The Grocerant Guru®: The 65-Inch HDTV Syndrome Is Reshaping Food Retail Faster Than Ever

 

For years, I have talked about what I call the “65-Inch HDTV Syndrome.” Today, in 2026, that concept has become even more relevant as consumers continue to redefine where, when, and how they eat.

Restaurant customer traffic remains under pressure across much of the industry. While menu prices have increased significantly over the past several years, consumers have become far more selective about where they spend their food dollars. They’re not eating less—they’re simply eating differently.

That shift continues to fuel growth within the grocerant niche, where grocery stores, convenience stores, club stores, drug stores, dollar stores, restaurants, and digital-first food retailers all compete by offering Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals and meal components.

The lines separating retail foodservice categories have permanently blurred.

The winner is no longer determined by whether you’re a restaurant or a grocery store.

The winner is determined by who creates the most compelling combination of quality, convenience, personalization, portability, speed, and value.

The 65-Inch HDTV Syndrome

Today’s consumers have invested heavily in creating an entertainment experience at home.

●      Large-screen televisions…

●      Streaming services…

●      Gaming systems…

●      Sports packages…

●      Premium coffee…

●      Home delivery…

Consumers no longer need a special occasion to stay home.

Instead of going out, millions now choose to bring restaurant-quality meals home.

That is the essence of the 65-Inch HDTV Syndrome.

Consumers still crave great food. They simply want to enjoy it where they are most comfortable—with family and friends, watching sports, movies, or binge-worthy streaming series.

The home has become America’s favorite restaurant.

Consumer Behavior Has Fundamentally Changed

Recent research continues to reinforce this long-term trend.

Circana data throughout 2024 and 2025 showed that roughly 80% of evening meal occasions originate from home, whether the meal is cooked from scratch, assembled from fresh prepared foods, delivered, or picked up on the way home.

FMI research also indicates consumers continue to purchase more prepared foods from supermarkets than they did prior to the pandemic, while convenience stores continue expanding premium fresh food offerings that compete directly with quick-service restaurants.

Meanwhile, delivery, mobile ordering, curbside pickup, and digital loyalty programs have become expected—not differentiators.

Consumers no longer ask, “Can I order digitally?”

They ask, “How quickly can I get exactly what I want?”

The New Value Equation

For years I’ve maintained that consumers constantly reset the relationship between price, value, and service.

Today, that equation has evolved.

Foodservice Solutions® Consumer Value Formula:

(Mobile Ordering + Digital Payments + Frictionless Pickup + Delivery + Loyalty Rewards)
 ÷
 (Price + Food Quality + Speed + Convenience + Personalization)
 =
 Consumer Value

The highest-value brand isn’t necessarily the lowest-priced.

It’s the brand that removes friction while consistently delivering fresh food consumers trust.

The Five P’s Have Never Been More Important

The retailers winning today understand that success depends on executing The Foodservice Solutions® Five P’s of Food Marketing:

●      Product

●      Packaging

●      Placement

●      Portability

●      Price

Each P supports the others.

Packaging must preserve freshness.

Placement must maximize convenience.

Portability must support today’s mobile lifestyles.

Price must reflect perceived—not just actual—value.

Consumers increasingly assemble meals rather than purchase complete meals. They mix restaurant entrées with grocery store side dishes, convenience store beverages, club-store desserts, and bakery items from another retailer.

Meal assembly has become mainstream.

Fresh Continues to Outperform Frozen

Consumers continue to gravitate toward foods they perceive as fresher, healthier, and less processed.

Prepared foods departments inside supermarkets have become destinations rather than afterthoughts.

Convenience stores continue upgrading kitchens, adding made-to-order sandwiches, fresh pizza, salads, bowls, chicken, sushi, and premium beverages.

Warehouse clubs continue expanding grab-and-go meals.

Dollar stores are increasing refrigerated and frozen prepared meal offerings.

Even apparel retailers, travel centers, entertainment venues, and non-traditional retailers continue adding foodservice to increase customer frequency.

Fresh prepared food has become one of retail’s strongest traffic drivers.

Technology Is Accelerating Customer Migration

Artificial intelligence, predictive ordering, personalized digital offers, retail media networks, and advanced loyalty platforms are helping retailers deliver more relevant offers to individual consumers.

Consumers increasingly expect:

●      Personalized promotions

●      Digital ordering

●      One-click payment

●      Fast pickup

●      Delivery

●      Meal recommendations

●      Bundle offers

●      Subscription value

Technology is no longer a competitive advantage.

It is simply the price of admission.

The Competition Isn’t Across the Street

Restaurants often believe they’re competing with another restaurant.

They’re not.

They’re competing with:

●      Grocery prepared foods

●      Convenience stores

●      Club stores

●      Meal kits

●      Delivery marketplaces

●      Warehouse retailers

●      Dollar stores

●      Home meal replacement

●      Consumer refrigerators already stocked with fresh prepared foods

The competitive battlefield has expanded dramatically.

Every retailer selling fresh prepared food is competing for the same dinner occasion.

The Future Belongs to Meal Solutions

Consumers don’t wake up wanting another restaurant.

They wake up needing solutions.

●      Solutions that save time.

●      Solutions that satisfy every member of the family.

●      Solutions that require little cleanup.

●      Solutions that fit today’s budget.

Consumers increasingly customize meals by combining Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat foods from multiple retailers into one family meal.

That is the essence of the Grocerant strategy.

It’s no longer about selling a product.

It’s about solving dinner.

As I’ve said for years, the future belongs to retailers and restaurants that help consumers assemble personalized meals quickly, conveniently, and confidently.

Three New Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1.    Winning dinner today means winning the trip—not just the transaction. Retailers that bundle entrées, sides, beverages, desserts, and meal components into simple meal solutions consistently increase basket size, customer satisfaction, and repeat visits.

2.    Convenience has become the new form of hospitality. Consumers increasingly define great service by speed, digital ease, personalization, and frictionless pickup rather than table service alone. Brands that remove obstacles create stronger customer loyalty.

3.    The next decade belongs to retailers that master fresh prepared food. Whether grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, club stores, or emerging retail formats, those investing in Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh meal solutions, supported by strong digital engagement and the Five P’s of Food Marketing, will capture a growing share of America’s dinner occasions.

For corporate consulting, executive presentations, educational forums, or keynote presentations on the future of food retail, contact Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us

Potbelly Understands Today's Families: Why Bringing Back Kids Eat Free Is a Smart Grocerant Strategy

 

For more than three decades, I've maintained that the future of foodservice isn't simply about selling meals—it's about making family life easier. Since founding Foodservice Solutions® in 1991 and introducing the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Grocerant concept to the marketplace, one thing has remained remarkably consistent:

Parents aren't just buying food—they're buying time, convenience, flexibility, and family experiences.

That's exactly why Potbelly's decision to bring back its popular **Kids Eat Free Weekends** promotion deserves recognition.

Far from being just another discount, Potbelly is investing in customer acquisition, family loyalty, and repeat visits during one of the busiest times of the year.

 Summer Creates New Family Meal Occasions

Today's families spend summer weekends moving from soccer tournaments to baseball games, birthday parties, neighborhood gatherings, parks, and community events. Parents often have little interest in shopping for ingredients, cooking from scratch, or cleaning the kitchen afterward.

Instead, they're looking for meals that are:

* Fast

* Affordable

* Fresh

* Customizable

* Kid-approved

* Easy for everyone in the family

 

That's the sweet spot where successful restaurant brands compete today.

Consumers no longer define "family dinner" by everyone eating the same entrée around the table. Instead, today's successful family meal often consists of individually selected meal components assembled into one shared eating occasion.

That's Grocerant Meal Assembly in action.

 

Potbelly Makes Family Dining Easier

Potbelly's promotion gives families exactly what they're looking for.

With every qualifying entrée purchased, children 12 and under receive a complimentary Kids Combo featuring choices including:

* Turkey & Swiss

* Ham & Swiss

* Peanut Butter & Jelly

* Grilled Cheese

* Mac & Cheese

 

Each meal also includes applesauce, a mini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, and bottled water.

Even more importantly, the promotion starts every Friday afternoon and continues throughout the weekend—precisely when families are busiest and meal planning becomes most challenging.

That's outstanding occasion marketing.

Instead of asking consumers to change their routines, Potbelly fits naturally into the routines they already have.

 

Value Means More Than Price

Many restaurant executives mistakenly believe value simply means lowering prices.

Consumers disagree.

Today's families define value as the combination of:

* Convenience

* Speed

* Food quality

* Portion size

* Kid acceptance

* Budget friendliness

* Consistent service

Potbelly delivers on multiple value drivers simultaneously.

Parents purchase meals they already intended to buy while receiving additional value for feeding their children.

Everyone wins.

 

Kids Eat Free Can Build Future Customers

Some restaurant operators view Kids Eat Free promotions strictly as traffic builders.

The smarter operators understand something more important.

Every child who enjoys a positive restaurant experience becomes a potential future customer.

Children influence family dining decisions far more than many operators acknowledge.

When kids ask, "Can we go back to Potbelly?" parents often listen.

That creates long-term brand equity that extends well beyond the immediate promotional period.

The Grocerant Opportunity Continues to Grow

Consumers continue migrating toward Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat meal solutions across every retail food channel.

Restaurants, convenience stores, grocery retailers, warehouse clubs, and even nontraditional retailers are competing for the same meal occasions.

Winning brands understand they aren't simply selling sandwiches or salads.

They're solving tonight's dinner problem.

Potbelly recognizes that making family meals easier creates stronger emotional connections than simply advertising another limited-time menu item.

That's exactly the kind of consumer-first thinking today's marketplace rewards.

Families remember brands that make life easier.

Potbelly is doing exactly that.

Three New Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1. Today's Children Are Tomorrow's Most Valuable Customers

Winning a family visit today often creates years of repeat business. Children develop favorite restaurant brands at an early age, and those positive dining experiences frequently influence purchasing decisions well into adulthood. Investing in kids today is investing in lifetime customer value.

2. Parents Buy Convenience, Kids Drive Restaurant Choice

Parents typically determine the dining budget, but children heavily influence where the family eats. Brands that successfully satisfy both decision-makers—offering value for parents and menu appeal for kids—create a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate.

3. Family Promotions Build More Than Traffic—They Build Brand Affinity**

The most successful Kids Eat Free promotions aren't simply discounts. They create memorable family occasions that strengthen emotional connections with the brand. When a restaurant consistently helps families save time, save money, and enjoy eating together, it earns trust, repeat visits, positive word-of-mouth, and long-term customer loyalty.

About Foodservice Solutions®

Since 1991, Tacoma, Washington-based Foodservice Solutions® has been the global thought leader in the Grocerant® niche, helping restaurants, grocery retailers, convenience stores, food manufacturers, and retailers capitalize on the growing Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food marketplace.

Kroger + Giant Eagle: Why? If Neither Company Can Win More Customers Organically, What's the Point?

 

When Kroger announced its $1.65 billion acquisition of Giant Eagle, the grocery industry immediately began talking about buying power, scale, retail media, private label, and operational synergies.

As the Grocerant Guru®, my first question is much simpler:

Why?

Not why buy Giant Eagle.

Why would consumers care?

Because consumers—not investors—ultimately determine whether acquisitions succeed.

For decades, the grocery industry has relied on the same playbook. Acquire another chain. Add another banner. Increase purchasing leverage. Cut costs. Promise efficiencies. Hope market share follows.

Yet history continues to show that bigger retailers do not automatically become more relevant retailers.

Kroger already operates one of the largest collections of grocery banners in America. Adding Giant Eagle simply gives Kroger one more regional nameplate.

Consumers do not wake up saying, "I wish this store belonged to a larger corporation."

They wake up asking:

What's for dinner?

Where can I get it quickly?

Is it affordable?

Is it fresh?

Is it easy?

 

Can I feed everyone in my family without cooking from scratch?

Those are entirely different questions.

While traditional supermarket operators continue consolidating, customer migration tells a much different story.

