Consumer Migration: How 7-Eleven Can Win More Eating Occasions

 

From the Grocerant Guru® perspective, the real opportunity for 7-Eleven is not limited to growing convenience-store traffic. It is capturing consumer food purchases that might otherwise go to a quick-service restaurant, grocery deli, coffee shop, or delivery platform.

Consumers are dynamic, not static. Their food decisions change with the occasion, the day, their budget, their schedule, and what they feel like eating. A customer who buys breakfast at a restaurant today may purchase coffee and a breakfast sandwich at 7-Eleven tomorrow. A shopper who usually buys lunch at a grocery deli may choose a hot handheld meal at a convenience store when time is short. A household that does not want to cook dinner may consider prepared foods or delivery instead.

This is consumer migration in action: the movement of food spending between providers as needs and circumstances change.

7-Eleven's portfolio gives it several ways to compete for that migration.

Breakfast migration: Coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and Laredo Taco Company breakfast tacos can position 7-Eleven to compete for occasions traditionally served by coffee shops, fast-food breakfast menus, and at-home breakfasts. The opportunity is to combine speed with dependable quality and relevant meal pairings.

Lunch migration: Fresh sandwiches, salads, pizza, and hot handheld foods can compete for purchases otherwise made at quick-service restaurants, grocery delis, and workplace cafeterias. Customers who prioritize speed may appreciate convenient access; those watching their spending may respond to clearly priced meal combinations.

Snack and beverage migration: Slurpee drinks, Big Gulp beverages, coffee, and 7-Select snacks can reinforce the retailer's established strengths while creating opportunities for complementary purchases. The marketing challenge is to turn an occasional beverage stop into a broader food purchase without relying exclusively on discounts.

Dinner migration: Hot foods, pizza, chicken offerings, and delivery create opportunities to compete for informal evening meals. Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost add restaurant-style food propositions that can help extend the brand beyond conventional convenience-store fare. Availability, portion size, value, and consistency will determine how effectively these products compete with restaurant takeout and grocery prepared meals.

At-home convenience migration: Through 7NOW, customers can order eligible food, beverages, and household essentials without visiting a store. This extends the competition from the physical convenience-store location to the customer's home, workplace, or other delivery destination.

The strategic point is that each of these occasions represents a potential migration opportunity, not proof that migration has already occurred. To establish actual switching behavior, 7-Eleven would need evidence such as customer surveys, purchase histories, competitive switching studies, and incremental-sales analysis.

Technology Can Make Migration Measurable

7-Eleven's loyalty data, digital ordering, inventory-aware merchandising, and AI-supported marketing could help the company understand when customers are changing their food purchasing habits.

For example, the company could measure whether a customer who previously purchased only beverages begins adding breakfast food, whether lunch purchases repeat more frequently after a targeted offer, or whether a delivery promotion generates new food spending rather than shifting an existing in-store purchase online.

The most useful measures would include:

• New food-customer acquisition: Are customers choosing 7-Eleven for food for the first time?
• Cross-category migration: Are beverage-only customers adding meals, or snack buyers adding fresh food?
• Occasion expansion: Is 7-Eleven winning more breakfast, lunch, afternoon, and dinner purchases?
• Competitive switching: Are customers moving purchases from restaurants, grocery delis, or other providers to 7-Eleven?
• Incremental profitability: Do the additional purchases generate sufficient margin after discounts, labor, food costs, waste, and delivery expenses?

These measurements would distinguish genuine growth from transactions merely moving between 7-Eleven's own channels.

The Grocerant Guru® Perspective: Follow the Consumer, Not the Channel

The traditional boundaries separating grocery, restaurants, and convenience retail mean less when consumers are deciding what to eat. A consumer may choose a grocery deli for dinner on Monday, a restaurant on Tuesday, and 7-Eleven on Wednesday. The same person can be a different kind of food customer at each occasion.

7-Eleven's opportunity is to make its portfolio relevant enough to earn more of those choices. Fresh grab-and-go foods can compete for lunch; signature beverages can reinforce habitual visits; restaurant-style concepts can broaden meal appeal; and digital delivery can reach customers who would not otherwise enter the store.

The objective is not to convince every consumer to abandon another channel. It is to earn a larger share of the consumer's food occasions by delivering the right combination of price, quality, convenience, and service.

The Grocerant Guru® bottom line: Consumer migration follows value, not channel labels. 7-Eleven can strengthen its position in the Grocerant Niche when its food portfolio and technology work together to make the retailer a relevant choice for more eating occasions throughout the day.

For international corporate presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit www.GrocerantGuru.com , www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or call    1-253-759-7869

Thanksgiving 2026: Ready-2-Eat, Heat-N-Eat, or Cook From Scratch? The Smartest Holiday Meal May Be a Mix of All Three

With Thanksgiving just a month away, consumers face a familiar holiday question: How do you put a memorable meal on the table without spending a fortune, spending all day in the kitchen, or exhausting the person responsible for making it happen?

The answer is changing. Today's Thanksgiving meal doesn't have to come from one store, one restaurant, or one cooking method. Consumers can combine traditional home cooking with Ready-2-Eat (RTE) prepared foods and Heat-N-Eat (HnE) meal components to balance price, quality, convenience, and time.

That is the Grocerant Guru® perspective: Thanksgiving isn't just a turkey dinner. It's a collection of meal components, each with its own price, preparation time, convenience factor, and consumer value.

The smartest holiday shoppers will compare the entire meal—not just the price of the turkey.

The supermarket price challenge: Feeding 10 for less than $40

Supermarket News reports that several major retailers have announced Thanksgiving meal promotions for 2026. The early offers show how aggressively grocery retailers are positioning value as families plan their holiday budgets.

Lidl's Thanksgiving offering, for example, gives Lidl Plus members the ingredients for a meal serving 10 people for $35.86. That's approximately $3.59 per person.

Aldi's advertised meal for 10 costs less than $39, or less than $3.90 per person, and includes 15 items. Its package features a 16-pound turkey, stuffing mix, vegetables, sweet potatoes, Hawaiian sweet rolls, cranberry ingredients, and the ingredients for pumpkin pie.

Schnucks is also promoting a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 for less than $4 per serving, with a frozen turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy ingredients, vegetables, rolls, cranberry sauce, pie, and whipped topping.

Sam's Club takes a somewhat different approach, advertising a meal for 16 at less than $10 per person. Its assortment includes both turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, salad, rolls, gravy, charcuterie, and two pumpkin pies.

These promotions demonstrate an important distinction: some retailers emphasize the lowest advertised ingredient cost, while others offer a broader assortment or more premium meal components.

For consumers, the question is what the advertised price actually delivers—and what additional spending, preparation, or cooking time the meal requires.

Source: Supermarket News, 2026 Thanksgiving meal-deal roundup, as provided for this article. Prices and eligibility reflect the reported offers and should be checked against each retailer's current terms.

The real comparison: Ready-2-Eat versus Heat-N-Eat versus scratch cooking

Thanksgiving is an ideal example of why consumers increasingly mix foodservice and grocery options. A single holiday meal can include a turkey cooked from scratch, prepared mashed potatoes, restaurant-made pie, and ready-to-serve appetizers.

Each approach has advantages, and none is automatically the cheapest once all costs are counted.

Cook from scratch: The traditional approach gives households control over ingredients, seasoning, recipes, portion sizes, and family traditions. Buying a whole turkey and preparing vegetables and sides at home can deliver considerable value, especially for larger gatherings. But the shelf price of the ingredients is only part of the equation. Cooking requires preparation, oven space, equipment, cleanup, and time. The cost of ingredients that go unused or spoil also matters.

Heat-N-Eat (HnE): Refrigerated or frozen mashed potatoes, prepared stuffing, refrigerated sides, heat-and-serve rolls, ready-made gravy, and fully cooked turkey breast can shorten the workday considerably. Consumers pay for preparation already completed by someone else, but they retain the ability to serve a warm meal at home. HnE can be particularly attractive when oven space is limited or the host wants to spend more time with guests.

Ready-2-Eat (RTE): Fully cooked turkey, prepared side dishes, deli salads, bakery pies, sliced meats, and restaurant catering can take much of the cooking burden off the host. Some products are served cold or at room temperature; others are fully cooked and ready to serve after simple plating. RTE can offer the greatest time savings, although the per-serving price may be higher than preparing equivalent dishes from basic ingredients.

The most useful comparison is not simply the price per package. It is the total cost per guest, including ingredients, preparation time, waste, and the value of convenience.

