What’s for Dinner Not Cooking at Home

What’s for dinner?  Just like the old song says ‘things they are A-changin’ Well if your cooking for an at home family meal for two, three, or four, family members, chances are very good your buying several Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meal components according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma WA based Foodservice Solutions®.   

Regular readers of this blog know that grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants are all bundling fresh prepared meal components for the home cook.  The home cook is responding buying individualized components making meal assembly of fresh prepared meal components the replacement for cooking from scratch.

Restaurants, Service Deli, and C-store foodservice aided with branded and private label food manufactures products are all vying for your dinner table. Ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat foods from Swiss steak, Meatloaf, Baked Salmon, Rotisserie Chicken, Pizza and Lasagna fresh prepared, portioned and portable in portions for 1,2, or 5 are all available at most foodservice retail location.

Most exciting is the opportunity for new start-up’s and regional manufactures to produce sustainable business built on local, fresh and unique flavor profiles.  Legacy national brand manufactures are experiencing an increase in repositioning, consolidation and acquisition activities.  Regional start-ups are thriving supplying local restaurants, C-stores and grocery store delis.

Consumer are responding buying meal components in new food channels, experiencing new flavor profiles all the while individualizing the family meal.  The foodservice industry is evolving with the consumer.  Those companies looking for opportunity for growth times have never been better. The consumer is dynamic not static are you keeping pace?

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:

www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant  or www.twitter.com/grocerant

Food Delivery a Foodservice Cultural Shift to Build Sales On

American consumers are migrating from Eating-In to Eating-Out While Eating-In according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. The undercurrents of this sea change in consumers path to purchase was identified, quantified, and qualified by Johnson in Foodservice Solutions® white paper ‘The 65 Inch HDTV Syndrome’

Today 86% of consumers are using off-premise services at least monthly that includes:

1.       78% obtain fresh prepared food from a Drive Thru

2.       75% obtain fresh prepared food as Carry-out or Takeout

3.       64% obtain fresh prepared food from Delivery

According to Melissa Wilson, principal with Technomic “Food delivery, in particular, is projected to grow in the double digits12% per year over the next five years”, In fact year over year food delivery sales are up a staggering 28%. 

Regular readers of this blog know that grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and new non-traditional foodservice outlets are all delivering fresh prepared food. As the lines between food sectors continues to blur so does brand messaging within takeout, drive-thru, and delivery ordering according to Johnson.

Generational shifts are a major contributor to consumers’ growing desire for delivery. By 2026, 80% of millennials will be parents, said Wilson. Combine that, she said, with nearly half of consumers preferring to eat at home. The result is incremental sales growth for operators who can provide the optimal food delivery experience.

One brand doing a particularly good job is Red Robin going where other dare not.  However Red Robin is finding that consumers of all ages are now more open to fresh food delivery and non-traditional branded locations.

Success does leave clues Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu 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

Coffee Catches Customers

Coffee shops, fast food restaurants, and convenience stores are all garnering incremental customers, top line sales, and bottom line profits driven by an increased demand in fresh full flavored coffee according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Today consumers purchase an average of 3.6 beverages per week from c-stores, restaurants, and new non-traditional foodservice locations. Simply put ‘On-the-go’ beverage consumption is fueling coffee visits thus foodservice outlet visits according to Johnson. In fact 64% of consumers have drank coffee within the past month, either at home or from a foodservice outlet.

Erica Colgan, Product Manager at Huhtamaki stated that many of these visits are likely happening on-the-go. “In general, consumer lifestyles are becoming more mobile”... “Coffee has always been an important part of the morning routine for many people, but with busier schedules, it’s often easier to grab a cup to go while on the way to work, school or errands.”

Colgan continued “A great to-go cup starts with proper insulation. While many busy professionals don’t have the time to linger over a cup of coffee in the morning, they want it to stay hot on the go. Not only do quality cups keep beverages at the right temperature for a longer period of time, but they also make it more comfortable to hold—something that’s important for customers who stop in before their morning commutes. “With proper insulation, drinks will stay hot and the cup stays comfortable to the touch, making it easier to hold during commutes and while on-the-go,”

Fresh fast full flavored coffee service in the morning has incremental brand-building power for foodservice outlets. Retail foodservice outlets can print logos and other branding on the outside of cups, which increases brand recall for consumers. With branded cups, an operator can gain additional exposure. Colgan says “allows operators to showcase their brand in a high-quality way. And now, the extended sleeve provides even more room for branding.”

More and more municipalities are banning legacy plastic and Styrofoam cups.  Are you prepared with the proper cups for takeout?  Do your brand cups look more like yesterday than tomorrow? The best-designed to-go cups will take into consideration consumer needs and preferences, and adapt to those needs.

Success does leave clues and being prepared with branded cups of fresh brewed coffee that is full flavored is a clue not operator should over look.  Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Just Salads Consumer Interactive & Participatory

Was May the month you were going to slim down for summer? Well if it was and you were one of the luck consumers Just Salads may have been where you have been eating.  Just Salad launched an endless salad bowl promotion in May, joining a number of other chains that have debuted recent pay-upfront deals.

The Just Salad’s $99 Unlimited Salad Bowl, which sold out in about six hours entitled the purchaser to one salad each of the 31 days in May. That includes any chef-designed salad or a custom creation with four toppings and one protein. The deal breaks down to $3.19 per salad if purchased each day. The chain will limit sales to 100 Unlimited Salad Bowls.

Just Salads received lots of ‘buzz’ around the pay-upfront endless salad bowl promo according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  However Johnson wondered aloud during his presentation in Chicago during the NRA Show if this could become a new subscription model for many fast casual restaurants?

Just Salad’s Chief Branding Officer Rosalin Siv “This is the first time we’re doing it, so we’re testing the waters,” Johnson ask why not evolve this model? A number of other chains have found success with similar pay-upfront promotions, most notably Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Pass, which typically sells out in less than one second. That’s just a flash in the pan but how could you move this business model forward?

The Unlimited Salad Bowl promotion meshes with Just Salad’s sustainable, earth-friendly mission. The fast-casual chain already sells a $1 reusable bowl, with which customers can get free toppings during each visit. Some 785,000 consumers have used the reusable bowls in the last year, the brand says.

Amazon has it subscription service Amazon Prime which over 100 million customer pay for. Gym membership are growing in popularity among all ages so Johnson asks could a subscription base drive your restaurants top line sales and bottom line profits?

Restaurant punch cards were big back in the day but could a subscription service become the base of a loyalty program; could it become you new electricity? In the minds-eye of Johnson, there is one dominate element that will power success within retail foodservice over the coming years.  Johnson calls it the new electricity that is partnerships specifically strategic partnerships.   

The new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh food, sous vide meal components, portable meals, meal kits, subscription services, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing.

Retailers the ilk of Supermarkets, Restaurants, Conveniences Stores, Dollar Stores, and Department Stores that selling food and want to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing portable prepared fresh food.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Where is your new electricity coming from?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.

Rutter's Menu Innovation Edifies Local

Success does leave clues and Rutter’s understands innovation does not mean something completely new or different it means something familiar something local something liked by current customers according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Rutter's has include two local favorites to its menu: Pork Belly and Pepperoni "Roni" Rolls. Pork Belly rolled out across the York-based convenience store retailer's menu on Wednesday and is available as an additional topping for items including burgers, sandwiches, and mac & cheese, in addition to a standalone sandwich, sub or wrap. It will be featured on Rutter's menu exclusively for two months.

Keeping the flavor profile local Rutter’s Pork Belly is supplied from local vendor Garrett Valley in Swedesboro, N.J. According to Rutter's, it is the only c-store chain in the country to initially have this item.

Rutter's partnered with another local vendor, Mom's Wholesale Foods in New Castle, Pa., to introduce Roni Rolls. The menu addition is soft, Italian dough stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, and topped with cheese.

Rutter's focuses on local manufacturers and suppliers to help it bring high-quality ingredients to customers. The c-store retailer describes local food items as products that come from producers/manufacturers within a 100-mile radius from its corporate office, or in the state of Pennsylvania, Rutter's Director of Foodservice Ryan Krebs noted.

Success does leave clues Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu 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

Dunkin’ Donuts New Electricity = Partnerships

Success does leave clues and at the beginning of this year Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® called 2018 the year of partnerships. Chain restaurants the ilk of Dunkin’ Donuts continue to prove Johnson to be spot on as Dunkin’ expands product innovation within its relationship with Coca-Cola.

What is the key driver for foodservice moving forward?  In the minds-eye of Johnson, there is one dominate element that will power success within retail foodservice over the coming years.  Johnson calls it the new electricity that is partnerships specifically strategic partnerships.   

The new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh food, sous vide meal components, portable meals, meal kits, sustainable oils, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing.

Retailers the ilk of Supermarkets, Restaurants, Conveniences Stores, Dollar Stores, and Department Stores that selling food and want to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing portable prepared fresh food.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

Dunkin’ Donuts addition of Cookies & Cream to its popular and fast-growing line of bottled, ready-to-drink iced coffee beverages produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company is another example of how to expand your brands reach.

Cookies & Cream is available now at grocery stores, convenience, drug store and mass retail channels, and at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout the U.S, Cookies & Cream joins Dunkin’s other RTD coffee flavor offerings: Original, Mocha, Espresso and French Vanilla.

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Where is your new electricity coming from?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.

Grocery Shopping Take’s too Long

The retail food shopping experience is evolving faster than many legacy CPG manufactures; grocery retailers can even begin to image according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Once top of mind for consumers were brands the ilk Hunts, Kraft Heinz , and Campbell’s Soup today consumers want fresh meal components and are migrating to retailers with fresh food they can buy fast.

In search to speed up the grocery shopping experience consumers have come to rely on digital channels and now expect online access in their path to purchase, a study by consumer target marketing firm SKUlocal found.

Forty-three percent of shoppers have subscribed to receive home delivery of grocery products, and 47% have done so for beauty and personal care products, according to SKUlocal’s report “The Convenience Dynamic: How Digital Shopping Is Shifting the Grocery Ecosystem.”

“Brands and grocery retailers can no longer afford to ignore e-commerce. While some adoption rates remain low and not all categories have shifted fully online, e-commerce now represents the opportunity for significant market share which must be considered in the strategic planning process,” St. Petersburg, Fla.-based SKUlocal said in the report. “While accommodating the shift may be a challenge, it also presents a host of opportunities.”

Price plays a key role in swaying consumers to buy online rather than in-store. Of digital grocery shoppers, 52% think they find better prices online for groceries, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter health products and pet supplies, SKUlocal said. Just 28% believe they’ll get better prices by going to the store.

“It’s imperative that brands and retailers alike become very strategic on which product categories to feature and push online, and analyze which products drive more in-store sales conversions,” SKUlocal noted in the report.

For example, although Millennial shoppers are digitally native and have embraced online grocery delivery faster than other consumers, they’re also the most likely to switch channels to get what they want. SKUlocal’s research found that 56% of Millennials tend to buy natural and organic foods in-store. What’s more, only 16% have used digital channels to purchase healthier foods.

Purchases of center store and general merchandise have moved online the fastest, while HBA, OTC, and fresh and frozen foods are migrating more slowly, SKUlocal reported. Yet private label presents a sizable opportunity for brands and retailers in the digital realm. The study found that 77% of consumers have considered buying private label products online when shopping for grocery, HBA, pet care and OTC items.

“Shoppers revealed that low brand affinity is one of the main influences to consider private-label brands when shopping for high-margin grocery categories,” SKUlocal’s report said in explaining how private label is capturing strong e-commerce share.

Over the next 10 years, online grocery shopping stands to reach market saturation, accounting for over a fifth of grocery spend. That means marketers must get a better handle on where targeted shoppers are buying various product categories and why they’re using those channels, according to SKUlocal.

“Shoppers aren’t just omnichannel in terms of how they’re exposed to marketing; they’re omnishoppers that fluidly move between each channel to make the purchases that meet their needs,”. “Marketers must approach them holistically if they want to capture the right touchpoints and influence them to become repeat shoppers or loyal customers.” Is your retail experience fast enough? Are you selling fresh meal components?

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Grocerant Growth Food Options Speeds New Concept Dash In Forward

Success does leave clues and retailers are evolving from Convenience Stores and Restaurants to Grocerant niche fresh food concepts that are garnering incremental customer loyalty, driving food retail migration, expanding disruption within legacy retail food sectors according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Dash In a new concept store by the Willis Group created a platform where time stared consumers can get a fresh meal and or meal components or eat a fresh prepared meal according to Johnson. Dash In has 5,600 sq. ft. and blurs the lines between restaurant and C-store by combining a neighborhood bar and grill format with the self-service gas station and car wash layout that is familiar to consumers.

To appeal to consumers’ on-the-go lifestyles, the store stocks fresh, made-in-house grab and go menu items such as artisan sandwiches and salads, in addition to locally sourced snacks such as Good Earth Peanuts, grown in Skippers, Virginia, about one hour south of Richmond.

