At Dunkin’ Partnerships are Fun

Developing lasting customer relationships is simply the ‘joy’ in food marketing.  Developing relationships with customer relevance that garner incremental customers visits while expanding your brands value with new electricity can be a ‘home run’ according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru®, at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, when Dunkin’ and social media megastar Charli D’Amelio first made their long-brewing relationship official last year when Charli’s go-to Dunkin’ Cold Brew order was officially named “The Charli”, edified a new electricity for the Dunkin brand. That partnership and their mutual love was taken to yet another level a few weeks ago with the remixed Charli Cold Foam. Now, Dunkin’ and Charli are taking things one step further for fans with limited-edition Charli x Dunkin’ merch, dropped exclusively on ShopDunkin.com.

So, the first-ever Charli x Dunkin’ merch collection makes it easy to sip the new Charli Cold Foam in style, with fun and fashionable items for fans to show the world their Dunkin’ love runs as deep as Charli’s, including:

The Dunkin’ Onesie is back and as comfy as ever. This highly-coveted Dunkin’ merch item and one of Charli’s go-to lounge outfits is a famous fan favorite that’s sure to sell out fast.

·         The Charli x Dunkin’ Sparkle Tumbler is blinged-out to add some extra sparkle to your sip and give your daily Dunkin’ drink a serious glow-up.

·         The Charli x Dunkin’ Puffer iPhone Case dials up the fun by bringing Sweet Cold Foam inspired fashion to your phone.

·         The Charli x Dunkin’ Oversized Scrunchie Set lets anyone rock a Dunkin’-ized low ponytail just like Charli.

·         Charli x Dunkin’ Shoelaces bring a pop of color to any Dunkin’ run or TikTok dance.

·         The Charli x Dunkin’ Pom Pom Keychain will show everyone that Dunkin’ is the key to your heart.

·         The Limited-Edition Charli x Dunkin’ Cold Brew Tap is the perfect collector’s item for Charli fans who love Dunkin’ Cold Brew as much as she does.

Johnson continued, “in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as; corporate partnerships, fresh foods, perfume, cosmetics, online ordering, delivery, self-driving cars, plant-based foods, music, streaming, food sampling, toy’s, podcast, movies, cereal, developing brands, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All food and beverage retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different and this fits that bill according to Johnson.

At Dunkin the new limited-edition Charli x Dunkin’ merch collection will be available while supplies last.

Kemma Kefalas, Brand Engagement Manager at Dunkin’, stated, “Our fans can’t get enough of the genuine love between Charli and Dunkin’, so creating the Charli x Dunkin’ merch collection felt like the perfect next step in our relationship. This collection is our way of sprinkling more Charli and Dunkin’ love onto our fans,” … “We worked hand in hand with Charli to bring her signature look into each accessory so our fans can sip their Charli Cold Foam in style this spring.”

Are you driving new electricity? Consider that Dunkin’ ,is  TikTok’s most followed quick service restaurant brand, teamed up with Charli, TikTok’s most followed star, to introduce the Charli Cold Foam in February. This exciting remix of her famous Dunkin’ order – a Dunkin’ Cold Brew with three pumps of caramel – now adds Sweet Cold Foam and cinnamon sugar on top. Dunkin’s creamy new Sweet Cold Foam features vanilla-forward flavor to perfectly complement the chocolate notes of Dunkin’s rich Cold Brew. The Sweet Cold Foam gradually blends into the beverage as it’s sipped, delivering a delicious coffee beverage with a silky, smooth texture. Are your brand marketers having fun?

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 

Gen Z Why Cook Dinner

 

The Grocerant niche trend is you friend if you want to sell fresh food to Gen Z or Millennials according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. The most recent Grocerant ScoreCards conducted by the team at Foodservice Solutions® reveled that when asked if they wanted to cook dinner from scratch or assemble dinner from fresh meal components 91.1 % of Gen Z chose assemble from Fresh Prepared Meal Components and Millennials 83.6 chose assemble meal components.

Do you want to cook dinner from scratch? If the answer is no then there is a very good chance you are looking for fresh prepared multi-flavor, multi-ethnic Grocerant Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat meal components.

Heat-N-Eat and Ready-2- Eat fresh prepared food with portability is driving retail food success across all retail platforms in 2020 according to the team at Foodservice Solutions®.  

Where are you shopping for you food today, is not the same place your mother was, nor is the meal prepared the same way. As long as multi-generational family's gather for meals together, the demand for more divergent flavors will continue to permeate.

Today grocerant mix and match bundled meal component offerings has become a platform empowering increased family integration, understanding, and acceptance in less time without a required cook from scratch skill set.

In the 1940's cooking from scratch was the normal. The average home cooked meal took 150 minutes to prepare. Everyone sat down at the table and enjoyed it or not but they all ate the same thing.

Today's "home cooked meal" takes on average less than 30 minutes to prepared. In most cases at least two different entrées are served. The average time spent inside a McDonalds in the 2,000 was 11 minutes. Today 65+ percent of all McDonald's food is sold via the drive-thru. U.S. fast-food chains are increasingly remodeling restaurants in an effort to garner additional drive-thru customers inside and increase sales, simple because the drive-thru can't hold all the cars.

The simple fat is consumers want easy to prepare/ assemble meals. Today The grocerant niche continues to grow with companies like Central Market, Whole Foods, Wegmans, and 7-Eleven entering the fresh prepared better for you space. Meal time is now becoming a time of convenient meal participation, with differentiation and individualization for the entire family. Safeway with its lifestyle stores are heading in the right direction however the stores are so large consumers are forced to spend more time in them than they want.

Battle for Share of Stomach

More often than not the multi-generational family today is multi-ethnic as well. Creating a demand for more varied flavors and additional cooking skill set that is simply not there. Grocery stores, Convenience Stores, Restaurants and Chain Drug Stores are all selling ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh prepared food. Is your focus family dinning? Are you selling meals or meal components for Take-Out, delivery or Take-Away?

Lacking the skill set to prepared fresh prepared multi-ethnic meal components at home coupled with the time it takes to prepared a home cooked meal it is clear the buying habits of consumers will continue to evolve.

Bundling mix and match meal components into a meal is one key driver within the grocerant niche. Given that most American family are comprised of multi-cultural background. The fight for within the retail food space for share of stomach will only intensify.

Supermarkets and grocery stores are expected to sell complete lines of Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food much of it will be multi-ethnic food. That places higher expectations on grocers than restaurants or a company like Walgreens. Walgreens might just be in the perfect spot to expand fresh prepared food offerings capturing customers from both restaurants and supermarkets.

 

Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® a Tacoma, WA based retail foodservice consultancy has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, local 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 GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

Bundled Meal Deals to Drive Einstein Bros. Bagels

Family time is becoming Einstein Bros. Bagels time according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. With everyone at home time starve parents are fast becoming over stress.

Einstein Bros. Bagels has developed a branded message and grocerant niche mix & match set of bundled product offerings to drive top line sales and bottom line profits all while edifying its own brand according to Johnson.

A family that eat together is happier together so Einstein Bros. Bagels is encouraging families to make their time together count through the launch of Family Meals. Offering a fun and easy way to engage the whole family for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Family Meals are available now through take-out, Order Ahead on the Einstein Bros. Bagels mobile app or calling ahead to your local store. Let’s look at the offerings:  

Hot & Ready Brunch Box: Feeds six to eight people, $29.99

A made-to-order box for families looking for a treat after a hard week of working from home and/or home schooling, this box includes six fresh-baked bagels, one tub of shmear, three egg sandwiches cut in half (one Farmhouse, two Bacon & Cheddar), four blueberry muffins and four twice-baked hash browns. 

Take & Make Pizza Bagel Kit: Feeds six people, $9.99

With this easy-to-make pizza kit, parents no longer need to dream of the day kids make dinner. The kit includes all of the ingredients needed to make six Cheese Pizza Bagel slices and six Pepperoni Pizza Bagel slices, giving kids a fun activity and their parents a break. 

Take & Make Bagel Deli Kit: Feeds six people, $29.99

Guests can set up a sandwich shop in their kitchen and have the family build their own fresh-baked bagel sandwiches for less than $5 per person. This kit includes six fresh-baked bagels, plenty of turkey and ham, cheddar cheese, fresh-cut tomato, onion and lettuce, and comes complete with mayonnaise and mustard packets.

Chad Thompson, VP of Culinary Innovation, Einstein Bros. Bagels stated “As more consumers continue to work from home and schools remain temporarily closed, we know that families are spending a lot of time together, and we want to make sure they make the most of it,” “Our three Family Meals provide a good reason for everyone to gather around the kitchen table and enjoy a great meal together.”  

Einstein Bros. Bagels is urging guests to use the Order Ahead capability through the company’s app, available on Google Play or the App Store, where guests can submit and pick up their order quickly in-store. Order Ahead is available at select Einstein Bros. Bagels locations across the country, excluding franchise and license locations inside hotels, airports, hospitals, colleges.

Mix & Match meal bundling is one of the hallmarks of the grocerant niche messaging according to Johnson.  If success does leave clues and it does, Einstein Bros. Bagels is doing all the right things.

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.