Amazon Go Urban Grocery Store The Grocerant Guru® Just-Walked-Out

Success does leave clues and there is one company in the United States that is not afraid to innovate, learn, and evolve.  That company is Amazon, just about everyone has bought more than a book from Amazon and urban foodies have special relationship with Amazon Go convenience stores. The simple fact is consumers are use to going to an ATM anytime they need cash.  No one wants to go back to the days they need to walk into a bank to get cash.  That same with all three Amazon Go Stores templates, convenience stores, urban grocery, ans suburban grocery its fresh food fast and complexity free. 

Consumers don't go backwards.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® was one of the first to visit and review the very first Amazon Go C-store.  Once again, Johnson, was one of the first to visit the Amazon Go Grocery store.  So, just what did our Grocerant Guru® think?  Well he came back to the office and exclaimed, I now want to move to Seattle.  I guess he like it. Here is why:

Just like Amazon Go C-store the first Urban Grocery store checkout process is seamless experience just like Amazon Go C-store filled with grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food. It’s true you just simply walk out.  The first Amazon Go Urban Grocery store elevates the urban local grocery shopping experience with local products, including Whole Foods ‘365’ private label, and Amazon Go private label products.

One thing that they do exceptionally well is grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.  They offer a variety of ethnic flavored meals and meal components to complement consumers insatiable drive for food discovery.  

Amazon Go Grocery is a small-format URBAN store but a bit to large according to Johnson, albeit offering plenty of fresh meat and produce, options, Heat-N-Eat meals, meal kits, and traditional groceries add on the ilk of dish soap, toothpaste, deodorant, pet food.  

While, Dilip Kumar, Amazon’s vice president of physical retail and technology, stated “Because the customer has different needs... and different things that they look for at different stores, what is it we can we do here in this type of format in this neighborhood to add value? That to me is the selection we carry, the pricing we have — plus the convenience of just being able to walk out.” Kumar knows that rolling out three Amazon Go formats will be a platform for customer adoption and metroplex profitability. 

However, Johnson observation’s after making a return visit only a day after the grand opening, became all to  clear to see why.  Pricing was more than competitive.  The price points were less than any other grocery stores within 2 miles.  Fresh food, fast, and for less, works!  Smaller footprint - less cost, no cashiers - less cost. 

Battle for Share of Stomach

The ability of consumers to find grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals and meal components that can be mixed and matched with good selection of beer, wine and spirits and do it in a complexity fee setting again simply complements all offering according to Johnson.  

What did Johnson like best well that’s simple since he is penultimate morning person in our office fresh brewed Tony’s Coffee, fresh La Parisienne options, Donut Factory donuts, and Seattle Bagel Bakery offerings. A quick cup of coffee and a bit to eat on the way to work will drive incremental daypart sales for the grocery store. In today's food retail these my friends are the basics.  How are you evolving? Packaging for 10 or packaging for 1? 62.8% of US Households had one or two people in 2019 packaging for 1 or 2 trumps selling food for 10.  

Dilip Kumar said Amazon Go grocery stores will be offering free bags with Amazon Go Grocery’s green branding. Johnson, brought two back from his last visit and one is hanging above his desk to inspire the rest of us to make the trip north to find out about the joy of complexity free grocery shopping.

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

Taco Bell Technology + Customization = Personalization

There can be no doubt that technology just might be the second most important part of any restaurant today according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Enhancing customer relevance today requires that a technology edifies the non-food branded touchpoints in order to drive new electricity into the branded relationship according to Johnson.  

Certona, is a Kibo company that focuses on omnichannel personalization, it has partnered with Taco Bell to create a personalized experience for its guests. By working with Certona.  

In an effort to embrace customization and personalization while touchpoint for it customers Taco Bell wants  to personalize menu recommendations and offers for registered users of its mobile app. This solution enables Taco Bell to support individual guest preferences, past dining history, location, weather and restaurant specific menus and pricing creating a platform to save time and reduce ordering errors.

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?  

Derrick Chan, Director eCommerce, Taco Bell stated “Taco Bell is all about satisfying our fans with the most craveable dining experience imaginable. Of course, we know each of our fans has their favorites and their own preferences. As a forward-looking company, we’re using the latest machine learning and AI technology to better deliver on those individual preferences,” … “That’s why we are thrilled to work with Certona and leverage their proven personalization platform with real-time support to present our fans with the most immediately craveable menu items every time they use our app, reducing the ordering friction and satisfying their appetite.”

