The Grocerant Guru Takes a Look at Hamburger Helper's Refresh

 

Retailers take notice, it's the Grocerant Guru® here with some insights on a recent brand refresh that caught my eye. Let's talk Hamburger Helper! Regular readers of this blog know that consumers are dynamic not static.

Now we all know many legacy brands need a little sprucing up. Eagle Foods, based in Cleveland, Ohio, knows this well. They've been busy giving the 50-year-old Hamburger Helper a makeover, along with its animated mascot Lefty. They acquired the brand from General Mills in 2022 and have been working their magic.

Eagle Foods revamped the packaging, updated the recipe with tastier flavors, and even introduced new varieties. They understand that today's shoppers are all about convenience, affordability, and of course, deliciousness.

They hit the market with the refresh pretty quickly, in about 18 months. This speed reflects two things: first, the growing popularity of quick and easy one-pan meals, and second, Eagle Foods' focus on revitalizing their stable of legacy brands.

Another food reporter recently visited Eagle Foods' brand new innovation center near Chicago. Here is some of what she had to say, it's a hub for creativity! Mala Wiedemann, the company's EVP of marketing and R&D, filled her in on their approach.

Eagle Foods is young, but their brands are veterans. "We love finding brands with strong foundations and growth potential, especially those that might be underutilized," Wiedemann explained. They target brands that could benefit from a fresh perspective, whether they're family-owned businesses or lost in the shuffle of a larger company.

Eagle Foods focuses on the center store, an area they believe is often neglected by grocers but gets a lot of shopper traffic. "Convenience meals are timeless," Wiedemann said. "Hamburger Helper was a hit in 1970 because it was easy and tasty, and that's still true today. We're not changing its core identity; we're just making it modern and tastier."

This message is clear in their new marketing campaign that launched mid-February.

The innovation center was buzzing with activity. She saw Eagle's food scientists developing new flavors, from a natural caramel corn to a Green Goddess Suddenly Pasta Salad. They even showed me a sneak peek of a new single-serve, microwaveable Hamburger Helper cup coming later this year!

"We invested in this space to drive innovation," Wiedemann explained. "We know it's key to our growth and to the success of our retail partners."

Eagle Foods isn't just focused on the present, they're looking to the future too. "Legacy brands can resonate with younger generations," Wiedemann said. "Gen Z loves to cook and explore new things, and that creates a lot of opportunities."

So, there you have it folks. Hamburger Helper's refresh is a great example of how to revitalize a legacy brand for the modern shopper. Keep an eye on Eagle Foods, they're shaking things up in the center store, and that's good news for all of us!  Consumers are not static they are dynamic.  Brands need to be dynamic as well.

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information. 

Gen Z Try this White Castle Stuffing Recipe

 

It’s that time of year where Holiday meals are simply family fun time according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Here is the classic White Castle Stuffing Recipe that the team to Foodservice Solutions® knows you will enjoy.

It’s WCS season! That’s “White Castle Stuffing” season for those not in the know. White Castle, the iconic, family-owned business, reminds people that before the bells start jingling, before the yule tides, and before everyone starts belting what they want for Christmas, Thanksgiving must be celebrated! Of course, that celebration should include a freshly baked legendary White Castle stuffing recipe.

White Castle’s Original Slider Stuffing set a new standard on how Thanksgiving Day stuffing should be prepared. The recipe was first introduced in 1991 when a White Castle team member enhanced her grandmother’s family stuffing recipe with a sack of Sliders.

“Food, fellowship and memorable moments mark a great Thanksgiving, and White Castle is happy to have played a role in making that a reality for more than three decades,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. “All of the Slider Stuffing recipes are simple to prepare but pack a heap of flavor, making it the preferred choice of both kitchen veterans and novices trying to make the ideal Thanksgiving side dish.”  

The White Castle culinary team produced a new hit in 2022 with the Kickin’ Southwest Stuffin Muffins. Featuring corn, green onions, chili powder, a variety of peppers and Jalapeño Cheese Sliders, these muffins are small in stature but big in taste. Other versions of the Slider stuffing include the Impossible Slider Stuffing, which uses the Impossible Slider as the base, the Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Slider Stuffing and the Southwestern Jalapeño Cheese Slider Stuffing.

