What’s New in Food Marketing? Menu Subscriptions

 

Millennials and Gen Z continue to seek new avenues of food discovery and one of the best that Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® has recently come across targeting digital natives Gen Z and Millennials is a ‘secret’ menu subscription.

This could very well be the next big thing according to Johnson.  Right now, you have to live in or be visiting either Los Angeles, Orange County or Dallas, TX but Johnson is sure that this subscription service is sure to grow.  So, whether you’re diving into delicious queso and margaritas at a chic Tex-Mex restaurant or indulging in premium brisket at an authentic Texas barbecue joint, it’s no secret that Dallas’ vibrant, diverse culinary scene is one-of-a-kind, and so is this service.

Dallas, TX is home to Off The Menu Club, a popular subscription service that offers local foodies an exclusive new way to discover more restaurants – and in-the-know menu items – throughout the area. Yes, currently the service is only available in Los Angeles and Orange County, Off The Menu (OTM) Club made its Dallas debut on Sunday, Sept. 26.

What does this service cost? It’s just $20 a month. For that, $20 members receive one complimentary secret menu item per day from a list of carefully curated establishments that partner with Off The Menu. Every Sunday, new restaurants are released on the OTM app featuring seven new secret menu items. 

To become a member, Dallasites can join the waitlist at offthemenuco.com/dallas. When the app officially launches, those on the list will receive an invitation code to register and share with friends. As soon as the subscription is activated, it’s time to eat! Members simply show the phone app to their server to redeem the featured, free menu items. 

Our Grocerant Guru® thinks this is a deal all Gen Z, Millennials and Foodies will want to get in on from the start, both to lock in the introductory $20 subscription price and to enjoy exciting new items – like a buffalo chicken pizza bagel, strawberry waffle with fried chicken, spicy fajita grilled cheese and more – from a wide variety of local favorites such as Christie’s Sports Bar, Dahlia on Ross, Harper’s, The Rustic and more. 

Founder and CEO Lawrence Longo, stated, “Off The Menu has developed a cult-like following since we first launched in LA, so we can’t wait to expand to another awesome foodie city like Dallas and show everyone what our unique membership is all about,” ... “OTM Club is the golden ticket to enjoying a rare dining experience at popular local restaurants and under-the-radar eateries you may not have tried yet. At just $20 per month, members can enjoy a different secret menu item every day at some of the most popular eateries across the area. We look forward to giving our members even more reason to explore Dallas’ amazing food scene.” 

So, the Off The Menu Club will initially showcase restaurants across Dallas proper and surrounding suburbs, like Plano, Addison and Frisco. Plans are already underway to expand the Club’s coverage to other cities across the Lone Star State, including Fort Worth. 

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® 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 one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Battle for Share of Stomach

At Urban Plates Price, Value, Service, Equals a Subscription

 

Driving customer frequency is more important today than ever.  Building a brand with a loyal following requires that your brands price, value, service equilibrium reflects what customer want according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

At the intersection of dinner, technology, and any restaurant brand today there is a fight for share of stomach according to Johnson.  Urban Plates recently officially launched its subscription membership program, Plate Pass. The first of its kind in the restaurant industry, Plate Pass is a monthly subscription that makes every menu item $10 (or less) for a fee of just $10 a month. Thus, the more meals you buy the more you can save. 

Adding relevance for most customers the Urban Plates subscription is available exclusively on the Urban Plates app (download for iPhone and Android) for dine-in and takeout orders, Plate Pass offers the entire breadth of the Urban Plates menu, which includes over 30 individual entrées (average cost $13.50) across four sections (plates, salads, sandwiches, and bowls) for $10 or less.

Note: The Plate Pass memberships are valid for one month from the date of purchase and automatically renew unless canceled.

Urban Plates conducted a pilot program.   Subscription members saw an average savings of $42 per month using Plate Pass. To mark the official launch of the program and make the savings that much greater, Urban Plates is pricing its $10 Everyday Menu items at $9 exclusively for Plate Pass members. All of this is part of the brand’s mission to make craveable, wholesome, and healthy food accessible to all.

Urban Plates co-founder and CEO Saad Nadhir, stated, “Everyone wins with Plate Pass," … "Members get any of our entrees for $10 or less and save an average of $42 per month for a low $10 monthly fee. The quality, variety, and great taste of Urban Plates is now accessible to all.  How are you garnering consumer buy-in to your brand?

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

Circle K Drink-Up with Sip & Save Beverage Subscription

 

With the world on lock-down for over a year, many marketing programs were on hold.  Circle K has one branded marketing program consumers will want to hold-on-too according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

U.S. customers can enjoy one daily Polar Pop fountain drink, Froster slushy, coffee or tea of their choice for $5.99 a month subscription. Now as vaccinations rise and cases fall, Sip & Save could help boost sales of dispensed beverages, which saw significant drops during the pandemic, according to the c-store operator.

Kevin Lewis, chief marketing officer of Circle K's parent company Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc, stated, "We really see this an opportunity to drive traffic at a time that people are just starting to come out of the understandable cocoons that they've been in for the last 12-plus months,".

Lewis continued, “Sip & Save's low price is Circle K's way of thanking customers and celebrating that the pandemic is ending.” Circle K recently tested the program for 90 days at more than 100 stores near Augusta, Ga., and Columbia, S.C.

Data from the test showed that customers are visiting more frequently than Circle K expected and trial customers were adding food purchases to their daily subscription drinks. This bodes well for the retailer's foodservice program, which is implementing the second wave of its "Fresh Food, Fast" concept this year, as regular readers of this blog know.

Circle K currently plans to run Sip & Save for 90 days, but it could extend the program, and Johnson believe that they will. " 

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.