MOOYAH Burgers and Ruby Tuesday think Plant-based Foods Will Help Sales

Copycat marketing is required when the customer moves.  There is no doubt that consumer adoption of plant-based food and beverages is the undercurrent of customer trial and adoption for new brands and new menu items in 2020 according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA base Foodservice Solutions®.

The conundrum for companies the ilk of MOOYAY and Ruby Tuesday is how do you enter a space and not look like ‘Johnny come lately’ so you branded messaging has customer relevance with a point of differentiation? In the case of Ruby Tuesday, you create new electricity for your brand via a partnership with a global retail giant known for ‘health & wellness’.  

For Ruby Tuesday that meant a partnership with a Nestlé via Sweet Earth Foods.  Fleur Veldhoven, vice president of food marketing at Nestlé Professional stated “Many consumers are looking to cut back on meat despite how much they enjoy eating it, and a plant-based protein option like our Sweet Earth Awesome Burger is the perfect no-compromise way to balance their diets,”.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Sweet Earth said its Awesome Burger was developed with Nestlé research and development support with no genetically modified ingredients and U.S.-sourced yellow pea protein, natural plant extracts and coconut oil.

MOOYAH point of differentiation by selecting a black bean vegan burger to replace its vegetarian burger and found it with the Dr. Praeger’s brand. New partnerships can drive new electricity for restaurant brands as long as the new product has differentiation with all of the ‘relevant consumer touchpoints’ according to Johnson.

In short differentiation dose not mean different, rather it means familiar but with a twist.  So, do you think either MOOYAH or Ruby Tuesday’s has the right balance of differentiation and consumer relevant touch points? How are you driving growth? Does your brand have new electricity?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as fresh foods, Online ordering, delivery, plant based foods,  sampling, toy’s, beer, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All food and beverage retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  Does your retail path forward look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?

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.