Foodservice Partnerships Drive New Electricity at Your Pie

Once again success does leave clues one clue that Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® continues to point out is how successful companies leverage partnerships to drive customer relevance and new electricity into their brand.

Recently Your Pie has teamed up with Zapp’s Potato Chips for its latest Craft Series offering, the Voodoo Pie, featuring Cajun-inspired flavors and Zapp’s Voodoo Chips. The Voodoo Pie is now available in participating stores through December 19 as a Limited Time Offer (LTO).

This latest Craft Series brings New Orleans flavors to life, starting with a base of olive oil topped with mozzarella and feta cheese, green pepper, red onion, andouille sausage and roasted corn. The pie is then baked and finished with Zapp’s Voodoo Potato Chips, a spicy ranch drizzle and a pinch of cilantro.

Your Pie founder and president Drew French stated “I have always been inspired by the New Orleans food culture, and we had a lot of fun developing a pizza that pays homage to Cajun flavors….The original recipe came from last year’s Craft Pie Cook-Off, a featured event at our annual Franchise Fest conference, and we are excited to roll it out nationwide. We could not have brought this Craft Series to life without Zapp’s Voodoo Potato Chips, and I can’t wait for the Your Pie Family to experience this unique combination.”

Your Pie has found its new electricity. So, just what is your brands new electricity?

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, partnerships, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, digital hand-held marketing.

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 ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? 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.

7-Eleven Elevating Food & Beverage Drives Sales

Success does leave clues Amazon’s “Day One” reminding every employee to think of ‘today’ as day one of the company and how you can help make it better for consumers so it last.  Well, 7-Eleven has 66,579 locations around the world.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes the team at 7-Eleven is doing a lot of things right.

Once again,7-Eleven Inc. has been named the 2018 Hot Beverages Innovator of the Year by Convenience Store News.  With over11,800 locations in North America, this shows that its role as an industry leader is far from over according to Johnson.

For some time 7-Eleven has been adding single-origin, sustainably sourced brews. Late in 2017, the retailer headed south to the Cajamarca region of Peru for a Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee made with 100-percent Arabic beans. (Note: The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that seeks to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods.)

7-Elevens Peruvian coffee has citrus notes complemented by vanilla, cinnamon and berry undertones. The hand-picked beans are grown in the high Andes Mountains of Peru. They are then authentically roasted to a medium level for a smooth, rich taste.

Raj Kapoor, 7-Eleven’s senior vice president of fresh food and proprietary beverages stated "Today’s coffee-drinkers are more sophisticated and, in addition to wanting a great-tasting cup of coffee, many also are looking for something extra…Millennials, in particular, want coffee crops that are sustainably grown, sourced directly from small farms, and made from single-origin beans rather than blends."

Prior to introducing the Peruvian brew, 7-Eleven featured LTOs of single-sourced coffee from Matagalpa, Nicaragua and Chiapas, Mexico. In addition, the retailer’s popular 100-percent Colombian coffee is now made with Rainforest Alliance Certified single-origin beans.

What’s more, in April of this year, 7-Eleven went to Africa to source the first limited-time coffee available under its new Seven Reserve brand of fresh-brewed premium coffees. The Seven Reserve Africa Blend is a 50-50 combination of 100-percent Rainforest Alliance Certified Arabica beans cultivated on small farms in Ethiopia and Rwanda.

The CS News Foodservice Advisory Council members were impressed with how 7-Eleven is introducing all these new coffees from exotic locales known for producing fine coffee and so was the team at Foodservice Solutions®. They also gave credit to 7-Eleven for working with Conservation International to set measurable corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals to reduce its environmental footprint. As part of its CSR objectives, 7-Eleven says it will continue to seek out responsibly sourced coffees, and other products and packaging with less environmental impact. Leaders are dynamic not static.  7-Eleven continues to lead.

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

Pei Wei Asian Diner When you Can’t Beat Them Copy Them

When a brand loses traction; it needs a refresh and there are times that the refresh is as simple a follow the leader according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. That my friends is called copy-cat marketing and has been a staple of the restaurant industry for 70+ years.

That’s right just look at the burger chains, pizza chains, and chicken chains and then look at the number of $ 5.00 meal deals the fast food sector has to offer.  Copy-Cat marketing works my friends and Pei Wei is no the right track.

