Texas Borns Grocerant Niche LTO’s for Every Meal

 

Success does leave clues and regular readers of this blog know that Texas Born has had success with grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.  They are now rolling out their latest selection of limited-time foodservice selections that can be enjoyed throughout the day. 

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® in this new addition, items feature fresh-made breakfast items, Lent-friendly lunch options and more.

Three seasonal items are available now through April at participating TXB locations:

·         Spinach, Mushroom and Egg Breakfast Quesadilla: A crispy grilled flour tortilla with perfectly sautéed spinach and mushrooms, and fluffy, freshly cracked eggs mixed with cheese, available for $6.29 each.

·         Waffle Hash Brown: Crispy, locally sourced potatoes are cooked to make the perfect crunch. Each hash brown sells for just $1.99.

·         Lent-friendly Shrimp Poppers and Plates: Arriving just in time for the Lenten season, these juicy jumbo shrimp are battered and flavored to perfection. Poppers are available for $5.99 while plates are priced at $7.99.

Anna Felz, marketing & brand manager at TXB, stated, "TXB wanted to kick off the year with fresh and better-for-you breakfast, lunch and dinner options for our guests to enjoy," ... "All of these items were carefully crafted and are full of locally sourced ingredients, right here from Texas."

The hearty, on-the-go meals are designed to be more than the typical convenience store offerings as part TXB's goal to provide guests with fresh meals that are convenient and directly competitive with restaurant-quality menu items daily. TXB has a larger initiative to "Leave 'em Better" by sourcing delicious, locally sourced ingredients from around Texas, the company said.

Headquartered in Spicewood, TXB operates more than 47 c-stores and food markets throughout Texas and Oklahoma that emphasize the Texas roots and values the brand was built upon. It offers more than 4,000 items, including cold fountain drinks sweetened with sugar cane and a line of private label products that features salsa, jerky, tea, water, coffee and more.

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. 

Taco Bell Evolving Faster, Fresher, with Flavor

 

Fresher food faster drives sales at most restaurants in fact 43.6% of all restaurant visits occur at a fast-food drive-thru according to NPD. Taco Bell has been driving new electricity into its brand with partnerships in an effort two engage new and current customers. Taco Bell wants more customers and is out to win the battle for share of stomach.

Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® recently stated that Taco Bell excels at implementing the FIVE Pillars of customer engagement when they think about creating a new Limited Time Offer (LTO) or new branded invitation. With the introduction of the Naked Chicken Chalupa at Taco Bell they are looking to reinvent its own game-changing invention like no adversary in the chicken wars could, by testing a craveable plant-based shell alternative. Meet the Naked Chalupa with a Crispy Plant-Based Shell, a new menu innovation that gives vegetarian and veggie-curious fans everywhere reasons to shell-ebrate. Think about the FIVE Pillars and how this new partnership works:

Five Pillars of customer engagement:

1.       Understand your customers

2.       Build lasting customer loyalty

3.       Create personalized and targeted campaigns

4.       Get real-time customer feedback

5.       Measure success in revenue

Taco Bell is pushing the limits of the status quo of what vegetarian mashups look and taste like. Thanks to the masterminds of the Taco Bell Test Kitchen, the newest specialty is made from a pea protein-based proprietary blend that’s breaded*, shaped into the unique Chalupa form and then crisped to order. The shell is certified vegan by the American Vegetarian Association and proves Taco Bell’s long-standing commitment to ensuring more people— no matter their lifestyle — get to enjoy bold flavors and try the latest food obsessions. 

Battle for Share of Stomach

Just like the traditional Naked Chicken Chalupa, which was released onto menus earlier this month, the limited-time vegetarian counterpart takes crispy chicken creativity to the next level. It features the new shell that is then filled with lettuce, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes and flavorful avocado ranch sauce for a mouthful of delicious goodness. As with many Taco Bell favorites, fans can customize their order to remove ingredients containing dairy or egg to make an item vegan and that rings true for the Naked Chalupa with a Crispy Plant-Based Shell.

“We’ve long been a food disruptor, and this time is no different,” says Liz Matthews, Taco Bell's Global Chief Food Innovation Officer. “We’ve seen our industry follow patterns of sameness, but we understand that consumers are looking for creativity and craveability in this space. So, whether someone is craving plant-based protein or crispy chicken or gooey cheesiness, we have something that’s not only flavorful, but also uniquely Taco Bell.” 

The Naked Chalupa with a Crispy Plant-Based Shell is currently testing at only one Taco Bell location (2222 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, California) until June 27, 2021, while supplies last. It will be priced at $3.49 plus tax, giving fans a new way to indulge at a great value.

Taco Bell’s one-restaurant tests are a quick and agile way for the brand to serve up unique twists on traditional foods and fan-favorite Taco Bell menu items that push the boundaries of innovation. The Naked Chalupa with a Crispy Plant-Based Shell joins previous one-restaurant tests, including Crispy Chicken Wings in July 2020, Crispy Cheese Dippers and Crispy Cheese Nacho Fries in March 2021 and, most recently, the Cravetarian Taco in April 2021. By testing and offering a wide breadth of craveable alternatives to meat options, Taco Bell doubles down on its pledge to bring more innovation to the vegetarian space. 

The brand remains excited about teaming up with Beyond Meat to create a new innovative plant-based protein, something not quite yet seen in the industry, to appeal to an even broader audience of consumers. Details on specific timing and market(s) to come.

How are you creating new electricity?  Today, new partnerships can drive sales in foodservice today as your brand is searching for the new electricity to help drive the brand forward. Ask yourself do I need a push our brand forward in search of new electricity?

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”  That said, what are you waiting for?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Kwik Chek Foodservice Meal Deals to Drive Sales

Yet another convenience store is driving success with a focus on grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat meals and meal components mix & match options according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Johnson stated “Kwik Chek dipped into the chain restaurant marketing tool-kit and is using Limited Time Offers (LTO’s) to drive fresh food customer trial and adoption.”

It’s not just new menu items, special pricing, but incudes technology as Kwik Chek when customers use their kwikcard. The Kwik Chek’s updated kwikcard Rewards Program allows customers to earn points when they purchase fresh-made food from any Kwik Check location. Guests can earn four loyalty points with every food item purchased

Kevin Smartt, CEO of Spicewood, Texas-based Kwik Chek Food Stores  stated “Our guests deserve delicious and affordable menu options, which is exactly why we created our value deals,” ….“Food quality is something we pride ourselves on, and we’re thrilled to introduce two brand new menu items that we’re sure guests will love. Even better, guests can earn points through the Kwik Chek app and redeem them for cents off gas at the pump. It’s a win-win!” So, what do you get? 

Here you go:

1.       NEW! Bandit Taco – two for $4 with kwikcard
Chorizo, fresh-cracked eggs and beans are smothered with cheese and topped with crispy bacon, all inside of a fresh-made tortilla.

2.       NEW! Seafood Plates – $6.99 with kwikcard
Perfect for Lent and/or Fish Friday, choose from a 10-piece shrimp, two-piece fish or two fish tacos, with your choice of two sides and a roll.

3.       El Jefe Taco – two for $4 with kwikcard
Fresh-made taco with generous portions of bacon, egg, cheese and extra bacon, all wrapped in a warm, handmade flour tortilla.

Grocerant niche fresh prepared food mix &match meal component bundling continues to drive top-line sales and bottom-line profits in every sector of foodservice today. Do you have a customer migration / menu adoption program in place?

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.

McDonald’s Continues Looking A Customer Ahead

Brand managers know that in order to Look A Customer Ahead more often than not you have to look back.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® stated “brand differentiation does not mean different it means familiar but with a twist”.

Regular readers of this blog know that McDonald’s for over 25 years sold more toys than any other retailer in the world.  Now that Millennials are having children McDonalds is resurrecting 17 classic Happy Meal toys as part of the Surprise Happy Meal, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the classic kids meal. Toys are consumer interactive and participatory and a value added brand attribute. 

The limited-edition meal will only be available for a few days: Thursday, Nov. 7, through Monday, Nov. 11.  The lineup of toys will include:

·         The Cowboy McNugget, Fireman McNugget and Mail Carrier McNugget from 1988

·         The Hamburger Changeable from 1989

·         Grimace from 1990

·         The Dino Happy Meal Box Changeable from 1991

·         The Hot Wheels Thunderbird from 1993

·         Hamburglar and Power Rangers from 1995

·         Space Jam Bugs Bunny from 1996

·         Beanie Baby Patti the Platypus and 101 Dalmatians from 1997 

·         Tamagotchi and My Little Pony from 1998

·         Furby from 1999

·         Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey from 2002

·         Hello Kitty from 2013

McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook stated “Since the Happy Meal was introduced on the menu, it quickly became synonymous with our brand,” The Happy Meal has become a major centerpiece of the chain’s family-centric focus, giving it a broader customer base than many of its primary rivals over the years.

Easterbrook understands that success does leave clues and while the company has come under some fire for using toys as a way to lure kids to eat, it has also worked to improve the healthfulness of the menu selections included in the meal. There is no reason food, meals, and meal time should not be fun according to Johnson.

McDonald’s has reduced the size of the French Fry box, for instance, and offers items such as fresh fruit or yogurt, as well as water or milk rather than soft drinks. More than half of Happy Meals are now served with milk, water or juice, rather than soda. Success does leave clues and Looking A Customer Ahead at time requires looking back from time to time.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.

Wing Zone Marketing Mix & Match Bundling that’s Over Priced

Sometimes companies corporate goals do not reflect consumers demands / focus but rather the expections of Wallstreet or corporate goals and as Wing Zone rolls out it’s newest LTO the American Summer Classic Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® wonders is this LTO missed focused? Are they going to big?  We think so. What do you think?  Here is their LTO:

“This summer, Wing Zone is asking patriotic guests all across the country to grab an American Summer Classic and go big or go home—literally, since the restaurant offers take-out and delivery. The American Summer Classic, which debuted May 1 will run until the end of July and includes 20 Boneless or Original Wings in two flavors with two Ranch or Blue Cheese; a Jumbo Order of Wedge Fries or Kettle Chips; and a choice of Funnel Cake Fries, Oreo Churros or Fried Twinkies for dessert, all for just $25.

