Saturday, June 30, 2018

H-E-B faces the Grocery store Conundrum Restaurant or Fresh Prepared Food



Many legacy grocery stores simply do not understand the consumer according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Regular readers of this blog know that Johnson believes that category managers have destroyed the grocery shopping by looking at what was sold in the store and its profitability while ignoring what customers are buying and at what price in other retail foodservice channels. 
Consumers in Texas where H-E-B is located are just like the consumer around the US according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCards.  The team at Foodservice Solutions® was wondering out loud why in the word did H-E-B open a restaurant ‘taco shop’ inside one of their stores.  As outside observes they speculated that H-E-B opened the restaurant because their store are simply to damn big and/or the category managers can’t find enough food to sell customers or slotting fees to break even.
The “grocerant” trend is not just about restaurant sales it is about Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food that consumers can buy in single, or family sized portions and mix and match meal components into a perfect family meal. 
It just might be time to talk about Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.  That is not food that is made in a commissary and scooped out of a bucket for two weeks and sold a fresh.  Today consumers can tell the difference.  Fresh is onsite or a regional kitchen that makes and distributes fresh food daily.  It is not meant to come in sealed plastic buckets, sit on the shelf for 6 weeks then be scooped out. That is not grocerant fresh food too consumers today.
Restaurants sales per square foot range on average from $525 to $580 dollars per square foot.  Yes, there are exceptions but it does not make much of a difference if it is a fast food format, fast casual, or full service the sales per square foot remain within those average.  My point is we have no problem with what the concept is we have a problem with the fact that most grocery stores don’t first make a serious effort to integrate a quality fresh prepared food program selling meal components before opening a restaurant.
Most regular readers of this blog remember what we said when Hy-Vee opened Wahlburgers. You have to understand that Hy Vee also has very large stores kinds makes you wonder just how Hy-Vee will integrated Wahlburgers brand values into their store.  We ask after one year will Walhburgers in Hy-Vee exceed the volumes of those outside / not in Hy-Vee?
In the last 12 years there are now 47% fewer traditional grocery stores in the US.  At the same time there are now 31 restaurants in the US for every grocery store.  Restaurants have problems of their own and restaurant customer counts remain flat.  Restaurants are not the solution to solving grocery store customer migration.  Success does leave clues and the team at Foodservice Solutions® has the clues and understand that a new business model is required if legacy grocery stores intend to regain foodservice importance.  Are you looking at what you sell or do you know what your customers are eating and where and why?
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


Friday, June 29, 2018

Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill Picking up all the right Clues


The restaurant industry can prove to be a difficult platform to find success.  The simple fact of the matter is give the customers what they want and how they want it and you will find success according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.
Consumers will tell you what they like by their actions.  If you open a restaurant and sales continue to climb you are most likely doing all the right things.  However consumers like more than just going in to a restaurant and sitting down and enjoying dinner.  Here is one example from North Carolina based Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill.
Recently a Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill franchisee, Steve and Pam Stallings added a drive-thru window to their existing location in Louisville’s Middletown neighborhood. It features the chain’s new drive-thru model which also offers Mexican favorites such as five flavorful house-made salsas, custom burritos, tacos, nachos and salads made fresh to order with an extensive selection of proteins, toppings and fillings.
This location marks the third Salsarita’s drive-thru added or built to a new restaurant. Salsarita’s drive-thru’s now generate 22 percent of restaurant sales. “The Stallings have been great partners all along,” stated Phil Friedman, president and CEO of Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill. “They are the highest producing sales volume franchisees in our system. The drive-thru concept will enhance sales even further and make the dining experience more convenient for their guests.”
“We’ve been really excited to grow the brand in Louisville, and this turned out to be the perfect time for us to add a drive-thru option to our existing restaurant,” said Steve Stallings. As deeply rooted residents of Louisville, the Stallings are active in their local community and host regular fundraisers at their Salsarita’s locations to benefit local charitable organizations and sports teams. 
The simple fact is drive-thru’s are not new to consumers they are increasingly in demand however. If you have a sit down, fast casual, fine fast, or full service restaurant you just might want to expand your service by giving consumers what they have grown to expect, like and even demand 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 participationdifferentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Food and Generation Z is your Brand Selling what they Want