The bar and grill features of the Dash In store include indoor bar and communal seating, and outdoor seating. An open kitchen will prepare items from the store’s “Craveable” menu which includes Memphis pulled-pork sandwich made with slow-cooked pork in a maple brown sugar barbecue sauce and topped with caramelized onions, as well as a cranberry chicken croissant that Willis Group noted is a customer favorite. The sandwich is made with chicken breast, dried cranberries, red onion, and a hint of lime.

Julian B. Wills, president of Dash In  stated “Our newest Dash In is a demonstration of our commitment to creating a store design that offers an elevated brand experience for our customers,” Dash In capitalizes on several strategies food industry research company Nielsen identified as necessary to remain competitive in a saturated food retail market most of which mirrors Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCard data.

In an Insight report from 2017 Nielsen noted that convenience stores have many sources for inspiration. “In the QSR realm, speed has become an essential service element,” Nielsen reported. “Convenience stores need to follow suit, ensuring that customers looking for a quick meal can get in and out swiftly.”

The Dash In concept store offers all-day breakfast, as a nod to the quick-service restaurant (QSR) channel and a direct invitation to customers. Nielsen also recommended restaurant-style seating, broad menus for in-store service and premium product offerings as strategies for elevating the customer experience.

Here is what was different “Digging deeper, Nielsen data shows that subcategories like enhanced water, import, super premium and craft beer, ready-to-eat (RTE) meals, e-cigarettes, tools and housewares and sparkling wine all delivered mid-to-high double-digit sales growth for convenience stores last year,” Nielsen said in its Insight report.

Darleen Nascimento, director of brand marketing for Dash In  “We are delighted to support the craftsmanship of local purveyors and breweries throughout the region within this new Dash In experience,”  “Dash In’s commitment is to make life more rewarding for time-stretched people — we look forward to transforming necessary errands into engaging experiences.”

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Digital Payment Speeds Service Drives Sales

Legacy grocery stores have long been known by consumers as a place that it takes too long to shop at and even longer to wait in line to pay only to coaxed while in line for that last minute impulse buy the consumer really did not want according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

In a new study by Adyen found “Over the last 12 months, 86 percent of U.S. consumers say they have left a store due to long lines, resulting in purchases at a different retailer or no purchase at all. This resulted in approximately $37.7 billion lost in potential sales. In addition, $1.1 billion in potential sales have been lost when retailers don't support their customers' preferred payment methods, the survey found.

A key segment emerged in the study, coined "Spendsetters." This group loves to use technology, tends to be early adopters and represents one-third of all consumers and 52 percent of millennials.

According to Adyen, spendsetters will drive the future of retail as the key segment of shoppers who set the trends for how people want to spend and shop. The group is also the leading indicator of broader customer demands in retail experience and where the industry is headed.

Roelant Prins, chief commercial officer at Adyen stated "Retailers need to cater to shoppers by offering fast, easy and frictionless ways to pay so there are minimal lines and offer personalized recommendations and in-store deals. In other words, experience is key." Additional findings on Spendsetters from the survey include:

·         45 percent believe brand is important and are willing to pay a premium for the experience

·         49 percent love to shop

·         42 percent prefer to shop online

·         80 percent are comfortable using digital wallets

·         86 percent have left a store due to long lines

Spendsetters also have three overarching shopping demands:

Convenience

·         75 percent would shop more in-store with a "just walk out" payment experience

·         69 percent would shop more in-store with shorter lines and direct shipping of out-of-stock products

Context (personalized)

·         57 percent say the ability to check if an item is available online before going in-store would increase their loyalty to a retailer

·         53 percent prefer a store with a mobile loyalty program

·         72 percent would shop more with personalized product recommendations and coupons, based on location

·         61 percent want personalized experiences based on past purchases and preferences

Control (interaction on their terms)

·         59 percent want to use a store-branded app to pay onsite

·         80 percent are comfortable using digital wallets

·         53 percent would shop more online if they could use a chatbot with personalized recommendations

·         80 percent would increase shopping frequency online through marketplaces

The survey also examined issues from the retailers' perspective:

·         46 percent of retailers are considering cashless stores

·         67 percent see an increase in customers using their mobile phones in-store for coupons, payments and product info

·         64 percent see a need for associates to use mobile devices to better assist customers

Additionally, when it comes to luxury retailers, 85 percent see an increase in customers using their mobile phone for shopping in stores in regards to coupons, payments and product information, and 74 percent are considering cashless stores that only accept cards and digital payment.

So just what is your New Electricity? Success does leave clues www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed a Grocerant Program Assessment, or new Grocerant niche product Ideation?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us