Mix and Match Meal Bundling includes Beer, Wine, Liquor

 

Do you want to make money selling more food and beverage at your retail outlet?  There is one clear way to do that.  Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals are the quality and time saving families want but when you add the option to include beer, wine, or liquor your brand become a top-of-mind brand for consumers when they are looking for a meal, snack, or just a beverage according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

There is no doubt that restaurants offering to-go mugs, bottles and margarita glasses are here to stay, pushing restaurant owners to look beyond the bar for ways to elevate the customer experience. Long past a survival tactic, among restaurant operators that offer alcoholic beverages with takeout or delivery orders, roughly 9 in 10 offer it with takeout orders, cementing a line-item that already accounts for an average of 21% of sales among full-service restaurants.

Consider this, casual dining leads the way in off-premises options, with nearly all restaurants that serve alcohol including it as a takeout offering (90%) and over a quarter (26%) with their third-party delivery offerings. When it comes to who wants to-go alcohol, more than half of millennials (62%) and Gen Z adults (52%) report they would be more likely pick a restaurant for takeout if they could include alcohol beverages.

One again that is according to a new report from the National Restaurant Association which breaks down the latest data on alcohol trends and preferences among restaurant owners and consumers.

Michelle Korsmo, President & Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association, stated, “The innovation we are witnessing right now in beverage programs of all kinds is exactly why restaurants are some of the most resilient and impactful businesses in this country. These incredible operators have turned a survival tactic into a major growth catalyst for their businesses. Consumers are taking note and if we can continue to stay in front of their preferences, there is no limit to how far beverage trends can move the needle for the restaurant industry,”

Cocktails included in your recipe for success. Despite more than half (54%) of delivery customers stating that the availability of alcohol beverages would make them more likely to choose a restaurant, and the growing number of states extending or making permanent the to-go options for restaurants, only one-quarter of adults who opted for takeout or delivery from a restaurant during the last six months included an alcohol beverage in the order.

That leaves significant growth opportunities for restaurants, particularly in how they market, package, and differentiate their offerings, according to the report, which provides several examples and interviews from culinary innovators in several states leading the way on alcohol sales.

The report also reaffirms the Association’s prediction that local experiences would be this year’s hottest trend. Despite the emphasis on to-go options, consumers also expect local restaurants to offer experiential events. For example, both wine (81%) and beer (79%) drinkers say they would participate in tasting events at restaurants.

Finally, the report emphasizes the trust between consumers and restaurants, with most (82%) of adults that drink wine, beer and liquor saying they trust the staff at local restaurants to make good drink recommendations.

“The new alcohol to-go laws modernized state alcohol policy, and consumers can now enjoy more of the restaurant hospitality experience in the comfort of their own homes. As this report demonstrates, operators who innovatively connect the experiential aspects of their alcohol programs with a clear off-premises strategy are seeing enormous success with customers,” said Mike Whatley, Vice President of State Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy, National Restaurant Association.

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

Restaurants Rebound with Rebranded Booze

 

Suggestive up-selling has always been a part of the Restaurant sector marketers, marketing toolkit.  In 2021, up-selling branded alcoholic beverages the ilk of TGI Fridays Orange Dream, Mudslide, or Long Island Iced Tea will drive branded relevance while giving the consumer just what they are asking for according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

According to a recent data analysis by Ibotta, the leading cash-back app helping people save money with their everyday purchases, there seems to be a lot of truth to this! If you have not checked Ibotta out I suggest you do.

Ibotta found, spirits and hard liquor are up the most with a 33% increase during the first part of the pandemic when compared with 2019 sales, followed by wine at a 12% increase. Surprisingly, beer sales overall are down, with a few exceptions! Here is what we know about pandemic alcohol sales based on data from Ibotta:

Beer: - Down 2% overall, with the following data for each subcategory

·         Flavored Malt Beverage: +37.4%

·         Non-Alcoholic Beer: +15.9%

·         Craft Import Beer: -17%

Spirits and Hard Liquor: Up 33% overall, with the following data for each subcategory

·         Liqueur: +75%

·         Brandy: +43%

·         Tequila: +40%

·         Whiskey: +39%

·         Vodka: +26%

·         Gin: +14%

·         Rum: +14%

Wine: Overall a 12% increase for all types combined, with the following subcategories

·         Flavored: +73%

·         Fortified: +51%

·         Red: +12%

·         Rice Wine: +37%

·         Rose: +24%

·         Sparkling: +5%

·         White: +9%

Suggestive selling is not offensive when you are simply reminding consumers what they want, or what they have missed by not being able go out to their favorite restaurant.  Local restaurants have local drinks, flavors, and brands consumers will welcome, while rewarding you with top line sales and bottom-line profits. So, mix a drink, invent a drink, brand a local drink with Brandy, Tequila, Whiskey, Vodka, Gin or Rum and toast the new year.

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