Albertsons Stumbles with Plated Just like Kroger Did with Home Chef

It took Albertsons two years after buying Plated to figure out what to do with it.  Then, clearly they did not know what to do with Plated, so they played the copycat marketing game and followed the lead of Kroger copying what Kroger did with Home Chef.

Simply put; Albertsons like Kroger stumbled, fumbled, and bumbled away an opportunity for growth instead they devalued an asset in the minds-eye of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. That is transform the meal kit provided into a private label instore brand.  Why?

Both Home Chef and Plated were forward looking companies that garnered the attention of consumers.  Each was growing albeit they were unprofitable.  Most important they were both threats to the legacy grocery store business model. How do large legacy companies that are unwilling to evolve deal with threats?

Well, according to Johnson, they buy them and then ‘kill’ them.  In essence both Albertson and Kroger acquired these businesses and tried to turn them into old fashion CPG products that can simply sit on the shelf according to Johnson.  How well has that worked for the grocery industry?

Over the past 12 years, there are now 50% fewer legacy grocery stores in the U.S.  The simple fact of the matter is the grocery business model is broken and buying competitive threats and trying to kill them is not the solution according to Johnson.

Meal Kits as Johnson decried are ‘training wheels for Millennials’. Meal Kits could be an asset for a floundering industry, a glimmer of positive hope for cooking at home, a solution to meal time malaise.  Yet what they have become is a legacy branded CPG product that looks more like yesterday than tomorrow.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or www.twitter.com/grocerant/

Dunkin’ Brands Just wants to Have Fun

Is your brand fun?  Are you extending your brand invitation, growing your customer bases, or rewarding longtime customers with just a bit of fun? Consumer interactive and participatory brand marketing should not always be about your menu however it needs to be about customer touchpoints while being consumer interactive and participatory according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, when Dunkin’ launched its first online pop-up shop, offering a selection of Dunkin’-ized holiday gifts that consumer can’t find anywhere else. The ilk of a holiday sweater, one-piece pajamas and joggers to accessories like scrunchies, a fanny pack and an electric guitar.  Employees, franchisees, customers and non-customer all were invited to have fun. Let’s look and see what they have:

1.       Jammin’: How about a custom Dunkin’ electric guitar for rockin’ around the Christmas tree?

2.       Loungin’: Dunkin’s super soft one-piece pajamas and joggers are the coolest and coziest ways to stay in and sip some Dunkin’ by the fire.

3.       Stylin’: Brew up a fun look for your holiday sweater party with a Dunkin’ crewneck sweater. And, stay warm when out and about with two colorful Dunkin’ scarf and gloves sets.

4.       Peppermint Wrappin’: In honor of the return of Peppermint Mocha flavored coffee, Dunkin’s peppermint scented wrapping paper will spice up every gift sent.

Battle for Share of Stomach

5.      Dunkin’ Wrappin’: This wrapping paper is perfect for wrapping your favorite holiday gifts – Dunkin' style.  Plus, guests can get their hands on it first in-store. Starting today, the first 100 guests to purchase a dozen donuts at participating Dunkin’ restaurants nationwide will receive a sheet of this special Dunkin’ branded wrapping paper.

6.       Lunchin’: Bag the boring and light up the lunchroom with Dunkin’s new metal lunch box.

7.       Scrunchin’: Do your updo with Dunkin’s holiday hair ties.

8.       Repeatin’ Fanny Pack: Dunkin’s stylish fanny pack perfectly complements any Dunkin’ cup.

9.       Sparklin’: Dunkin’s phone case features floating donuts and glitter galore.

10.   Cheersin’: Raise a toast to the holidays and New Year with two sets of Dunkin’ pint glasses.

11.   Ruffin’ It: Don’t forget to wish the dog a happy paw-liday with a Dunkin’ puppin’ bandana.

The Dunkin’ holiday items are only available while supplies last, fans eager for additional Dunkin’ merchandise can expect to see the shop pop back up in 2020. In the meantime, the brand is offering a variety of other holiday gifts at participating Dunkin’ restaurants across the country, including:

Ornaments and Lip Balm: Dunkin’ is offering a new donut ornament and bringing back its popular Elf on the Shelf ornaments, who this year are seen stirring a cup of Hot Chocolate with a peppermint stick, all for the suggested retail price of $9.99. Dunkin’ is also offering peppermint-scented MUNCHKINS donut hole treats lip balm in a two-pack for $5.99.