For a household hosting 10 people, a low-cost ingredient bundle can be an excellent foundation. But a shopper who adds a prepared pie, a deli vegetable tray, or a fully cooked turkey breast is making a different trade-off: paying more for some components in exchange for less work.

That is not necessarily overspending. It can be a deliberate purchase of time.

Thanksgiving is a meal-component opportunity

The traditional Thanksgiving menu lends itself to a component-by-component buying strategy.

The centerpiece: A raw whole turkey is generally the starting point for scratch cooking. A fully cooked turkey, cooked turkey breast, or prepared ham can be a practical alternative for households with limited oven capacity or smaller gatherings. Compare the price per edible serving rather than comparing package prices alone.

The starches: Potatoes, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, and rolls are natural candidates for HnE. Shoppers can peel and mash potatoes themselves, use refrigerated prepared potatoes, or buy a ready-made side. The same applies to stuffing: a boxed mix offers a low-cost starting point, while a prepared version saves additional steps.

The vegetables: Fresh carrots, celery, green beans, and sweet potatoes allow scratch cooks to control seasoning and texture. Frozen steamable vegetables reduce preparation and cleanup. Prepared green bean casseroles and other refrigerated sides offer an additional convenience tier.

The sauces and accompaniments: Cranberry sauce, gravy, and relishes are relatively easy to purchase ready-made. Making them from scratch may be worthwhile for cooks who prize family recipes, but buying them can eliminate several small tasks that otherwise accumulate on a busy cooking day.

The desserts: Pumpkin pie illustrates the choice particularly well. Consumers can purchase filling and crust and bake at home, buy a prepared pie from the supermarket bakery, or order dessert from a restaurant or bakery. The first option offers customization; the second and third offer time savings.

The extras: Appetizers, cheese boards, prepared salads, beverages, and bakery items are often the easiest parts of the meal to outsource. They also help hosts accommodate guests who arrive early or bring unexpected additions to the table.

The lesson is simple: consumers don't need to choose one preparation method for the entire meal. They can cook the dishes that matter most to their family and purchase the rest.

 

The price of convenience: What should consumers actually compare?

A meaningful comparison requires more than putting a raw turkey beside a fully cooked turkey and declaring a winner.

The Aldi and Lidl offers are built around ingredients that still require preparation. Sam's Club's reported meal includes more prepared components, but it also costs more per guest. That does not make one offer universally better; the menus, serving assumptions, and labor involved differ.

Here is how I would advise consumers to evaluate the options:

Thanksgiving strategy	Primary advantage	Cost consideration
Cook from scratch	Control, customization, traditional recipes	Ingredients, energy, equipment, preparation time and waste
Heat-N-Eat sides with a home-cooked turkey	Balances savings and convenience	Prepared components can cost more than basic ingredients
Fully prepared supermarket meal	Fewer cooking tasks and easier coordination	Compare the complete package, serving sizes and any extras
Restaurant or catering order	Minimal cooking and potentially broader menu choices	Per-person pricing, ordering deadlines, service fees and pickup logistics
Mix-and-match meal	Lets shoppers spend where convenience matters most	Requires comparing several purchases and coordinating pickup

There is no defensible universal dollar premium for RTE or HnE without comparing equivalent products, serving sizes, local prices, and preparation requirements. But consumers can make the economics work in their favor by choosing which tasks they want to pay someone else to perform.

For example, roast the turkey at home, buy prepared mashed potatoes and gravy, steam frozen vegetables, and purchase a bakery pie. The result is still a Thanksgiving meal prepared for family and friends, even though several components never passed through the host's own kitchen.

That is component-based meal planning in action.

Why grocers and foodservice operators should pay attention

Thanksgiving illustrates a broader food-marketing reality: consumers do not necessarily organize their food decisions around industry categories.

They are not always thinking, "I need a grocery product," "I need a restaurant meal," or "I need a prepared food." They are thinking, "I need to feed 10 people, stay within budget, and have time to enjoy the day."

That consumer objective can be fulfilled by a supermarket, club store, restaurant, bakery, or a combination of them.

The reported 2026 meal promotions also demonstrate that price messaging remains powerful. Lidl's $35.86 offer for 10 works out to about $3.59 per person for Lidl Plus members. Aldi's under-$39 meal also targets shoppers looking for a low-cost traditional dinner. Sam's Club, meanwhile, is selling a broader assortment designed for 16 people, including two proteins and a selection of prepared sides.