Remix! Fat Joe style! This year, the Craver Hall of Famer put his personal touch on the dish, calling it Fat Joe’s Jalapeño Cheese Slider Stuffing. Fat Joe’s version features sauteed celery, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, shredded pepper jack cheese and Jalapeño Cheese Sliders, with a guest appearance from Sazón, a blend of spices that is a staple of many Puerto Rican, Dominican and Mexican cuisines.

All recipes mentioned can be prepared using Sliders purchased fresh from White Castle restaurants or frozen from retail stores across the U.S.

“The bird may get the headlines, but it’s the stuffing doing the heavy lifting with these innovative Thanksgiving recipes,” Richardson said. “You’ll always receive an invitation to join in the festivities as long as you continue to bring a White Castle Slider Stuffing recipe.”

The recipes for White Castle’s Original Slider Stuffing and its Kickin’ Southwest Stuffin’ Muffins are below. For the other stuffing recipes and additional recipe ideas using White Castle menu items, visit www.whitecastle.com/crave-central/recipes.

White Castle Original Slider Stuffing Recipe

Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Servings: about 9 cups of stuffing (enough for a 10- to 12-pound turkey)

Ingredients:

1.   10 to 12 White Castle Original Sliders, no pickles (from a Castle restaurant or a local retailer)

2.   1½ cups diced celery

3.   1¼ teaspoons ground thyme

4.   1½ teaspoons ground sage

5.   ¾ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

6.   ¼ cup chicken broth (or 1 cup for casserole version)

Instructions:

1.   Tear the Sliders into bite-sized pieces and put into a large mixing bowl.

2.   Add diced celery and seasonings.

3.   Add ¼ cup of chicken broth and toss well.

4.   Put stuffing into cavity of the turkey and cook as you normally would.

5.   If cooking stuffing as a casserole, add an additional ¾ cup of chicken broth and toss well.

6.   Spray or oil a 2-quart casserole dish.

7.   Transfer stuffing to casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

White Castle Kickin’ Southwest Stuffin’ Muffins

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Servings: Approx. 18

Ingredients:

1.       10 TBLS Butter

2.       12 Jalapeño Sliders chopped into ½ inch pieces

3.       3 large jalapeño peppers diced (1 cup) – leave the seeds for a spicier muffin

4.       1 poblano pepper diced (1 cup) – leave the seeds for more spice

5.       1 red bell pepper diced (1 cup)

6.       1 cup frozen corn

7.       Green onion sliced (2/3 cup)

8.       2 TBLS chili powder

9.       1 tsp salt

10.   ½ tsp pepper

11.   3 eggs

12.   1½ cups chicken broth

13.   ½ cup breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.       Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

3.       Add diced peppers and sauté until soft.

4.       Add the corn and green onions, turn off heat.

5.       Add chili powder, salt and pepper.

6.       In a large bowl, mix vegetables with sliders and breadcrumbs.

7.       Combine your broth and eggs.

8.       Pour broth & egg mixture over slider mixture and blend well.

9.       Scoop into buttered muffin tin or use cupcake wrappers.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Church’s Chicken’s One Step Back Focuses on Two Steps Forward

We have all hear the old adage ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’.  While the foodservice business seems to be evolving with technology, the food, the customers still want the same things. According to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® when you look at the food industry from the ‘high-level’, “the core of consumers needs and wants remain constant.”

Consider this back in the day (1952) when Church’s Chicken was founded it was called: Church’s Fried Chicken To Go.  Yes, Church’s Chicken was built on the idea of convenience and accessibility for quality, value, and Texas-inspired flavor, which has become an even more pronounced focus for the brand today. Sounds a lot like the grocerant niche today don’t you think.  So, do did the food industry change much? No.

However, over time consumer preference, priorities, and provisions demands evolve to satisfy the need-set of the day according to Johnson.  With a renewal heightened visibility due to COVID-19 significantly shifting consumer habits fast that we can look back and forward with increasing focus to understand the demand for off-premise dining, is at our core.

Now, Church’s is reconnecting with its to-go roots by offering a signature carrier option for guests to grab and go. Church’s new “Go Box” provides a complete transport method when dining away from a restaurant, for guests to indulge wherever and with whomever they please.