Retailers such as Aldi, Lidl, WinCo Foods, and Costco continue attracting shoppers because their value proposition is immediately obvious.

Each has developed a highly differentiated position based on everyday low prices, limited assortment with high inventory turns, operational simplicity, strong private brands, fast shopping trips, and clear customer value.

Warehouse clubs continue benefiting from larger basket sizes, treasure-hunt merchandising, and strong member loyalty. Discount grocers continue attracting shoppers looking for relief from persistent food inflation, while employee-owned retailers such as WinCo maintain pricing advantages through low operating costs.

Those retailers are earning customer migration not because they are larger, but because they consistently solve consumer problems better.

The grocery industry often talks about competing against each other.

That is yesterday's battle.

Today's competitors include warehouse clubs, dollar stores, convenience stores, quick-service restaurants, fast-casual restaurants, meal delivery services, meal kits, and Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat meal solutions.

Consumers no longer think in retail channels.

They simply ask, "What's the easiest way to feed myself or my family tonight?"

The retailers answering that question best are winning.

Supporters of the acquisition point toward greater buying power, improved retail media opportunities, stronger personalization, and operational efficiencies.

Those improvements may help margins.

 

They do not necessarily improve customer traffic.

Neither Kroger nor Giant Eagle has demonstrated consistent organic traffic growth in recent years. Both have faced increasing competitive pressure from value retailers, warehouse clubs, and retailers that better align with changing shopping behaviors.

Simply combining two slower-growth organizations does not automatically create a faster-growing one.

It often creates a larger version of the same problem.

Today's shoppers are making decisions differently than they were just a few years ago.

Industry research throughout 2025 and 2026 continues pointing toward several consistent behaviors.

Consumers are making more frequent shopping trips while purchasing fewer items per visit.

Value remains the primary purchase driver, but convenience increasingly determines where meals are purchased.

 

Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared foods continue outperforming many traditional center-store categories as consumers seek faster meal solutions.

Private label continues gaining share as shoppers become increasingly comfortable substituting retailer brands for national brands.

Digital engagement and personalized promotions influence shopping behavior, but only when paired with meaningful value and relevant meal solutions.

The winners are not simply selling groceries.

They are helping consumers solve dinner.

That is the question investors should be asking.

Not, "How many stores are being acquired?"

 

Instead, ask:

How many new customers will this acquisition create?

How many shoppers will switch from Walmart?

How many Costco members will change their buying habits?

How many Aldi shoppers will return?

How many younger families will choose Kroger over convenience stores and restaurant meal solutions?

 

Those answers remain far less certain than the acquisition announcement itself.

Consumers increasingly want Ready-2-Eat meals, Heat-N-Eat meal solutions, mix-and-match meal components, restaurant-quality food at grocery prices, fresh foods with minimal preparation, personalized meal bundles, and convenient grab-and-go options.

 

That is where future grocery growth will come from.

Not another logo.

Not another banner.

Not another acquisition.

The companies that best integrate fresh prepared foods, meal solutions, portability, personalization, digital engagement, and compelling value will capture tomorrow's customer.

Simply owning more supermarkets will not.

 

Grocerant Guru® Insights

1. Bigger companies do not automatically create bigger customer demand. Organic growth begins with consumer relevance, not acquisition announcements.

2. Scale without differentiation rarely creates customer migration. Consumers switch retailers because of superior value, convenience, meal solutions, or experience—not because ownership changes.

3. The future grocery winner will compete for meals, not merely grocery baskets. Ready-2-Eat, Heat-N-Eat, and meal-component merchandising remain among the industry's greatest growth opportunities.

4. Kroger's biggest challenge is not integrating Giant Eagle. It is convincing consumers that shopping at Kroger offers a meaningfully better experience than shopping at Aldi, Lidl, WinCo Foods, Costco, or simply picking up dinner from a restaurant.

Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, Washington-based Foodservice Solutions®. Since 1991, he has helped retailers and foodservice companies identify customer migration opportunities by focusing on Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared foods, meal solutions, and changing consumer behavior. His work centers on where grocery and foodservice intersect to drive both top-line sales and bottom-line profits.