These are different consumer propositions. One emphasizes the low entry price; another emphasizes assortment and convenience. The best choice depends on what the shopper values, what the household already has, and how much work the host wants to do.

For retailers, the opportunity extends beyond selling a turkey. It includes merchandising coordinated meal components, making serving quantities clear, offering easy add-ons, and communicating the total cost of a meal.

For restaurants, it means recognizing that a family may not want a complete catered dinner but may gladly buy the turkey, appetizers, a few signature sides, or dessert. A well-designed partial-meal offer can serve a different need from a full catering package.

The Grocerant Guru® view: Thanksgiving is another reminder that there are no permanent silos in the consumer's mind. What matters is the meal occasion, the desired experience, and the balance of price, quality, service, and portability.

The last-minute Thanksgiving guest: Have a Ready-2-Eat backup plan

Suppose relatives call on Thanksgiving morning and announce that two more people are coming. Or a neighbor unexpectedly joins dinner. The turkey is already accounted for, but there is not enough food for everyone.

Don't panic, and don't automatically start cooking another entrée.

My last-minute recommendation is to visit a supermarket with a full-service deli and prepared-foods section. Depending on availability, assemble a Ready-2-Eat supplemental meal with:

·       A fully cooked rotisserie chicken or prepared turkey breast.

·       Ready-made mashed potatoes, gravy, and one or two prepared vegetable sides.

·       Dinner rolls from the bakery.

·       A pumpkin pie or another ready-made dessert.

This is a practical backup, not a guarantee that any particular store will have these items on Thanksgiving Day. Call ahead, check holiday hours, and confirm availability before traveling. Some stores close early, limit hot-food service, or sell out of popular prepared entrées.

The strategy is to supplement the original meal rather than duplicate it. A prepared chicken, a couple of sides, and a pie can stretch the table without requiring the host to roast another bird.

That is the value of Ready-2-Eat food: it gives consumers another option when the number of guests, the schedule, or the cooking plan changes.

One important reminder: keep prepared hot foods at safe holding temperatures, refrigerate perishable leftovers within two hours, and reheat leftovers to 165°F. The USDA provides additional guidance on.

Three closing Grocerant Guru® insights

1. Price is the invitation; value closes the sale. A Thanksgiving offer advertised at less than $4 per person gets shoppers' attention. But consumers ultimately judge value by the meal they can serve, the quality they experience, the amount of work involved, and whether the offer fits their household.

2. The future of the holiday meal is mix-and-match. Scratch cooking, Heat-N-Eat, and Ready-2-Eat are not competing ideologies. They are options consumers can combine. Retailers and foodservice operators that help shoppers assemble the right meal for their circumstances can compete for more of the occasion.

3. Convenience is not the opposite of tradition. Thanksgiving traditions are about gathering, sharing food, and making memories. If buying prepared potatoes, a ready-made pie, or an additional entrée gives the host more time with family, convenience can help preserve the tradition rather than diminish it.

The bottom line? This Thanksgiving, don't ask only whether cooking from scratch is cheaper than buying prepared food. Ask which parts of the meal deserve your time, which parts deserve your money, and how to deliver the best experience for everyone at the table.

That's how consumers turn a holiday menu into a smarter meal—and how the Grocerant Niche continues to connect grocery, prepared food, and foodservice around what consumers actually want.

Tap into the Foodservice Solutions® team for greater understanding of New Electricity or for 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 

Papa Murphy’s Adds Pinkberry: Why Fixing the Pizza Business Should Come Before Adding Frozen Yogurt

 

If Papa Murphy’s is closing underperforming pizza restaurants, why should anyone believe adding frozen yogurt will fix the underlying problem asks Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru®
Founder, Foodservice Solutions®, Tacoma, Washington.

That is the consumer test Papa Murphy’s and parent company MTY Food Group need to answer before celebrating their latest co-branding strategy.

Three franchise agreements to combine Papa Murphy’s Take ’n’ Bake pizza with Pinkberry frozen yogurt represent a business development announcement. They do not prove stronger consumer demand, more frequent visits, improved profitability, or a successful turnaround.

My challenge to Papa Murphy’s and MTY is simple: Prove that consumers want the combination before treating co-branding as a growth strategy.

Are consumers rejecting Papa Murphy’s because the brand is not meeting their needs? Or is management betting that adding a second brand will make the existing business more attractive?

