At 4 PM Personalization, Customization Drive Meal Time

Restaurant customer migration continues to be the undercurrent driving the success of the fast growing grocerant niche, filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food sales, retail format experimentation, new non-traditional points of fresh food distribution. Foodservice Solutions® found that 81% of consumers do not know what they are going to have for dinner at 4PM on any given day.

The fact that 50% of US consumers over the age of 18 are single is a key contributing factor driving the fast evolving food marketplace. Today, McDonald’s drive-thru works for dinner for many, Pizza Huts delivery woks for others, Burger King now delivers, and KFC has a bucket just waiting for the taking

Don’t get the wrong idea, restaurants are not the only answer for today’s households.   Grocery stores the ilk of Whole Foods, have gone way beyond offering deli sliced meat.   Whole Foods has reported that sales of prepared foods including salads, soups, pizza, barbecue, sushi, burgers, roasted corn, roasted peppers and depending on location ethnic food, and season specials average 32 percent of sales and are closer to 41% of store profits.  Whole Foods is not alone, Wegman’s, Safeway, Publix, SuperMax and H.E.B. all are extending fresh food sales.

Non-traditional outlets including Ikea report sales of 2 Billion dollars in prepared food sales at its stores.  Ikea sells Swedish meatballs, mash potatoes, salads and even offers a $0.99 breakfast.  Costco reports that restaurant sales (near it registers) exceed $1.3 Billion and year worldwide and are profitable.  That makes Costco one of the top 50 restaurants in sales in the country.  

Non-traditional continues to expand it may be non-traditional in the mind’s eye of brand marketers but not consumers. San Angelo, Texas based Pinkies liquor store has no inside or outside tables yet is finding success selling Grab-N-Go meals including chef prepared including brisket, pork tenderloin, spinach soufflé, herb-roasted potatoes, Cajun chicken strip sandwiches.

Convenience stores continue to expand in fresh food as well.  Wawa, Rutters, Sheetz continue to expand fresh food offerings while building same store sales and opening location in new regions and states. Nation’s Restaurant News has awarded both 7-Eleven and Sheetz with one of its coveted “Golden Chain” awards.  

Foodservice Solutions® team continues to find that Personalization, Customization, Family Meal Cohesion were second only to Food Quality and Cleanliness for time starved consumers.  The continued opportunity for retail and fresh food sales success within the every sector of food retailing looks bright

Don’t let your brand get left behind. Success does leave clues outside eyes can deliver inside sales. Get a grocerant SWOT analysis a grocerant Scorecard and start Looking A Customer Ahead. For more Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  or http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant Call: 1-253-759-7869 today or Email Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us .