-Meal at the Airport on the Run

Did you get stuck traffic, stuck in the security line, or delayed due to weather recently like I have been when at the airport?  Not to worry as if like me you have a smartphone you can order a meal, a sandwich, even desert or a treat right from your smart phone while at the airport. 

Delaware North recently announced the arrival of self-ordering kiosks at several of its airport-dining locations. The kiosks were developed in partnership with Grab, the airport e-commerce platform, offering travelers dual self-service ordering capabilities (mobile via smartphone and in-person at a kiosk) for the first time in the United States and our Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson likes the servicet.

Think cashier free as the next step. The kiosk technology features an interface designed for quick ordering with intelligent upselling and customization components and includes point-to-point encrypted (P2PE) credit card payments, including Apple Pay, Android Pay, and other “tap-to-pay” options. Kiosks can process orders from a location’s full menu as well as grab-and-go items. Future iterations of the kiosk will have barcode scanners for an even quicker checkout experience when purchasing grab-and-go items.

Currently 18 kiosks already deployed at six airports, including: Atlanta (Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Mustard Seed, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf); Austin (Schlotzsky’s); Buffalo (Which Wich); Denver (Schlotzsky’s); Detroit (Popeye’s) and Oklahoma City (Schlotzsky’s and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf).

Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North’s travel division stated “This latest innovation with our partners at Grab is a step toward the future of travel and how people will be dining and shopping at the airport in the coming years.” You don’t have to have a location at an airport to understand the importance of selling fresh food fast, the power of hand held marketing, or a having one less cashier on duty. 

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.