Curating the Future of Local Restaurant Commerce: Perspective on Curate, Instant Apps, and the Long Arc of Foodservice Technology

 

From Cash Registers to Clicks: A Brief Historical Context

Foodservice technology has always evolved in response to friction according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. In the 1970s and 1980s, the friction was labor and accuracy—solved by electronic POS systems. In the 1990s and early 2000s, it was inventory control and scale—addressed by integrated back-office software.

The 2010s introduced a new friction point: digital access to the customer. Third-party delivery marketplaces like DoorDash and Uber Eats solved discovery and convenience for consumers, but at a steep cost to operators—often 20–35% per order in commissions, plus marketing fees, delivery markups, and loss of customer data.

History shows that when a single intermediary controls demand, margins erode and brands weaken. Independent restaurants, small regional operators, and even franchisees of major brands found themselves trading profitability for visibility.

That is the historical moment into which Curate enters the market.

 

The Problem Today: Convenience Is Expensive

Let’s ground this discussion in current, fact-based economics:

Ordering Channel	Typical Cost to Restaurant	Data Ownership	Brand Control
Third-Party Delivery Apps	20–35% commission per order	No	Limited
Traditional White-Label App	$5,000–$20,000 build + ongoing fees	Yes	High
Website Ordering	3–8% processing + service fees	Yes	Medium
Curate Instant App	Subscription-based + payment processing (typically under 10% total effective cost)	Yes	High

For a restaurant doing $50,000/month in off-premise sales, the difference is stark:

·       At 30% third-party commission → $15,000 lost monthly

·       At 8–10% direct ordering cost → $4,000–$5,000 monthly

That’s a $10,000+ monthly delta, or $120,000 annually, often the difference between survival and closure for independents.

 

What Curate Does Differently: Lowering the Barrier to Habit

Curate’s insight is deceptively simple but historically important:

If customers have to download an app, many won’t.

Instead of forcing consumers through the App Store, Curate leverages Apple App Clips—lightweight, instant mobile apps accessed via QR code or tap. Customers go directly into an ordering flow, can enroll in loyalty, and later receive push notifications—without a download.

From a behavioral economics standpoint, this removes two major friction points:

1.       Time friction (searching, downloading, updating apps)

2.       Psychological friction (“Do I really want another app?”)

Curate correctly identifies that habits form through repetition, not novelty. By making direct ordering as easy as scanning a QR code, they turn a one-time transaction into a repeatable behavior.

 

Proof in Performance: Data That Matters

Curate is not selling theory—it is selling outcomes:

·       Restaurants using Curate have seen commission-free delivery orders triple on average

·       Mama Hieu’s (California) reported a 44% increase in online sales after switching from another provider

·       Operators report higher conversion rates and repeat orders—key metrics that directly correlate to profitability

Importantly, Curate combines ordering + loyalty, differentiating it from app-less loyalty-only solutions (wallet-based rewards or phone-number tracking). Loyalty without ordering is incomplete. Ordering without loyalty is forgettable. Curate integrates both.

 

Why This Matters for Independents, Regionals, and Franchisees

From the Grocerant Guru® lens, Curate hits a critical niche:

·       Independents regain margin and customer data without technical complexity

·       Small regional chains get enterprise-grade mobile functionality without enterprise budgets

·       Franchisees gain local control while still aligning with brand standards

This is “local at scale”—a concept the industry has chased for decades but rarely achieved.

 

A Strategic Leadership Choice Worth Applauding

The leadership team at Curate deserves recognition for not chasing mass-market hype, but instead focusing on a structural weakness in restaurant economics: dependency on third-party platforms.

By emphasizing:

·       Direct relationships

·       Commission-free growth

·       Behavior-driven technology

Curate positions itself not as another SaaS vendor, but as a profit-restoration platform for restaurants.

 

Three Grocerant Guru® Insights on Curate’s Long-Term Impact

1.       Direct Ordering Will Become a Margin Mandate
In the next 3–5 years, boards, lenders, and franchise systems will expect a defined percentage of sales to be commission-free. Technologies like Curate will no longer be optional—they’ll be operational requirements.

2.       The “No-Download” Model Will Reset Customer Expectations
Just as contactless payments became table stakes post-pandemic, instant apps will redefine what customers consider “easy.” Any system requiring friction will lose relevance.

3.       Data Ownership Is the New Brand Equity
Restaurants that own customer data can personalize offers, control frequency, and build lifetime value. Curate enables this without forcing operators to become technologists.

 

Think About This

History favors technologies that remove friction, restore control, and improve unit economics. Curate sits squarely at that intersection.

For independent restaurants, regional operators, and franchisees looking to get local, stay profitable, and build real customer relationships, Curate is not just a tool—it’s a strategic response to a decade-long imbalance in foodservice power dynamics.

And from the Grocerant Guru®, that is a niche well chosen—and well executed.

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

7-Eleven Focus on Service, Value, Messaging Is a Winning Formula

 

For more than two decades, 7-Eleven has been quietly redefining what “convenience” means in foodservice. Once dominated by cigarettes, soda and gasoline, the brand has evolved into one of the world’s most influential food-forward retailers according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Its sustained growth in fresh food, beverages and prepared meals underscores a simple but powerful truth: when service, value and messaging align with changing consumer behavior, scale becomes a strategic advantage rather than a liability.

