Chain Restaurant sameness creates consumer discontinuity.

Grocerant niche ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food continues to drive top line growth. Restaurant consumer discontinuity is the focus on much attention from consultants to chain executives.   As an industry our concern is and should be share of stomach, first by company, second by niche-market share and third the restaurant industry overall. 

The economy is not our largest problem it is competition for share of stomach; specifically by the ready-2-eat and  heat-N-eat fresh prepared meal section of the grocery stores and C-stores or as I call it the Grocerant section.

Under reported but well known by regular reader of this blog. Noted and followed here at Foodservice Solutions since 2005.  Which was by; the way the first year that recorded a consumer increase in percent household spending for food in grocery stores and away from restaurants in 25 years.   It continues, we understand why are here to help.

Restaurants, Grocery stores and the Convenience store sectors are all competing for share of stomach and the consumers are attracted to the options presented by within the Grocerant niche.  Is your company in need of a grocerant niche assessment, national or global grocerant store tour?

Invite Foodservice Solutions® for innovation ideation, for brand re- positioning brainstorm sessions, new product placement ideations.  Is it time that  you tried our grocerant program assessments. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Catering is a platform for food brand manager success watch Safeway.

Unbounded opportunity for food marketing brand managers is developing in the Grocerant niche (prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat better for you food). Consumer Reports found in a head-to-head qualitative blind taste test 29 store branded food products were tested that, 23 of the 29 private label vs store branded products scored as good as or better than the national brand.  With the success in private label behind them, grocery stores are catering fresh prepared food with a focus on local business offices.

Grocerant food that is ready-2-eat fresh prepared food is now finding its way in large store formats like Safeway’s Lifestyle stores, HEB’s Central Market, and Harris Teeter to the table of business luncheons.   Utilizing traditional category management techniques all of these companies are seeing success in fresh food.  Lead by Safeway’s Brand Marketing team fresh food offerings are being pushed from store to the office party all while expanding the brand freshness.

Catering fresh prepared ready-2-eat or heat-N-eat food is nothing new.  The Safeway has studied the industry and picked up all the right clues.  Within retail food service there is a battle for share of stomach. The brand managers at Safeway are focused on the consumer with fresh prepared ready-2-eat food all while extending the brand.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® for innovation ideation, for brand re- positioning brainstorm sessions, new product placement ideations.  Is it time that  you tried our grocerant program assessments. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Ready-2-Eat fresh branded food propels growth for Convenience-store sector.

Building both the top and bottom line, convenience stores make growth look easy.  Leveraging legacy locations, convenience, speed of service while integrating branded fresh prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food; convenience stores are garnering customers from both the restaurant and grocery sectors.

Convenience stores foodservice offerings have largely been over looked or dismissed by Quick Service Restaurant chain operators and grocery stores.  Following the lead of Wawa, Sheetz, Rutters and now 7 Eleven the convenience store sector is branding food programs from coast to coast.  More importantly they are garnering a lager share of stomach with improving food quality, healthful offerings and speed of service that quite frankly QSR’s can’t keep up with.

David Sprinkle, publisher of Packaged Facts stated "By enhancing foodservice quality and variety, we believe convenience stores are poised to benefit from increased sales of gasoline and other merchandise, as consumers seek to consolidate their purchases in the interest of efficiency"…"Because it is so well positioned, we anticipate that convenience store industry foodservice sales growth will outperform the retail and restaurant foodservice industry average through 2013."

In fact Packaged Facts projects that convenience store foodservice sales grew 6% in 2010, and will rise an additional 6% in 2011 and 5% in 2012.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® for innovation ideation, for brand positioning, product placement.  Do you need  a grocerant program assessment?  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Happy Holiday's



Food retailers battle for market share in 2012.

Grocery stores, Restaurants and Convenience stores are all scurrying to reposition their product /menu mix of better for you prepared food to garner an increase in share of stomach.  Competitive may not be a strong enough word for the battle between sectors and companies for the consumer.   The Grocerant niche is where all the action is consisting of better for you prepared portable ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food.

McDonalds, Wegmans, Starbucks, Sheetz, Boston Market and Wawa have done great things in the foodservice area but the equilibrium between financial success and breakthrough top of mind recognition might be amiss. In Seth Godin's  book Purple Cow where the entrepreneur wants to recapture some of the magic that the brand at one time had. Godin suggests that the key to success is finding a way to stand out and be remarkable, like a purple cow in a field of regular cows.
The challenged for each company is the ability to see and understand the customers focus at its core, not your brands core. Success does leave clues and companies leading the charge in 2012 will be leaders within their niche for years to come. 
Does your team have the ability to ask outliner questions of researchers in order to identify outliner results for your product or brand?  Have you identified a new avenue of distribution or a new product that can be your Purple Cow?  Many companies are in turmoil due to the economic quagmire, very few companies will do something bold, new and fresh if they do they will garner market share for years to come.
We 'can't run fast, leap tall buildings but we sure can think outside the box with a consumer focus.  Do you need an outsiders eye’s with inside knowledge, capable of assisting you to break out of the quagmire and into a new leadership role within your niche.  Now is when the next generations of industry leaders are being formed. We all know the status quo is not.  Success does leave clues and looking forward is just one of them.  For help finding your purple cow, call Foodservice Solutions®.

Outside eyes can deliver top line sales and bottom line profits.  Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a grocerant program assessment, brand, product placement or positioning assistance.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Fred Meyer Northwest Holiday Meal with Sustainability

Kroger has a national footprint in the grocery sector.  One of Kroger’s keys to success is decentralization, utilizing the national halo of Kroger then leveraging regional brand names to position it as close to the customer as it can. With Portland, Oregon headquarter Fred Meyer, Kroger has a winner this holiday season with its ready-2-eat holiday meal specials. 

Fred Meyer focusing on Northwest holiday traditions, family gatherings and fishing season, again this year is promoting a Mix and Match Fresh Local Northwest Dungeness Crab bundled meal.  For a limited time they offer Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab, Signature Salad, Sonoma Chardonnay, Lounsbury Cocktail Sauce, baked or take and bake baguette and of course butter. 

In the northwest nothing say holiday like breaking bread and crackin’ crab.  Fred Meyer leverages regional favorites, local suppliers and first of the season, into local, favorite and happy holiday sales.   Success within the grocerant ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat niche is a simple as crackin’ crab! 

Outside eyes can deliver top line sales and bottom line profits.  Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a grocerant program assessment, brand, product placement or positioning assistance.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Domino’s engaging consumers via Facebook.

Understanding the consumer is something that Domino’s Pizza does better than anyone other pizza company in America. This week seeking consumer interactive brand participation Domino’s up-loaded to their facebook.com home page the photo’s above.

Note: This is pizza is an ideation only, but garnering attention from consumers and competitors alike. Here is what some are saying “Uploaded to the brand’s Facebook page, this pizza makes use of cheese as a backdrop of snow, spinach as the leaves of the tree, sausage as the trunk, olives, red peppers and tomatoes as decor and a yellow pepper as the star.” 

Starbucks stated with online product ideations suggestion while many scoffed at the attempt, service, quality, store “look and feel” have all been influenced of late.  The consumer is dynamic not static allowing ones brand to grow with the consumer is a key element in continued brand growth.

Outside eyes can deliver top line sales and bottom line profits.  Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a grocerant program assessment, brand, product placement or positioning assistance.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant