Foodservice Daypart Dementia

Lifestyle laziness, lifestyle lifeless, or lifestyle lingering food marketers have uncovered a plethora of perplex indicators that combine indicate that today’s consumers has abandoned traditional food consumption patterns, day-parts or meal periods according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru®.

In a new study conducted by Q1 Consulting found “The idea of "grazing," or eating multiple meals per day, is not a new concept in away-from-home dining. Look at any casual-dining menu today and it is clear that small plates, "lunch for dinner" and take-home meals for "later" are a reaction to this consumer trend.”

Here is one example by Q1 Take, “for example, two shoppers: Mike drives a big rig and stops at a convenience store outside of Atlanta at 2:30 a.m. He orders two hot dogs, chips and a fountain beverage. A little farther north, in Chicago, at the same time, Larry is leaving work as a bartender and orders two breakfast sandwiches. Two meals, same time, but is it a meal, dinner, breakfast or snack?

Does it matter?  The simple fact of the matter is there are far fewer workers today than at any time in the past 38 years.  There is record 94,708,000 Americans were not in the labor force in May, 2016 that was 664,000 more than in April, 2016 and the labor force participation rate dropped two-tenths of a point to 62.6 percent, near its 38-year low, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The point is with fewer Americans working and those that are working many are working part-time and non-traditional hours retailers must adapt to a changing retail landscape.  Consumers are dynamic not static and retailer the ilk of Convenience store retailers are better positioning themselves to become the  top venue for "snacking, small-meals, and non-traditional day-part consumers according to Foodservice Solutions® Steven Johnson.

Q1 Consulting suggested the following questions may help in menu development:

1.        Would our top-selling items sell well during another timeframe? Could we offer it all day?

2.        Have we polled our customers and asked if they want roller grill food, breakfast sandwiches, pasta salads, etc., longer (or shorter) than what we currently offer?

3.        Are we willing (as an operator) to deal with 15-20 percent waste during this process?

4. What equipment do we have that may help us offer a wider variety of hot items for longer or shorter periods?

 Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® FIVE P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.