How are you expanding your brand? How are you consumer engagement efforts working? Is your brand static or dynamic?  If success leaves clues and it does consumer engagement that is interactive and participatory are clues you don’t want to forget any time soon. Brands should have fun!

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 www.GrocerantGuru.com , www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or call 1-253-759-7869

Git‘N Go Fresh Food Fast

Renewing a brands image takes a lot of thought, research, planning, and customer focus. At Git’N Go you can tell that customer grocerant niche fresh prepared food touchpoints were top of mind when they remodeled their latest store according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Git’N Go CEO William Baine stated “We separated the foodservice area from the rest of the store with higher-end floors, higher-end lighting above you, hard-surface countertops — to communicate to the consumer that we’re serious about food and clean,” said. “Everything else has been foodservice, foodservice, foodservice.”

Baine continued the update has been a hit with customers and brought a positive return on investment. The momentum toward modernization has only grown since the design update. 

The focus on fresh fast foodservice at Git‘N Go now offers a wider variety of foodservice, including biscuits, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, nachos, salads and chicken (to name a few), but since its inception, the company has been known primarily for its hot dogs.

Hot dogs are popular and a point of differentiation at Git’N Go because they’re made to order, they’re reasonably priced and they taste good.   Most of Git’N Go’s foodservice, however, has changed significantly in the past few years.  What’s new:

1.       Switched from frozen hamburgers to fresh meat,

2.       Frozen egg patties to fresh eggs,

3.       Frozen sub rolls from New York to fresh bread baked twice daily and fresh biscuits baked every hour.

What has become clear is that with the focus on fresh Git‘N Go competes with both fast-casual restaurants and other convenience stores.  It must be noted that: foodservice sales have more than doubled in the six years with the increase focus on fresh food.

Fresh and fast means more technology to that end Git‘N Go partnered with The Pinnacle Corp. to digitize its menu using the company’s Affiniti Cloud shopper engagement platform. The result is a Git‘N Go-branded, integrated platform that includes a mobile app and kiosk ordering system. Is your brand evolving with grocerant niche fresh fast food?  Are you driving top-line sales and bottom-line profits? 

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or twitter.com/grocerant

Battle for Share of Stomach

Partnerships, Pizza, and Packaging Drive Sales for Pizza Hut

At Pizza Hut Packaging Touchpoints Matter The consumer is dynamic not static and at Pizza Hut consumer touchpoints matter including the consumer touchpoint packaging.  Once again Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® says that “Pizza Hut continues find new electricity by partnering with companies.”

Last month, Pizza Hut introduces a limited-time test of a plant-based pizza topping served up in a round pizza box. Not only did Pizza Hut drive customer interest they drove brand buzz and new electricity into the customer relationship according to Johnson.  What are you doing to drive new electricity into your brand?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as fresh foods, plant based foods, sampling, toy’s, beer, 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 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.  Does your retail path forward look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why? This new partnership does all of that.

The test of both innovations were at one Pizza Hut location in Phoenix where the chain introduced the new Garden Specialty Pizza topped with Incogmeato by MorningStar Farms Italian sausage.

Marianne Radley, chief brand officer, Pizza Hut stated “We innovate for human’s sake and we’ll win on taste—period. At Pizza Hut we don't do anything halfway and improving the customer experience and delivering a better tasting pizza is our core mission,”. “

You cannot miss the round box. Not only does the round box contain less overall packaging compared to a typical square pizza box, it’s also industrially compostable (where available) and interlocks easily to ensure a smoother delivery.

Nicolas Burquier, chief customer and operations officer, Pizza Hut  stated “This revolutionary round box—the result of a two-year journey—is the most innovative packaging we’ve rolled out to date,” “The round box was engineered to make our products taste even better—by delivering hotter, crispier pizzas. This box is a win, win—it will improve the pizza-eating experience for our customers and simplify the operating experience for our team members.”

“Alex Garden, chairman and CEO of Zume, Inc. “We’re thrilled to support Pizza Hut’s packaging efforts to provide its fans with a great pizza-eating experience.”  “Incogmeato is a new-to-the-world brand created to challenge convention on delicious plant-based food,” says Wendy Davidson, Kellogg away from home president. “Pizza Hut is the innovation leader in its category and we are excited to partner with them to develop a tasty, first-ever plant-based pizza to satisfy what flexitarians are seeking today.”

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 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.

At QuickChek Food is “Fresh to Go”

Dust off your old ideas on what a convenience store should look like.  According Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® stated QuickChek has set a perfect example with a new store where more than 50% of the store dedicated to fresh food and beverages.

QuickChek says that it’s new store offers an innovative “Fresh to Go” design, that’s only half of it, the focus on Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food and all of the important consumer touchpoints are a clear indication that QuickChek is planning to look more like tomorrows convenience store than yesterdays.

QuickChek CEO Dean Durling stated, “We serve busy people on the go with products and services that are made for immediate consumption,” … “Today’s consumer, especially young professionals, families and health-conscious people, want fresh.”

Durling continues “So we have dedicated more than half of the store to food service and fresh beverages, including our guaranteed fresh brewed hot and iced coffees. We meet your need for what you need now, whether its food, the best cup of coffee in America, or fuel.” Let’s look at some of the food:

1.       Sleek, open-concept layout with earth tone colors, clean sightlines and spacious stand-alone food displays with consumer-friendly expansive aisles for added convenience when customizing food and beverages

2.       Extensive display of freshly made QuickChek grab-and-go food and market items

3.       Large stand-alone soup station offering a daily rotation of freshly prepared, never frozen QuickChek soups which have become a meal replacement as consumers’ dining habits continue to change

4.       Handcrafted 6-inch subs and 12-inch premium original recipe QuickChek sub sandwiches served on fresh bakery sub rolls; all subs are custom-made with the finest ingredients and freshest quality meats and cheeses

5.       A wide selection of healthy baked snacks, fresh cut fruit and seasonal fruit salads perfect for snacking anytime

6.       Fresh QuickChek baked goods made in-store

7.       Embracing the dining habits of today’s millennial consumer, indoor seating counters offer phone and laptop charging stations and free WiFi

The menu features seasonal selections include Chicken Salad with Real Cranberry Relish and Crispy Chicken with Real Cranberry Relish. Snack items include Cubano Egg Rolls and Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls. Does your retail food outlet look more like yesterday than tomorrow?

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

Hardee’s a regional Drive-Thru Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Hardee’s understanding the undercurrents of consumer food spending has extending its brand with the ‘better-for-you’ halo of Thanksgiving creating a holiday meal with differentiation yet a familiar twist and according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® is good food marketing.

Hardee’s is testing its first seasonal Thanksgiving in a Box meal.  This is one fast food limited time offer our Grocerant Guru® thinks is spot on. Equipped with new Thanksgiving research, Hardee’s has found that nearly half of Americans (45 percent) are exploring alternatives to the traditional Thanksgiving.  The Hardee’s Thanksgiving in a Box includes:

·         Stuffing Tenders: A take on Hardee’s hand-breaded chicken tenders. Stuffing Tenders are 100 percent all-white meat chicken tender’s hand-breaded with sage and herb stuffing breading, resulting in a crispy golden-brown tender, served with savory chicken gravy.

·         Sweet Potato Waffle Fries: Classic waffle cut fries made with sweet potatoes, tossed in sweet waffle batter and fried up fresh and crispy.

·         Toasted Onion Coated Green Beans: A take on green bean casserole. Crisp green beans coated in a toasted onion breading fried to golden brown.

·         Savory Chicken Gravy: Perfect for dipping Stuffing Tenders.

The new Thanksgiving Box are available starting at $6.99 at participating restaurants in Jacksonville, Florida, now until December 3, or while supplies last. Success does leave clues and leveraging research to edify your focused limited time offers is a very good thing to do. This offer has the right customer facing price points, messaging, packaging, and seasonality to drive incremental sales.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or www.twitter.com/grocerant/

Battle for Share of Stomach

Boston Market Evolving Thanksgiving Meals

2019 Marks the tenth year Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® has written about Boston Market the chain he loves to like.  However, as regular readers of this blog know Boston Market according to Johnson has lost its way.  Over the past ten years Boston Market has closed more stores than it has opened and in the minds of many consumer continues to have less relevance today then it did back then.

However, once again Boston Market wants to save you time cooking Thanksgiving.  They have looked at who their customers are, tried to figure out what they wanted for a holiday meal.  They now have a plethora too many holiday meal options to suit Johnson. So, let’s take a look:

1.       Holiday Heat & Serve: Chilled complete meals that include entrees, appetizers, sides and pies to feed four to 12 for as little as $10 per person are fully cooked and can be picked up at any Boston Market restaurant the week of Thanksgiving. Guests can even order a Complete Whole Roasted Turkey Meal for 12, which consists of a whole roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable stuffing, spinach artichoke dip and crackers, cranberry walnut relish, dinner rolls, one apple pie and one pumpkin pie.

2.       Holiday Catering: Hot, ready-to-serve, buffet-style dinner for crowds of ten or more start at $10.99 per person and can be delivered straight to any home or office or picked up at any Boston Market restaurant.

3.      Holiday Home Delivery: Twelve complete Thanksgiving spreads, a la carte sides and desserts can be shipped directly to your door with the push of a button. Now through Sunday, November 24, anyone in the contiguous United States can visit BostonMarket.com and order from a wide range of signature Boston Market Thanksgiving meal options, choosing their ideal match. Each pre-cooked order will ship frozen and, once fully thawed, be ready to heat and serve within two to three hours.

4.       A La Carte: Perfect for those Boston Market guests who may need an extra entree, side, appetizer or dessert to get their holiday dinner table-ready, guests can order chilled, fully cooked options for pick up in restaurant the week of Thanksgiving.

5.       Thanksgiving Day Meal: Nearly all Boston Market locations will be open on Thanksgiving Day to offer guests who wish to dine-in or carry-out a traditional plated holiday meal featuring sliced roasted turkey breast or half signature rotisserie chicken, two sides, a dinner roll and a slice of apple or pumpkin pie for $13.99. A Family Feast for 3, whole pies and home style side dishes can also be picked up on Thanksgiving Day, while supplies last.

6.       Boston Market fans can also get an extra bonus when placing an order or dining with Boston Market this holiday season thanks to the new “Rotisserie Rewards” program. The loyalty program, available via the new Boston Market mobile app for iOS and Android, online at BostonMarket.com or in-restaurant, will allow customers to earn one point for every dollar they spend in-restaurant or online, which can be redeemed for free food and other exciting prizes – including a free holiday meal for 12 or even a one-ton helping of any of its world-famous sides.

While grocerant niche fresh food sales have exceed 9.7% a year for the past 10 years Boston Market’s sales have not.  Grocerant niche consumers are migrating to avenues of distribution with a clear message, fresh food, fast service, that is priced right.  If your price, value, service are in-line with consumer expectations your year over year customer counts will be down.  Looking a customer ahead requires to know who, your customers are, what they are eating, and where they are eating it.

Don’t try to be all things for everyone eating Thanksgiving Dinner.  Do what you do best.  Need Help doing that.  Watch your Holiday sales if your year over year customer counts are off.  Call us.  If they are not up as high as grocerant niche sales, call us.  Success does leave clues.  Don’t close stores, grow stores top line sales and bottom line profits.

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.