Are C-store Breakfasts Fast Becoming the Achilles Heel of the Restaurant Sector

One of the unintended consequence of the fast expanding grocerant niche just may be that the success the convenience stores sector has found by evolving its offering of breakfast items.  Success does leave clues and the cue from the c- store sector is that they offer a variety of small, healthier meals and snacks that are quick and on-the-go according to a new study by the Kellogg Company. 

The Kellogg Company study: ReThink Breakfast II research found that; “Today, 33 percent of consumers frequently eat breakfast away from home, but they’re seeking more than a cup of coffee. In fact, 47 percent of consumers are seeking hot breakfast items to accompany their morning cup of Joe,(coffee)”

Foodservice Solutions® team has conducted over 6,150 Grocerant ScoreCards,  since 1991 and 2,025 within the past 24 months tracking the quality and consistency of the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared offering around the country and world and they report that consumers deem much of the fresh parpared food ‘restaurant quality or higher’ and our team agrees with the Kellogg findings.

According to the Kellogg study, the top five reasons consumers purchase breakfast from c-stores include:

1.        Need a quick bite of option

2.        Something to hold them over

3.        Something while shopping

4.        Morning energy or fuel

5.        Traveling to work or school

Frank Mellman, senior insights manager at the Kellogg Co. stated  “ReThink Breakfast II provides retailers with insights and recommendations that will enable them to adapt to consumers’ changing preferences, maximizing sales opportunity for each type of breakfast consumer.”

Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner consumers are driving the evolving grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food migration to new avenues of distribution.  Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, with extensive experience as a multi-unit operator, foodservice grocerant consultant and brand/product positioning expert Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. 

Will Grocery Private-label Fresh Prepared Food be the Next Big Thing?

Form most Americans gone are the days that they walk into the grocery stores walk ever aisle filling a basket, taking it all home and stuffing it into a pantry, and then planning a meal and cooking it from scratch. Retail foodservice today is all about time according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Here are some facts about time:

1.       In 1940 a Home Cooked Meal took 150 minutes to prepare.

2.       In 2000 the average time spent inside a McDonalds restaurant was 11 minutes

3.       Today a Home Cooed meal takes less than 30 minutes

4.       74% of all fast food meals are sold for take-out or via the drive thru and consumed within 5 Minutes.

5.       One in three men spends 15 minutes or less on food preparation a day.

Today grocery stores are selling a plethora of fresh prepared foods that can be mixed and matched into ca customized meal.  They are selling everything from fresh salad mix to salad kits, multiple styles of pasta, with an equal number of sauces; flavored sea salts too fresh prepared caramel truffle ice cream or just about any flavor of gelato for dessert you may want?

Albertsons, Wall-mart, and Publix have begun growing share of sales from new fresh prepared private-label products, and shoppers should expect to keep seeing new items and private brands pop up on store shelves.

Grocery shopping is evolving faster today than ever before.  Kroger’s new concept store Main & Vine is filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.  Today the fresh prepared food you see will increasingly be high-end, with gourmet ingredients, or will be found on the store perimeter, where health-conscious shoppers are hunting for fresh produce and meat.

Private label Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food can be the next big thing in grocery retailing according to the team at Foodservice Solutions® when it is customer focused, interactive and participatory. 

Success clue take care of your customer today. Then you can begin Looking a Customer Ahead? Are you interested in having a Grocerant ScoreCard conducted for your retail outlets?  Contact:  Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us  or Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  for more information on the booming Grocerant niche. 

Are C-stores Faster than Online Ordering

Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is seen by customers as ‘better for you’ and restaurant quality according to the team at Foodservice Solutions®. In fact grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food continues to drive customer adoption, visit frequency, incremental impulse buying according to the team at Foodservice Solutions®.  

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® and team has conducted over 6,150 Grocerant ScoreCards, 2,025 within the past 24 months tracking the quality and consistency of the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared offering around the country and world and they report that consumers deem much of the fresh parpared food ‘restaurant quality or higher’. 

Recent reports found that convenience sector leaders around the world have “expressed concerns recently about the threat from online services such as Amazon Fresh, which is expected to launch in the UK this month. It’s Prime Now service, currently on trial in this country, already allows customers to receive basic groceries within an hour of ordering via a mobile app.”

Foodservice Solutions® team findings reflect that many regional and national c-store chains are fast becoming “destination dinning locations”.  Companies the ilk of Rutter’s Farm Stores, Wawa, Sheetz and 7-Eleven are fast garnering customers from the restaurant sector; specifically; customers looking for Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.

Paul Langston, consulting partner at CACI believes “c-stores have less to fear from online competition than other sectors such as clothing, footwear and leisure, which is forecast to grow from 21% to 34% over the next 10 years.”

Langston continued “By definition, independent (C-store) retailers are most insulated from the online shopping trend. If some big weekly shopping missions are being done online, other areas are best served by convenience stores because of the consumer demand for fresh produce and their need to control budgets.”

Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food drives customer migration and insulates c-stores from online retail cannibalization according to the team at Foodservice Solutions®. 

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Foodservice Solutions® or for a Grocerant Scorecard visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  Email: Steve@FoodserviceSoltuions.us

 

Is Locali Healthy Convenience a Pantry Busting Threat

The ‘halo’ of better for you fresh food just may be on its way to your neighborhood. Locali Healthy Convenience is set to begin franchising and Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® asks will that prove disrupting to grocery stores in the organic, natural space that have focused on grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food? 

Locali Healthy Convenience fresh food retailer, deli, restaurant mission is to “serve delicious, nutritious food made with organic ingredients & lots of love.” Announced that after eight years of operating in the Los Angeles, CA  area it has decided to expand its reach across the country through franchising.

A company spokeswoman stated "While we are continuing company-owned expansion in Southern California, we are now officially going to franchise across the rest of the country, and believe it or not, Australia will likely be our first spot to franchise internationally due to extensive interest coming from there now," 

Locali is a multi- channel retail operator and will begin its franchise push this summer.   The company will be franchising both,Locali Healthy Convenience, its organic deli and natural market quick-service restaurant, as well as Localita & The Badasserie, its vegan fast-food brand. 

The spokeswoman  continued "We look forward to offering a healthy restaurant franchise opportunity to fellow entrepreneurs that puts quality ingredients, community involvement, sustainability, limiting food waste and workers on par with the bottom line,"

As the demand for healthy eating options grows, Locali understands that consumers would prefer not to cook, not to do dishes and not to spend time shopping for groceries.  To that end Locali has a packaged fresh-food line of Locali Healthy Kitchen quinoa bowls and vegan salad dressing are with a local distributor, available for Southern California natural grocery stores, juice bars and cafes. The company will expand the Locali Healthy Kitchen product line over the next year as well. The Locali On The Go vending machine brand is also growing its presence, according to the company. 

Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is in demand around the world.  New avenues of distribution are opening, new opportunities for entrepreneurs emerging all under the umbrella or grocerant niche ‘better for you’.  Better for you food may just become the next big thing. Grocery retailers may have one more competitor that is one step closer to the consumer. 

Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, with extensive experience as a multi-unit operator, foodservice grocerant consultant and brand/product positioning expert Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche.