Tim Horton’s research found Brown-bag Boredom continues and restaurants need answers.

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru Steven Johnson has documented, followed and detailed fresh food sales success in non-traditional food channels since 1991.  “Brown-bag Boredom” is a great way to describe universal commonalities driving food consumer migration from cook at home, to restaurant visits now a focus on non-tra

ditional avenues of fresh food distribution. In new research by Ipsos Loyalty on behalf of Tim Horton’s found that Canadians are just like Americans just south of the border.  Here is what the Ipsos poll revealed:

Canadians use their allotted lunch time as a midday catch-up, with 30 per cent of the respondents saying they like to socialize with friends and colleagues over a quick noon-time bite.

Nearly 40 per cent of Canadians eat out for lunch in a given month

Forty-seven per cent of those who bring their lunch at least sometimes wished they had gone out to eat instead and nearly 20%percent actually do ditch their brown bag and eat out instead

Sixty per cent are in search of a hot lunch, with men ranking this as 10 percent more important than women

Women (44%) are nearly 10 per cent more likely than men (35%) to head out for lunch in order to satisfy a craving

Two-thirds (68%) of those who eat out are hustling to eat in thirty minutes or less

Consumers want to go out!  However they continue to be “time-starved and are looking for a hot and hearty lunch, something that is beyond the ordinary," explains Donna Finelli, Vice President Food Marketing, Tim Hortons.”  Ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food options need to be different, exciting and extend the flavor profile of day-2-day foods in-order to entice consumer trial.

Tim Hortons focus on ready-2-eat fresh prepared food is intent on expanding menu options by day-part to edify current customer and garner additional customers.  Restaurants need research to understand the customers are dynamic not static.  Moving with consumers is a key to on-going success.  The grocerant niche continues to boom in large part because food retailers are allowing their brand to evolve. Is your brand evolving as fast as consumer are?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging 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