Each generation of consumers seems to elevate demands on food retailers.  There are a set of common undercurrents including increased speed of service, delivery, bolder flavors, and foods with a ‘halo’ of better-for-you’ that have been and will continue to drive change in food retailing according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. 
Since Generation Z will make up more than 40 percent of buying power by the year 2020 if you are not focusing on them now you should start soon according to Johnson.  The generation after millennials, is Generation Z.   Gen Z is made up of those born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.  Gen Z accounts for 25 percent of the U.S. population, making it a larger cohort than baby boomers or millennials.
The first thing that is different about this group is they like shopping in stores vs online. So I guess differentiation discovering what on the shelf. Gen Z, or Pivotals as consumer trends consultancy FutureCast also calls them, range in age from pre-tween to 21, and they already claim more than $40 billion in buying power.
Bharat Rupani, president of Interactions, which recently released its Next Generation of Retail study."Generation Z is constantly connected to technology, which retailers may find intimidating to overcome when it comes to in-store engagement. However, our study found that this group is longing for retailers to provide an engaging in-store experience. In fact, when given the choice, the majority prefer shopping in-store vs. online," 

The Interactions study continued finding that Gen Z consumers are very price-conscious and prefer to spend money on experiences vs. material items, and they are not brand loyal (81 percent are willing to switch from their favorite brand if they find a similar product at a higher quality).
Convenience Store News polled various retail, consumer and convenience industry experts and here’s what they had to say how retailers could best garner Gen Z consumers:
1.        First off, treat this consumer group like valued customers despite their young age. Go after low-hanging fruit like free Wi-Fi and clerks who greet them.
2.        Creating engaging in-store experiences are a good way to hook Gen Z. Think along the lines of snacks they can’t find anywhere else.
3.        Bolster your business with Gen Z by creating newsworthy pop-culture events around a wide variety of ethnic and international foods; Gen Z is a very diverse group.
4.        Leverage technology in ways that appeal to Gen Z, such as the availability of Apple Pay at the counter. The idea is to create a journey whereby they can get in and out without looking up much from their phones.
5.        Promote and advertise through social media; work with "influencers" as part of the strategy. Don't waste time on TV advertising as they're not really watching.
6.        Present the very best mobile shopping experience possible; pay attention to content and image guidelines from outsourced professionals, if necessary.
7.        Brace yourself and your store for 2020 when the Zs are predicted to be the driving force of the consumer world.
In a digital world retail foodservice discovery at each store is important to Gen Z.  For the retailer to win Johnson believes that retailers need to make the inside of each store digitally inclusive, interactive, and participatory.
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


Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Del Taco Looks to Differentiate With Two Tier Pricing and Fresh Food Fast


Fresher, faster, and more flavorful Del Taco is rebranding itself to out-position the competition in the minds-eye of the consumer before Taco Bell or Chipotle according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.
Del Taco’s new tagline is Fresh Mexican Grill just like McDonald’s Del Taco is betting that when you combine a two tier pricing strategy with freshness and innovative new products customer trial and migration will follow
Del Taco unveiled its system wide brand refresh which included implementing a combination of new back-of-house and guest-facing initiatives to further differentiate and separate itself in the crowded quick-serve and fast casual landscape. Initiatives included in the brand refresh are:
1.       Reimagined packaging, with a more contemporary design and color palate inspired by the brand’s Southern California heritage
2.       Hospitality initiatives, including a focus on creating more personalized interactions, such as calling guests by name vs. order number, as well as team members introducing themselves by name
3.       Redesigned panels of interior and drive-thru menu boards7
4.       Quesadilla equipment innovation designed to provide a more caramelized exterior and melty interior8
5.       Crew uniforms that celebrate the fresh preparation Del Taco teams do everyday in each restaurant
6.       New concept tagline—Fresh Mexican Grill
7.       New holistic advertising campaign, “Celebrating the Hardest Working Hands in Fast Food,” reinforcing fresh ingredient preparation, including chopping, grilling, slicing and shredding, which is prevalent across the brand’s menu items
8.       Fresh Produce Chalkboard posted in each restaurant, showcasing where produce is sourced from, when it was picked, and which team member prepared it that day
M. Barry Westrum, Del Taco’s chief marketing officer stated “The $1 Chicken Quesadilla Snacker is a perfect example of our barbell menu strategy, which highlights ingredients that are prepped fresh across our entire menu, from value to premium. It’s a Del Taco differentiator, and an attribute we’re fully leveraging, while empowering our team members to deliver a service experience that is on par with leading fast casual concepts,”
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 participationdifferentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.


Tuesday, June 26, 2018

7-Eleven Reinforces Fast Flavorful Food


7-Eleven ability to leverage food marketing, food branding too elevate customer migration is unequaled in its success.  Just consider that 7-Elevens Slurpees since they was introduced 1996, more than 7.6 billion Slurpee drinks have been purchased; and 7-Eleven customers consume about 14 million Slurpees a month on average; and they are sold 19 countries.
7-Eleven’s ability to cultivate a brands value has to be top of mind for Taco Bell executives when they entered into an exclusive relationship with 7-Eleven to distribute Taco Bell Tortilla Chips creating new electricity both brands according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.
A press release reported that. The convenience store retailer received an exclusive launch window for the fast-food chain’s hot-sauce flavored-inspired chips that rolled out across locations beginning April 30.
In store, the salty snacks received secondary merchandising space via floor stands. Facebook updates from Taco Bell and 7-Eleven respectively touted the SKUs and invited customers to "get them first at 7-Eleven."
Regular readers of this blog know that according to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”
Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, urban clothing, grocerant consultants, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing. Once again these two retail giants understand the undercurrents driving top line sales and bottom line profits in 2018 and moving forward. .
Foodservice retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.
Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.


Monday, June 25, 2018

What’s For Dinner Tonight “My mom made two dishes: Take it or Leave it.”


It’s 4PM and 65% of consumers do not know what’s for dinner.  So if you are wondering just what is for dinner you can understand why we see restaurant customer migration increasing? “My mom made two dishes: Take it or Leave it.”  Is a line made famous by comedian Stephen Wright?  Today restaurants need to battle the 65 inch HDTV’s demand for time and attention according to the Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson of Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®

Brands must offer food on multiple channels or consumer will simply dial out when selecting what’s for dinner according to Johnson. Take it or leave it has come and gone. Today all food consumers are empowered with choice driven by preferences in flavor profiles, portion size, packaging, and portability. Below are 5 clues to consider when considering how to ebb customer migration.

1.       U.S. consumers under the age of 25 spend an average of 40.9% of their food expenditures on food away from the home focus on Gen Z and Millennials.
2.       Americans ages 23-34 spent 45.2% of food expenditures away from home the same report found.3.
3.       Here is the kicker, those ages 75 and up spent the least at 31.8%.  Grocerant niche prepared fresh food is evolving just how and where consumers shop for dinner.
4.       Restaurants in France are increasingly offering “cafĂ© gourmand,” a desert dish featuring an espresso and multiple small desserts on a single plate.  Mix and Match bundling anyone is a key driver of retail success.
5.       The U.S. Census found that 47.6% of U.S. adults over the age of 18 are single. Start focusing on meals and meal components for one person rather than trying to sell a package of 14 pork chops.
The grocerant niche is filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh and prepared meal components.  Around the world consumers are refocusing how, where and when they chose to buy food. Are you positioned within your niche to build sales? 
Steven Johnson is the President and Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, with extensive experience as a multi-unit operator, consultant and brand/product positioning. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us for more.