Just last month, Pei Wei launched a TV ad highlighting its orange chicken as “Wei better” than the competition’s offering. While Pei Wei claims it hired a private investigator to determine the ingredients in Panda Express’ orange chicken, Brandon Solano, Pei Wei’s chief marketing officer, told Restaurant Business and we believe him as it happens all of the time.

Panda Express, in a panic released a statement to Restaurant Business, saying it pays attention to consumer requests, such as adding more "health-forward" offerings and removing trans fats from all items, and would begin listing all ingredients in its “core dishes” on its website in the next year. In short, they are retooling as a ‘better-for-you’ concept.  However, when they tried to go to all brown rice the consumers complained and yes, they have white rice again and sell much more of that we are told.

“Deeply rooted in this work is a foundation of transparency and care; when a guest calls, we take the time to discuss allergens and nutritionals, as well as the full ingredient list upon request,” the statement said. “While these types of changes take time to scale and achieve our standards, we believe that a strong food philosophy is an important part of this promise and our culinary innovation team is hard at work to bring this vision to life.”

Pei Wei, only has close to 200 units to Panda Express’ more than 2,000 locations so they must try harder in very smart move Pei Wei petitioned the Food and Drug Administration asking that restaurants be required to disclose their menus’ ingredients.

Pei Wei has said that by 2020 they will eliminate all artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. It also published the full list of ingredients for its top-selling orange chicken. The chain plans to release the ingredient lists for all of its dishes in coming months. Johnson, thinks that a great move as consumer don’t want to cook at home anyway.  Copy-Cat marketing works but you need to be better at messaging, service, and price to drive customer migration according to Johnson.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. 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

Parker’s Technology Drives Fresh Food Fast

The convenience store sector picks up success clues much faster than many other retail food sectors of late according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Parker's is rolling out self-checkout across its footprint of 54 convenience stores across Georgia and South Carolina creating a ‘frictionless’ shopping platform or fresh food fast according to Johnson.

It’s been reported that Parker's completes more than 125,000 transactions daily across its network. Developed in conjunction with NCR, the new self-checkout technology speeds up transaction time and frees up cashiers to serve as in-store concierges, enabling them to focus on the total customer experience.

Parker's President and CEO Greg Parker stated "Our goal is always to deliver the ultimate in-store experience for our loyal customers. …This is an important step forward in our overall technology strategy at Parker's and in meeting the changing needs of consumers."

This technology will create a platform to edify the fresh food fast while driving incremental sales of meals and meal components from Parker’s Kitchen according to Johnson.  Fresh food fast edified with technology is a win for customer relevance and a win for incremental sales.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? 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.

Starbucks Growing Internal & External

Success does leave clues and Starbucks is focused once again on growth both in unit count and same store sales according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. When Starbucks reported that they were going to fully license Starbucks operations in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg to its longstanding strategic partner Alsea, S.A.B. de C.V., the largest independent chain restaurant operator in Latin America you knew things were going well.

The story goes that Alsea will have the rights to operate and develop Starbucks stores in these markets, building on Starbucks regional growth agenda that drives value through strategic licensed relationships. At the same time the company would introduce a new support structure in its head office in London to better serve an increasingly licensed strategy.

John Culver, group president, Starbucks International, Channel Development and Global Coffee & Tea. stated “We’re very pleased to build on our 16-year history with Alsea, a long-term strategic partner to Starbucks, with the intention to license our business operations in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg,” These strategic moves would enable us to further accelerate growth across these markets as we position Starbucks for long-term success moving forward.”

Slow and steady Starbucks opened its first Paris store in 2004, the brand came to the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg between 2008 and 2016, creating more than 3,100 jobs at more than 260 stores across the four countries. The simple fast is they want to grow faster and this is one of the best ways to do just that according to Johnson.

Developing a relationship with a partner that you have come to trust while edifying your brand message is one of the best ways to drive new unit growth.  Thus, expanding your resources base to drive new product ideations in food, beverage, and technology to drive incremental top line sales and bottom line profits in every unit.

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

C-Stores Continued Innovation Drive Sales at Maverik

While restaurants and grocery stores are battling each other for an increased share of stomach and share of dollars.  The convenience store sector continues to drive top line sales and bottom line profits while garnering customer from both the grocery and restaurant sectors leveraging innovation in fresh food, and brand positioning according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  

This year Maverik Inc. was chosen as the 2018 Prepared Foods Innovator of the Year in Convenience Store News ’seventh-annual Foodservice Innovators Awards program. Yes, for regular reader of this blog you are right this is the fifth time that Maverik, has won a Foodservice Innovators Award.

"With the combination of Adventure’s First Stop and Bonfire Grill, Maverik has been very innovative with branding itself and using its foodservice program to become a serious food destination in the company’s core markets," said one member of the CSNews Foodservice Advisory Council, who were impressed with the retailer’s prepared foods offering. Other significant moves that have built up Maverik’s foodservice program are:

·         Experimenting with creative LTOs, some of which become mainstays on the menu, such as the MOAB (Mother of All Burritos);

·         Examining its products and improving the quality of ingredients used;

·         Hiring a new corporate chef, Kyle Lore, a fine-dining culinary expert who’s brought a new perspective to the business; and

·         Creating a taste profile that is spicier and more flavorful compared to its c-store, quick-service and fast-casual competitors.

This year, Maverik launched a new fresh sandwich line to replace its hoagies, which consisted of meat and cheese in a hoagie roll that the customer purchased and then dressed themselves.

The new, fresh line of ready-to-eat sandwiches starts with new bread and also includes new meats and cheeses, and new sauces. Preparation steps have been developed that allow Maverik team members to dress the new sandwiches without them getting soggy.

Varieties include California Club, Turkey Gouda, Righteous Italian, and Buffalo Chicken Ranch. The new sandwiches were first tested in two stores, then expanded to a 10-store test to see actual sales results, and then moved to 30 stores to ensure ingredient distribution was right before being rolled out across all locations.

"Foodservice is an important part of Maverik’s business model, and is becoming even more critical," said Brian Sullenger, the retailer’s FRESCH category manager for grab-and-go. "We’ve been in the foodservice business a long time and our customers have come to trust that we have quality food for a competitive price."

Sullenger also told Convenience Store News that Maverik recently extended its Hispanic menu into nachos and salads, and plans are in the works for line extensions in the retailer’s most successful prepared food segments.

So, how are you planning to drive new customers to you retail brand?  Does our menu look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? 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.

Grocerant Fresh Prepared Ready-2-Eat & Heat-N-Eat Success

Success does leave clues, one clear clue is that consumer demand for meals and meal components that are fresh prepared with the halo of ‘better-for-you’ continue to drive sales according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Here is but one example focusing on refrigerated dressings, dips and spreads that can be used in multiple dayparts when mixed and matched with other meal components in two of today’s hottest food consumption trends: healthful snacking and meal preparation made easy.

According to IRI, Chicago, sales of refrigerated dips reached more than $1 billionthis year (for the 52 weeks ending June 17, 2018), up 12.8% vs. the previous year. Sales in the category have been up for the past four consecutive years.

Spreads aren’t far behind, garnering more than $9.5 million in sales for the same time period, up 4.5% vs. a year ago. (For both dips and spreads, figures represent UPC only: refrigerated sold through all refrigerated areas in produce, dairy and deli.)

Supermarkets across the country are promoting healthful refrigerated dressings, dips and spreads paired with produce in a variety of clever ways designed to increase consumption edifying consumer demand.

Consider not reinventing the wheel use traditional spreads and other products with healthier ingredients (think avocados) is also top of mind at Calavo Foods in Santa Paula, Calif. It recently introduced Avocado Mayo, which is sold alongside refrigerated dips, positioned as a healthy alternative to traditional mayonnaise.

“As we visit major retailers across the country, they say they like the freshness, versatility and health benefits of avocados and guacamole,” says Ron Araiza, VP of Calavo Foods.  According to a national benchmark study conducted by Calavo that polled guacamole consumers using a web-based panel in all 50 states, “ease of use” was identified as the top reason why respondents who both purchased and made their own guacamole preferred to use premade guacamole. An overwhelming 78.6% of respondents cited the convenience of premade guacamole as the impetus for purchase.

Calavo also reports that total guacamole retail sales—including the produce and deli departments—was $328 million in 2017, with guacamole sales in produce outpacing deli guacamole sales 20.7% vs. 14.1%.

This fall, Calavo will introduce guacamole combos in a grab-and-go format that will feature various chip and guacamole flavor combos. Later in the year, Calavo will launch combos that pair pretzels and guacamole, as well as vegetables and guacamole.

“Retailers can’t get enough of these types of product,” Araiza says. Guacamole’s growth is 15%-20% per year, he says.