 

From Convenience Store to Food Authority

Over the last 20 years, U.S. and global food retail has undergone a structural shift. According to industry benchmarks, more than 60% of convenience-store sales growth since the mid-2000s has come from foodservice and beverages, not fuel or packaged tobacco. 7-Eleven anticipated this transition earlier than most.

Today, fresh food and dispensed beverages account for over one-third of in-store gross profit at leading c-stores, with 7-Eleven consistently outperforming peers on basket attachment and visit frequency. Pizza, coffee, roller grill items, bakery, donuts, fresh sandwiches, salads and fruit have moved from “add-ons” to traffic drivers.

This transformation did not happen by accident. It happened because 7-Eleven invested simultaneously in:

·       Operational execution

·       Private brand development

·       Value-forward pricing

·       Clear, consistent messaging

 

Service: Operational Precision at Scale

In its recent Q3 FY2025 presentation, Seven & i Holdings highlighted its “Co-Creation” strategy in Japan—integrating merchandising, operations, marketing and communications into a single aligned discipline. That same philosophy has been embedded in North America for years.

By focusing on categories instead of individual SKUs, 7-Eleven simplified execution at store level while improving freshness, speed and availability. This is critical in foodservice, where out-of-stocks and inconsistency erode trust faster than price.

Compare this to:

·       Fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, which rely on labor-heavy kitchens and limited menus to ensure consistency.

·       Grocery service delis, which offer quality but often sacrifice speed and convenience.

·       Smaller c-store chains, which struggle to maintain fresh food standards across dispersed locations.

7-Eleven sits in the middle—and increasingly wins—by delivering good food fast, at scale.

 

Value: Winning the Budget-Conscious Consumer

Value does not mean cheap; it means worth it. Over the last 20 years, 7-Eleven has consistently priced fresh food below fast food QSRs and below grocery delis on a per-visit basis, while offering greater immediacy.

Examples of category performance trends:

·       Coffee: Convenience stores now command nearly 40% of all away-from-home coffee occasions in the U.S. 7-Eleven’s private-label coffee routinely undercuts Starbucks by 50% or more per cup.

·       Pizza: C-store pizza sales have grown at 2x the rate of traditional pizza chains over the past decade, driven by whole-pie value and late-day availability.

·       Fresh snacks, fruit and salads: Once niche, these items now appeal to younger consumers seeking portability and perceived health—an area where grocery stores remain strong, but slower.

Seven & i’s disclosed $119 million in cumulative cost reductions—through productivity, insourcing maintenance and cost leadership—enabled the brand to protect value pricing without sacrificing margins. That discipline matters in an inflationary environment.

 

Messaging: Speaking the Customer’s Language

Messaging is where 7-Eleven separates itself from competitors.

Rather than promoting individual products, the brand increasingly promotes solutions: meals, moments and missions (morning coffee, late-night hunger, budget meals, on-the-go freshness).

Key messaging shifts over the last 20 years:

·       From transactional (“Buy this”)

·       To situational (“Here when you need it”)

·       To emotional and habitual (“Part of your day”)

In Japan, TV advertising paired with social and short-form video has driven younger customer engagement and increased visit frequency. In North America, value bundles, limited-time offers and private-brand storytelling have increased basket size even during periods of fuel volatility and economic pressure.

Contrast this with:

·       Fast food, which relies heavily on discounting.

·       Traditional grocery, which often struggles to message immediacy.

·       Regional c-stores, which lack scale to sustain consistent national storytelling.

 

Comparative Growth Snapshot (20-Year View)

Channel	Food Growth Driver	Relative Performance
7-Eleven	Fresh food + beverages + private brand	Sustained, diversified growth
Fast Food (e.g., McDonald’s)	Value menus, drive-thru	Strong, but labor-dependent
Other C-Store (e.g., Circle K)	Foodservice expansion	Growing, but less brand equity
Grocery Deli	Fresh & prepared meals	High quality, lower convenience

 

The Strategic Takeaway

7-Eleven’s model works because it respects how people actually eat today:

·       Frequently

·       On-the-go

·       With price sensitivity

·       Without sacrificing taste or trust

The company’s plan to further elevate fresh food, coffee and beverages—despite short-term permitting and tariff headwinds—signals confidence rooted in data, not hope.

 

Three Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1.       Convenience Is No Longer About Location—It’s About Relevance
7-Eleven wins by being relevant at more eating occasions than any single QSR or grocery format.

2.       Category Thinking Beats SKU Thinking in Foodservice
Focusing on “what problem the customer is solving” drives higher attachment and repeat visits.

3.       Value Messaging Must Be Operationally Earned
Cost leadership, productivity and execution are what make value believable—and sustainable.

 

In an industry where many chase trends, 7-Eleven continues to build systems. Service, value and messaging are not tactics for the brand—they are the operating system. And over the last twenty years, that system has proven to be a winning formula.

 

Elevate Your Brand with Expert Insights

For corporate presentations, regional chain strategies, educational forums, or keynote speaking, Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, delivers actionable insights that fuel success.

With deep experience in restaurant operations, brand positioning, and strategic consulting, Steven provides valuable takeaways that inspire and drive results.

💡 Visit GrocerantGuru.com or FoodserviceSolutions.US
📞 Call 1-253-759-7869