“Summer is a great time for getting together with family and friends to enjoy a good time, and we wanted to provide a delicious way to keep the good times going without having to worry about the food. With our American Summer Classic, we have you covered,” says Matt Friedman, co-founder and CEO of Wing Zone. “No matter how American Flavorholics choose to enjoy their summers this year, we are here to help fuel the fun.”…..

The American Summer Classic will be offered at all of Wing Zone’s domestic restaurants. The company is set to open eight new U.S. locations in 2019 in target markets including North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama.

While mix and match bundling is a key driver of grocerant niche success. There is one thing that makes us think that this is driven by a focus on corporate goals no customer goals.  That is 65.3% of all US households consist of one or two people.  Chilis, Applebee’s, and McDonald’s, all are offering summer meal for less with delivery.  Price, has been a keen focus for consumers and all indications are that will continue through the fall. $25, is not a price point to garner new customer trial in 2019 according Johnson.   

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.

Limited Time Holiday Offer Drives Honey Butter Fried Chicken’s

Success does leave clues as Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® regular blog followers know.  Well, Honey Butter Fried Chicken’s grocerant niche holiday Limited Time Offer continues to set record sales elevating Honey Butter Fried Chicken’s brand according to Johnson.

Honey Butter Fried Chicken is an independent fast-casual restaurant in Chicago that has found success with its takeout- and delivery-only offering for the last day of the year. For the past two years, Honey Butter Fried Chicken has sold out of its New Year’s Eve Fancy Pack, which features dressed-up versions of its everyday menu items. The restaurant caps the offering to 100 orders. Here is what local press reports tell us.

This year’s boxes, available for $50 for delivery or carryout, include four pieces of fried chicken topped with truffle-infused honey butter, bacon-pimiento mac and cheese with caramelized onions and garlic bread crumbs, duck fat smashed potatoes with saffron gravy, and chocolate brownies topped with Champagne frosting.

Adding indulgent ingredients like truffles, bacon, duck fat and saffron to the popular comfort food items increases the consumer appeal (and allows the restaurant to charge a bit more for the offering), said Christine Cikowski, one of the restaurant’s executive chefs and founders.

“It’s like a fancier version of stuff we already do,” Cikowski said. “We promote it as this thing you can only get on New Year’s Eve. It makes it a little special.”

In past years, Honey Butter Fried Chicken has served New Year’s Eve lunch before closing to customers to prepare the Fancy Packs. This year, New Year’s Eve falls on a Monday, a day the restaurant is typically closed. So a pared-down crew of about eight employees will prepare the meals and help with order pickup. Typically, 20 people work a dinner service there, she said.

“We’re pretty much done at 9 p.m.,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to offer our customers something special but not have it be taxing on our staff.”

The restaurant begins promoting the offering, via social media, targeted email and in-restaurant signage, in mid-December, though Cikowski said she had heard interest from longstanding catering customers weeks before.

Offering a set menu with no variation allows the operation to treat the New Year’s Eve orders like one large catering operation, preparing large batches of just two side dishes and saving all of the fryer space for chicken parts (rather than having to share fryers with chicken wings and strips, as well as tofu) as during a typical service. Dessert is prepared in advance.

“It’s super streamlined to have one thing,” she said. “You can just make it and pack it up and dish it out. You can have less labor and get it done faster.” Honey Butter Fried Chicken uses its everyday to-go packaging for the boxes. This is the first year that each pack will be designed to serve two people, instead of four.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Foodservice Partnerships Drive New Electricity at Your Pie

Once again success does leave clues one clue that Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® continues to point out is how successful companies leverage partnerships to drive customer relevance and new electricity into their brand.

Recently Your Pie has teamed up with Zapp’s Potato Chips for its latest Craft Series offering, the Voodoo Pie, featuring Cajun-inspired flavors and Zapp’s Voodoo Chips. The Voodoo Pie is now available in participating stores through December 19 as a Limited Time Offer (LTO).

This latest Craft Series brings New Orleans flavors to life, starting with a base of olive oil topped with mozzarella and feta cheese, green pepper, red onion, andouille sausage and roasted corn. The pie is then baked and finished with Zapp’s Voodoo Potato Chips, a spicy ranch drizzle and a pinch of cilantro.

Your Pie founder and president Drew French stated “I have always been inspired by the New Orleans food culture, and we had a lot of fun developing a pizza that pays homage to Cajun flavors….The original recipe came from last year’s Craft Pie Cook-Off, a featured event at our annual Franchise Fest conference, and we are excited to roll it out nationwide. We could not have brought this Craft Series to life without Zapp’s Voodoo Potato Chips, and I can’t wait for the Your Pie Family to experience this unique combination.”

Your Pie has found its new electricity. So, just what is your brands new electricity?

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, partnerships, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, digital hand-held marketing.

Foodservice retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? 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.