Also catering to the increasingly important on-the-go shopper, Good Foods Group of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., is optimizing packaging for its single-serve avocado-based products and introducing new items (such as Chunky Guacamole Spicy), as well as Guacamole and Avocado Mash, scheduled to hit stores January 2019.

“According to Mintel, about 83% of the U.S. is adding plant-based foods to their diets to improve health and nutrition.”  Don’t invent the wheel simply offer ‘cleaner cuisine’ according to our Grocerant Guru®.  Enabling success means giving consumer’s what they want when they want it. Today, that is authentic fresh food with fewer additives that can be mixed and matched into a customized meal.

According to Technomic’s 2018 Snacking Occasion report, 71% of consumers say that when they snack they are usually watching TV at home. But as for what they’re snacking? Compared to two years ago, 13% of consumers are consuming more sweet snacks and 13% are consuming more salty snacks; those numbers are slightly higher among younger consumers.

For consumers ages 18- to 34-years old, 20% are eating more sweets while 16% are reaching for more salty snacks. What does that mean for grocery stores? Simply that there’s ample opportunity to stock a wide range of sweet and salty snacking options.

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

Aldi’s Award Wining Seal of Approval

Success does leave clues and Aldi’s growth at nearly 1,928 stores with 600 more to open over the next four years is one clue that they are on the right track.  Consumer driven Aldi is giving consumer what they want from a grocery store according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Aldi has garnered another Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for its private label products, this time for its Never Any brand of free-from meats.

Launched in 2016, Never Any includes more than 20 meats – including chicken breasts, hickory bacon and chicken sausage – all of which are certified by the USDA as raised antibiotic-free, with no added hormones or steroids, and no animal byproducts. The seal offers shoppers assurance that the product line was evaluated and quality tested by food and nutrition experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Scott Patton, Aldi VP of corporate buying stated "We know our customers are looking for natural foods free from added ingredients, and that's what our Never Any brand offers,"  "We're proud to have the backing of the Good Housekeeping Seal for Never Any! It's one more way we show people the care we put into bringing them great food at great prices."

Aldi has received more than 300 recent product recognitions and awards. These include the Good Housekeeping Seal, which it earned earlier this year for more than 50 products in its liveGfree line of gluten-free foods.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? 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.

Pizza Hut’s Brand Invitation includes Grocerant Mix & Match Bundling

What chain restaurant brand is doing everything right in the minds-eye of the consumer currently? Yes, it is once again Pizza Hut.  Exhilarated at the on-going miscues by Papa John’s, Pizza Hut has stepped up edifying it’s relationship with the NFL and continues to expand fresh food offering for consumers according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, when Pizza Hut released a new value menu that included a selection of items that go well beyond pizza, or even the current set of brand offerings Johnson knew they were continuing the good work.

Leveraging one of Foodservice Solutions® FIVE P’s of food marketing PRICE more than the others with the chain’s new $5 Lineup.  The new items priced at $5 apiece when customers order two or more. And while that menu includes a medium one-topping pizza or eight Wingstreet Wings, it also features new Crafted by Cinnabon Mini Rolls and the Ultimate Hershey’s Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Other items on the menu included Stuffed Garlic Knots, Tuscani Pasta, a double order of breadsticks and a four-pack of 20-ounce beverages. “There’s an incredible variety of food in this lineup,” Marianne Radley, chief brand officer for Pizza Hut in the U.S., said in a statement.

While much of the restaurant sector is capitulating year over year customer counts the team at Foodservice Solutions® believes that Pizza Hut will drive incremental customer counts at its more than 7,500 domestic locations. Price is a key component in Foodservice Solutions® FIVE P’s but so is PORTABILITY and as we all know Pizza Hut Delivers. 

The launch of Pizza Hut’s new value menu follows the chain’s recent updates to its Hut Rewards loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food. The recently introduced Cinnabon Mini Rolls include 10 miniature cinnamon rolls topped with Cinnabon’s cream cheese frosting all can be delivered.  Are your sales trending up? Are your customer counts trending up?  Are you integrating the FIVE P’s?

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 participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Food Delivery Dangles Dollars

The customer need for speed and increased demand for more fresh prepared meals, and meal components from the ilk of chain restaurants, convenience stores, deli’s, and new non-traditional fresh food retailers are all in a battle for a larger share of stomach to grow top line sales and bottom line profits according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Instacart recently landed an additional $600 million as part of a financing round led by hedge fund D1 Capital Partners. The e-commerce company has raised more than $1.6 billion in funding since its launch in 2012, and the latest financing lifted its valuation to $7.6 billion.  My friend’s fresh food delivery is not going away.  Yes, I know you have read in legacy food trade magazines delivery will be fading in two years.  Don’t believe it.