Sunday, June 24, 2018

What’s Driving Foodservice Success in 2018


Brand relevance is driven consumer interaction and participation with innovative food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Part of the new electricity according to Merchant Centric is elevating that interaction and participation on a social platform.   
Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, pricing, grocerant positioning, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, digital hand held marketing and portability.
Foodservice retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.
Recently Merchant Centric, reveled in a new research study in conjunction with Xenial, a leader in the restaurant technology experience, showing a 66 percent jump in online reviews of businesses. In the restaurant sector, the significant increase in online reviews suggests the growing impact, both positively and negatively, that these reviews can have on revenues. For example, according to a report by Harvard Business Online, a one-star bump in a Yelp rating can translate into a 5- to 9-percent increase in revenue.
As a result, restaurants are becoming far more proactive in engaging with guests’ online reviews. According to data from March 2017 to March 2018, there was a 29 percent increase in the rate of restaurants that have responded to online reviews. Overall, restaurants engaged with guests at a 46 percent higher rate compared to other businesses.
David Bay, CEO of Merchant Centric stated “Our research shows consumers rely heavily on online reviews and social media for restaurant recommendations,” “Reviews have become incredibly influential since people consider them as first-hand reliable accounts, as if it was a friend giving their opinion. It’s now vital for restaurants to interact with online reviews in order to increase revenue.”
Christopher Sebes, president of Xenial stated “Online reviews are the new word-of-mouth, and a single review or post can have a dramatic impact on a business when it reaches thousands or even millions of users “Actively engaging with both favorable and negative reviews can have an enormous impact on one’s business. Our data shows that customers respond more positively to a business that engages with them, and that’s why this technology is so instrumental in improving the consumer experience and driving sales.”
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

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Who Cooks Dinner from Scratch Damm Few


Imitation is the highest form of flattery and Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® told his team he was quite humbled when he learned that a large group of retail foodservice research groups and associations combined to use his studies as the foundation of ‘The Power of Foodservice 2018 – Part 2.  The focus, format, findings, and vernacular edified Johnson's work dating back as far as 1996. 
Regular readers of this blog not only know that Johnson identified, quantified, qualified the Grocerant niche; that he coined the word Grocerant back in the day, and published articles in both Nation’s Restaurant News and Foodservice Director in 1996 in an article titled: Call them Grocerants.
This new report will have surprises for regular readers of this blog.  The report edifies Johnsons finding to the point of unmistaken nuance.  Let’s start by how they are framing the new report: “By 4 p.m., 65 percent of shoppers don’t know what they’re going to have for dinner, but they do know they want it to be fresh, healthy and convenient—an intersection that places retail foodservice in a prime growth position if it’s well executed.” Here are the top 10 findings from the report. A link to the full study is available below.
1. The number of home-prepared dinners is decreasing, and where retail foodservice should benefit, it is not.
The average number of home-prepared dinners dropped to 4.6 meals per week, showing declines across demographics. However, with retail foodservice visits flat and unit/eaches sales down, restaurants are the main beneficiary of these declines. Whereas young Millennials are the least likely to cook, the presence of children appears to be a turning point for Millennials to eat at home more often. Older Millennials over index for retail foodservice and present a big growth opportunity.
2. A staggering 65 percent of Americans don’t know what’s for dinner at 4 p.m., and retail foodservice is not top of mind.
Only 35 percent of Americans usually know what’s for dinner two hours before mealtime, but only 15 percent frequently consider retail foodservice when unsure. The less likely shoppers are to have set dinner plans, the lower their per capita grocery spending. Standard featured days, a weekly meal plan, chef specials and online planning/shopping tools may drive awareness and sales.
3. Seven in 10 shoppers emphasize healthy, nutritious choices when ordering from retail foodservice or restaurants.
Healthful eating strategies differ by population group, but switching to better-for-you alternatives is the most frequently employed tactic of health-focused shoppers and foodservice regulars. While 68 percent of shoppers believe sufficient information to make educated decisions is available in general, many would appreciate additional tools in the deli/prepared foods department, led by healthier ingredients (85 percent), clean label items (83 percent) and in-store health and nutrition information/education (71 percent).
4. More shoppers are taking action on calorie callouts at restaurants. They are influencing retail foodservice selections equally.
While awareness of calorie labeling in restaurants is relatively unchanged, more of the shoppers who have taken notice are changing their selections—up 8 percentage points. Awareness of menu labeling at retail is lower than restaurants, at 54 percent vs. 77 percent. However, among shoppers who notice, an equal share adapts their selections. Most shoppers prefer to receive calorie and other nutrition information by the item or spoon, at 67 percent. An ounce-based system is the least popular.
5. Shoppers want it all: the ultimate deli/prepared foods department has grab-and-go and made-to-order.
Made-to-order offerings guaranteeing freshness and customization is the only way to go, according to 32 percent of shoppers, but 64 percent believe the ideal deli department carries both grab-and-go and made-to order items. Retail foodservice has a big opportunity to position either solution type as a meal ingredient in addition to a meal replacement as 53 percent of shoppers combine scratch-cooking with semi- and fully-prepared items.
6. Shoppers’ top ways of learning about a grocery store’s retail foodservice offering are in-store, but key targets shop less often.
In-store signage and personal observation/experience are the prime ways in which shoppers learn about a store’s foodservice offering. Both require in-store presence and far exceed the reach of out-of-store vehicles such as websites, apps or social media. This is the underlying reason for prime target consumers who cook less, but also shop less, to bypass retail foodservice. These consumers need other in- and out-of-store triggers to drive purchases, with awareness and variety being two major drivers.
7. Adding to its grocery adjacency advantage, retailers should emphasize the quality, freshness and healthfulness of the food itself.
Shoppers point to saving time over cooking, planning and cleaning, and having an immediate meal on the table as the four chief advantages of retail foodservice over home cooking. The ability to combine picking up tonight’s dinner with grocery shopping is seen as the greatest advantage over restaurant/fast food, followed by speedier ordering/pick up and offering better value for the money. Foodservice regulars see many more advantages and, in particular, highlight the superiority of the food itself.
8. Technology usage in dinner planning and other food/grocery applications is ramping up across demographics.
Shoppers of all ages, income levels and regions are increasingly using mobile, online, tablet and voice searches when deciding where and what to eat. More than half use digital/mobile technology to find recipes, check sales promotions, research dinner options, create grocery lists and order restaurant meals. Foodservice regulars are above-average technology users.
9. Retail foodservice price promotions are not greatly effective in generating sales but can drive awareness and meal planning.
Only 21 percent of shoppers regularly check retail foodservice promotions and a majority prefer favorable everyday low prices. IRI finds that only 14 percent of total deli/prepared foods vs. 34 percent of the total perimeter dollars are sold on merchandising. When promoted, retail foodservice sees a mere 4 percent increase in dollars, with little incrementality.

10. Shoppers have no strong preference for an in-store versus a central kitchen, but brands can provide a premium edge.
In-store production is not an automatic plus as the largest share of shoppers (44 percent) believe there is no difference in items prepared in a central kitchen or made in-store. Remaining respondents are fairly equally divided between in-store production being better (27 percent) versus a central kitchen being better (22 percent). Opinions are split on brand preferences as well: 36 percent like having familiar brands for items such as meat, deli meat and salad dressings in retail foodservice, but 43 percent are indifferent.
Success does leave clues our clue for today is don’t settle for imitators.  For international corporate presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us  the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for all. Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information