That distinction matters.

From the perspective of the Grocerant Guru®, consumers do not organize their lives around corporate portfolios, franchise agreements, or shared real estate. They organize food purchases around eating occasions, convenience, taste, price, portability, and perceived value.

A family looking for dinner does not automatically want frozen yogurt. A consumer craving dessert does not automatically want take-and-bake pizza. Putting both brands under one roof may create operating efficiencies, but efficiencies alone do not guarantee incremental customers, repeat visits, or stronger profits.

If the combination generates new customers, more frequent visits, stronger transactions, and sustainable incremental profits, it deserves consideration. If it simply adds another operation to manage while the core pizza business struggles, this is not innovation solving a consumer problem. It is management adding complexity without yet proving the payoff.

That is the test every foodservice growth strategy should face: Does it make the brand more relevant to the consumer—or merely make the corporate portfolio look bigger?

What the Announcement Actually Says

On October 7, 2026, Papa Murphy’s announced three franchise agreements for its co-branded concept with Pinkberry. The locations are:

·       Sunriver, Oregon: Joshua and Samantha Kimzey plan to open their first location in both systems in early November 2026.

·       Santa Fe, New Mexico: Longtime Papa Murphy’s franchisee John Perea will add Pinkberry to his existing restaurant, which he has operated since 2010.

·       West Haven, Utah: Casey Kauer, who operates five Papa Murphy’s restaurants in Utah, plans to open a new co-branded location in summer 2027.

The company identifies shared real estate, labor, and operational resources as potential benefits. The concept also offers franchisees an opportunity to serve different eating occasions and develop additional revenue streams. MTY has identified other possible co-branding opportunities, including sweetFrog.

The important distinction: Three franchise agreements demonstrate interest in testing the model. They do not establish that consumers want the combination, that the economics will outperform a standalone restaurant, or that the concept can reverse Papa Murphy’s broader business challenges.

Those are separate questions, and the industry should not confuse them.

Problem No. 1: Papa Murphy’s Has a Core-Business Challenge

The facts: In July 2026, MTY said it expected to close between 45 and 50 underperforming Papa Murphy’s locations as part of a broader plan to close 68 corporate-owned restaurants across its portfolio. Industry reporting also indicated that Papa Murphy’s U.S. footprint had fallen more than 20% from its 2020 level.

MTY’s third-quarter fiscal 2026 results showed same-store sales declining 1.9% across its system, with the U.S. segment down 2.7%. Those figures cover MTY’s broader business, not Papa Murphy’s alone.

The Grocerant Guru® perspective: These figures make the consumer question more urgent. Before celebrating a new concept, management must establish whether the existing pizza business is attracting customers, retaining them, and generating attractive returns.

Adding another brand might help. It could also introduce additional inventory requirements, equipment needs, staffing demands, and marketing complexity.

The essential question is whether Pinkberry improves the economics of the pizza operation—or simply adds another business to manage.

A new revenue stream is not automatically a profitable one. Management needs to demonstrate that the combined concept produces incremental sales and profits after accounting for all associated costs.

Problem No. 2: More Menu Options Do Not Automatically Create More Demand

The facts: Papa Murphy’s and Pinkberry offer different but potentially complementary propositions. Papa Murphy’s sells take-home pizza that customers bake themselves. Pinkberry specializes in frozen yogurt and toppings.

Pizza can address a family dinner, while frozen yogurt can serve a dessert or snack occasion.

The Grocerant Guru® perspective: Complementary products do not necessarily produce complementary purchasing behavior.

A customer who buys pizza for dinner may not want frozen yogurt. Someone looking for an afternoon dessert may have no reason to visit a take-and-bake pizza store.

The concept must demonstrate that the combined offer creates incremental purchases rather than simply shifting existing Pinkberry or Papa Murphy’s transactions into a shared location.

That distinction matters because incremental sales are not the same as incremental profit.

Management should measure how many customers purchase from both brands, how many are new to each brand, how often customers return, and whether average transaction values and contribution margins improve.

Without that evidence, co-branding remains a hypothesis—not a proven growth strategy.

Problem No. 3: Operational Efficiency Is Not the Same as Customer Value

The facts: MTY promotes shared real estate, labor, and operational efficiencies as benefits of the co-branding model. In Santa Fe, franchisee John Perea has cited seasonality as one reason the combination appealed to him, including the potential to support year-round employment.

These are legitimate business considerations.

The Grocerant Guru® perspective: A lower-cost operating model does not automatically deliver a better customer experience.

Consumers continue to evaluate food quality, price, convenience, service, and whether a purchase fits the occasion. If the combined operation creates confusing ordering, slower service, inconsistent product quality, or an unconvincing value proposition, the projected efficiencies may not translate into customer loyalty.

The brands must also protect their individual identities. Papa Murphy’s must remain relevant to customers seeking a convenient take-home meal, while Pinkberry must offer a compelling frozen-dessert experience.

The winning formula is not simply two signs on one building. It is two distinct customer needs served effectively through a coordinated operation.

The Consumer Test: Five Measures That Matter

Before expanding the concept, Papa Murphy’s and MTY should evaluate five measurable outcomes.

1. Incremental customers. Are new customers entering because of the combined concept, or are existing customers simply switching locations?

2. Cross-brand purchasing. What percentage of pizza transactions also include Pinkberry, and vice versa? Are customers genuinely buying across both brands?

3. Visit frequency. Does the combination give customers a reason to visit more often throughout the week?

4. Profitability. After labor, food costs, equipment, marketing, and occupancy expenses, does the combined operation generate stronger returns than the alternatives?

5. Brand preference. When customers choose between competing pizza, take-home meal, and dessert options, does the combined offer improve the likelihood that they choose these brands?

These measures would help distinguish a promising franchise development story from a genuinely successful consumer strategy.

e Grocerant Guru® Recommendations

1. Build around eating occasions, not just co-branding.

Map the customer journey from dinner planning to dessert. Test family meal bundles, pizza-and-dessert offers, and promotions that give customers a clear reason to purchase from both brands. Measure incremental sales rather than relying on bundle redemptions alone.

2. Make value visible to the consumer.

The combined concept must deliver a compelling reason to choose it over buying pizza and dessert elsewhere. Test price points, portions, family offers, and promotional combinations. Track repeat purchases and contribution margins so discounting does not create the illusion of growth.

3. Prove the model before scaling it.

Use the three locations as a disciplined learning opportunity. Establish baseline performance, measure cross-brand purchases, compare results with appropriate standalone locations, and evaluate the findings before committing to a broader rollout.

Three Grocerant Guru® Insights

Insight No. 1: Fix the Core Before Adding Another Concept.

Co-branding is not a substitute for consumer relevance. Papa Murphy’s must demonstrate that it can attract customers, earn repeat visits, and deliver a compelling Price Value Service Equilibrium. Adding Pinkberry may create another revenue opportunity, but the real measure is whether it strengthens the underlying business.

Insight No. 2: Sell More Eating Occasions, Not Just More Menu Items.

Consumers think in terms of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert—not corporate brand portfolios. Papa Murphy’s and Pinkberry must prove that their combination creates incremental purchases across those occasions. Shared real estate is an operating strategy; winning more consumer occasions is a growth strategy.

Insight No. 3: Measure Consumer Behavior Before Expanding the Footprint.

Three co-branded locations offer an opportunity to test the concept, not declare victory. Measure new customer acquisition, cross-brand purchases, repeat visits, average transaction value, and incremental profitability. If the numbers demonstrate sustained consumer demand, expand. If they do not, management should resist confusing franchise development with brand growth.

The Bottom Line: Follow the Consumer, Not the Logo

Papa Murphy’s and Pinkberry may have found a workable way to share space, labor, and customer occasions. That possibility deserves a fair test.

But Papa Murphy’s store closures and MTY’s declining U.S. same-store sales make it especially important to distinguish franchise expansion from consumer-led growth. Three signed agreements are a starting point, not a verdict.

The Grocerant Guru® perspective is straightforward: A new concept is only as good as the consumer behavior it changes.

If the combination attracts new customers, increases visit frequency, strengthens brand preference, and generates sustainable incremental profit, it deserves consideration for expansion. If it merely adds operational complexity while the core business continues to struggle, it risks becoming a distraction dressed up as innovation.

Foodservice brands do not grow simply by combining logos. They grow by earning more consumer occasions, delivering meaningful value, and giving people a reason to come back.

Prove the consumer demand first. Celebrate the expansion second.

Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru®
Founder, Foodservice Solutions®
Tacoma, Washington