Regular reader of this blog know that our Grocerant Guru® was the first to identify, quantify, and qualify the ‘up-tick in demand for Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food delivery, online ordering, and pick-up food back in the day when he created the term/word GROCERANT then trademark it  to help explain the new platform driving incremental fresh food sales.

The new capital will be funneled toward additional expansion in North America — with new plans to build a Canadian technology hub — along with marketing investments to boost awareness of its service at grocery stores and recruit engineering and product development talent.

“The U.S. is nearly a $1 trillion grocery market, and last year we saw almost every major grocer in North America bring their delivery business online in a significant way. We believe we’re in the very early stages of a massive shift in the way people buy groceries, and we expect that one in five Americans will be shopping for their groceries online in the next five years,” Apoorva Mehta (left), founder and CEO of Instacart, said in a statement.

It’s not just restaurants that are expanding delivery of fresh food options. Grocery retailers recently making significant expansions with Instacart service include Kroger, Aldi, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Hy-Vee, Publix, Supervalu and Albertsons. Supervalu announced a program to resell Instacart’s service to independent grocers, while Albertsons launched an Instacart-powered virtual store for its O Organics brand.

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

Fast Casual or Fast Food Casual

Price points and speed of service converge at the consumer as the line between restaurant sectors continues to shrink.  What the customer wants the customer gets according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Today our Grocerant ScoreCard indicate that there is less than $0.18 between the average fast casual check average and that of the average fast food restaurant.  More importantly many fast casual chains are evolving service attributes that speed up service to the point of fast food. 

One such company is Noodles & Company, known for serving classic noodle, zoodle and pasta dishes from around the world, announced two new limited-time-only (LTO’s) dishes: Zucchini Spicy Peanut Saute and Zucchini Truffle Mac. Noodles & Company is also expanding its delivery and quick pickup options to make trying your favorite noodles and world flavors easier than ever.

For zoodle-lovers who prefer a lighter meal option, the two new dishes, Spicy Zucchini Peanut Saute with Grilled Chicken and Zucchini Truffle Mac, will hit the spot. The dishes are only available for a limited time and feature zoodles rather than traditional noodles. Zoodles, which the company added to its menu in May, are full of vitamin C and potassium and have 90 percent fewer carbs and calories than a serving of elbow noodles.

1.        Zucchini Spicy Peanut Saute with Grilled Chicken: Zucchini noodles in a spicy, peanut-flavored sauce with grilled chicken, broccoli, carrots, snap peas and cabbage. Topped with peanuts, black sesame and cilantro.

2.        Zucchini Truffle Mac: Zucchini noodles in the famous Noodles & Company cheese sauce with black truffle, roasted mushrooms, Parmesan cheese and toasted breadcrumbs.

Nick Graff, executive chef at Noodles & Company stated "We're redefining the noodle in our World Kitchen by providing a variety of options to ensure there's something on our menu for everyone," .. "The new zoodle dishes, which are available for a limited time, combine some of our favorite and classic flavors to excite your taste buds."

Faster service or more relevant service options have been added at Noodles. Now there's an even easier way to try the new dishes through Noodles & Company's expanded delivery and quick pickup options. Noodles & Company expanded its partnership with DoorDash, to bring easy and convenient delivery to 300 Noodles & Company restaurants nationwide. The change comes in addition to Noodles & Company's delivery partnerships with Grubhub, Uber Eats and EatStreet, and on-premise easy pickup options.

Dave Boennighausen, chief executive officer of Noodles & Company stated "We know our guests are looking for ease and convenience in all aspects of their lives, so to better serve our guests, we made delivery and quick pickup a priority," "Whether our guests don't feel like leaving the house or they need to make a quick pickup between sports practices, we're making mealtimes delicious, easy and fun."

For guests making their way into restaurants, but who don't want to wait in line, Noodles & Company offers Quick Pickup in all restaurants and Quick Pickup Windows in select test restaurants. Guests can bypass lines by simply placing their order online or through the NoodlesREWARDS app and picking up their food at the Quick Pickup station in each restaurant. Are your prices lower? Are your service options expanding?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. 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