Friday, January 8, 2016

McDonalds Expanding Grocerant Niche Offerings




Customer relevance is very important to McDonalds and no trend can go untested.  The grocerant niche filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is garnering customer adoption and retailer attention and McDonalds is prepared to win.  Remember McDonalds tested and rolled out bone in chicken wings as an LTO two years ago a hand-held meal component. 

The lessons learned from that LTO helped propel the latest test ‘Mcmac’.  In 18 restaurants in Ohio McDonalds is testing out a Mac and Cheese.  McDonald's has had a limited roll-out of mac and cheese in Cleveland-area restaurants since summer.  It is reported that the roll-out will either end or expand in February, depending on customer reaction.   

Mac and Cheese is the number one side order at restaurants after French fries.  The ‘McMac, which comes in a small cup or as an entree part of a Happy Meal provides incremental brand value and drives customer adoption with familiarity.

The Happy Meals with mac and cheese sells for $3 and comes with a side of fries, fruit, and milk. Kid’s meals with ‘McMac’ can become a great option in expanding choice to parents and children.  It is reported that four-ounce portion has 190 calories, about the same as a four-piece Chicken McNugget meal. 

Even more important is the value of the stand-alone cup of mac and cheese goes for $1.75 because it is not just the kids that like options.  One of the hallmarks of grocerant niche success is mix and match meal component bundling. ‘ McMac’ is a perfect fit as a meal component complementing the current menu and complementing consumers favorite foods. Is your brand garnering a larger share of stomach?

Success does leave clues.  Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing the same way.  Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participationdifferentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us
 

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