Brian Gies, Chief Marketing Officer for the brand stated “With the changes that have occurred this year, our guests have told us that they want to bring their favorite meals to share with more than one or two people…whoever their chosen families happen to be,” says. “The social shift has changed our dining experiences, and the new ’Go Box’ makes it easier to come together any time of day, any day of the week.

Not only are our larger serving sizes and prices relevant for these shifting consumer needs, but our new ‘Go Box’ makes it easier for large meals to be taken home, or delivered right to your door for really any occasion.”

So, Church’s rolled out completely re-vamped menu boards across the country in July that promote a new ‘Family Values’ menu line-up, featuring a variety of abundant meals that feed 6 or more with choice of mixed chicken, legs and thighs or tenders, plus a choice of homestyle sides and of course the brand’s signature Honey-Butter Biscuits.

For a limited time, the “Go Box” offers a nod to the brand’s ‘Fried Chicken To Go’ heritage, dating back to 1952. The first “Go Boxes” will feature the retro Church’s character – Churchie. Guests can order their “Go Box” Family Values meals dine-in (according to local guidelines), at drive-thru, take-out, and delivery through a local third-party delivery service, or from the brand's online order-ahead service.

Gies continued “Being able to still safely come together matters a lot these days – we can provide a solution for that to make it easier,” “Church’s new ‘Go Box’ means you can enjoy time with the people that matter most to you while having all of your down home favorites right at your fingertips.”

What’s at your brand core you have over looked? Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Cowboy Chicken Looking A Customer Ahead with Family Meals for $20

Did you Remember, Easter is this Sunday, and Cowboy Chicken is looking a customer ahead with a Family Meal special for all to enjoy. Cowboy Chicken is a fast casual wood-fired rotisserie chain as regular readers of those blog know. They are now offering their popular Chicken for 4 Family Meals for $20 (regularly $25) on Sunday, April 12. As a bonus, the eatery also is giving a $5 discount on its Chicken for 6 and Enchiladas for 4 family meals on Easter Sunday.

That is putting the Price, Value, Service  (PVS) equilibrium front and center according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Our current formula for PVS is: Price + Quality + Social + Portability = Value.

Empowering customer choice, you can choose among a variety of Family Meals—including new Homestyle and Southwest family meals—that feature whole rotisserie chickens and Wild West sides. Complete the Easter meal with a Texas-sized peach cobbler or a gallon of iced tea for an additional charge. 

So, if you want to receive the discount, place orders online, via phone or through the Cowboy Chicken mobile app for curbside pickup, pronto pick-up or delivery. Visit Cowboy Chicken on Facebook and Instagram for more details.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Captain D’s Holiday Happiness

Differentiation does not mean different it means familiar but with a twist according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  This holiday season Captain D’s is focusing on the family; making meal time a happy time by making it fresh, making it simple, by  time saving time cooking giving consumer more time to spend with the family, shop or just watch sports.

Captain D’s, created the ultimate family meal experience to help take the stress out of figuring out meal time. This year staying true to the brand, Captain D’s is offering a seasonal special on their 10 Piece Family Fish Meal. For only $19.99, a family of four to six people can sit and enjoy 10 pieces of Captain D’s famous batter dipped fish, complete with two family-style sides and plenty of hushpuppies.

Bob Kraut, Chief Marketing Officer of Captain D’s stated “The holidays are a joyous time but as we all know too well, can also lead to not enough ‘time in the day.’ That’s why at Captain D’s we want to help families take a moment to relax and enjoy a wholesome, quality meal together,” ..  “We’re excited to offer this Family Meal Deal for the first time ever; we think it’s the perfect balance of value and satisfaction for those busy times when cooking is just not an option.”

Yet there is more as this Black Friday, Captain D’s is encouraging folks to pass on the poultry, and enjoy something different: a freshly prepared fish meal made with high quality ingredients at an affordable price. Expanding their platform of  customer interactive D’s Club members will receive an exclusive offer to encourage them to stop in during their shopping as well as special e-gift cards for Facebook fans on Cyber Monday. 

It doesn’t stop at fish, though. The 48-year-old brand is standing by its commitment to making affordable seafood available to everyone with other seasonal offers for families, with a wide variety of choices from the Ultimate Seafood Platter to the all-new 36-piece Butterfly Shrimp Platter. How is your brand saying Happy Holidays?

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.