Consumers are time starve, impatient, and want a frictionless transaction. If success does leave clues driving new electricity with technology to reduce ordering errors while saving time is you to remember.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, local educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson 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. For more information visit www.GrocerantGuru.com , www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or call 1-253-759-7869

Postmates Popeyes Partnerships Delivery Delight

When your chicken sandwich has been touted as the ‘best chicken’ in the industry it time to share it.  In a continued effort to drive new electricity into the Popeyes brand Popeyes is offering a free sandwich.

Success does leave clues and Popeyes has learned that consumers love their new chicken sandwich.  So, now leveraging its partnerships with Postmates, when consumers order at minimum of $15 then you will receive a fresh chicken sandwich. Here is how they explained the program:

“Leap year only happens once every four years, and this leap year, Postmates is delivering something extra for the extra day.

L(ove)E(ating)A(t)P(opeyes)? Postmates is celebrating Leap Day by delivering something extra from Popeyes. Anyone who purchases a chicken sandwich from Popeyes through Postmates between February 24–28 will receive a free chicken sandwich code via email on February 29.

Customers must hit a minimum order of $15 to receive the promotion.” So, tired of pizza try chicken for lunch instead.

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?  

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.

Will Wendy’s Breakfast Save NPC International from Bankruptcy?

When NPC International missed an interest payment in January, multiple press reports stated that it could lead to a bankruptcy filing. 

Given that NPC is the largest franchisee of Wendy’s with 385 Wendy’s locations we asked Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® if the new breakfast offering at Wendy’s would be the sales and profit builder solution to fend off bankruptcy for NPC. 

 First the Wendy’s introduction of its national breakfast launch is not until March 2, 2020.  Given that date and the competition from Burger King, McDonald’s along with Wawa, Sheetz, and 7-Eleven for the AM daypart Johnson does not think that will be the solution to NPC’s problems.

In fact, Johnson stated “this is the third attempt at rolling out breakfast at Wendy’s.  The undercurrent of competition is even greater this time around and pricing pressure along with incremental labor cost will not help this time around.”

The new breakfast menu will include the Breakfast Baconator, Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit and Frosty-ccino. Kurt Kane, Wendy’s president for the U.S. division and chief commercial officer stated, “We've crafted unique sandwiches that will leave you craving another, like the Breakfast Baconator, which features a fresh-cracked egg, signature sausage patty and six strips of Applewood smoked bacon,”

Yes, that all sounds good but this time around Wendy’s has Taco Bell, Wawa, Sheetz, McDonald’s, Burger King, 7-Eleven all prepared to battle to keep market share.  NPC Wendy’s largest franchisee results will spell the fate of the new breakfast program.  One thing is clear it had better generate top line sales and bottom line profits fast or it could become a big debacle in the mind-eye of the team at Foodservice Solutions®.

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.

Congratulations FriendShip Stores, aka FriendShip Kitchen Grocerant Fresh Food

No one can be surprised that time and time again food industry awards and recognition are going to retailers that focus on consumer touchpoints of relevance.  The number one area of relevance for consumers today is Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food that is ‘better for you’, according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Johnson wants to commend CStore Decisions for recognizing FriendShip Stores for a “Best Foodservice Launch” designation for its FriendShip Famous Chicken, a rapidly growing part of its new FriendShip Kitchen brand and foodservice program. 

Since June of 2018, with the opening of its first new-to-market FriendShip Kitchen location, FriendShip rolled out its proprietary hand-breaded chicken brand. The chicken is “fresh, never frozen,” and cooked in small batches. Chicken sales were up double-digits year-over-year for 2019. 

The plan is to complete the conversion of all stores to the FriendShip pizza program by mid-2020. The pizza is made in-store and is baked fresh. Slices and whole pies appeal to lunch guests, or those seeking a meal for dinner or an event. Success does leave clues.  Fresh food fast in small batches.

Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  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

Is Eating-Out while Eating-IN the New Restaurant Business Model

Success does leave clues and one clue the was first identified, quantified, and qualified by Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® is Eating-Out while Eating-In.  Regular readers of this blog know that one key element discovered in Foodservice Solutions® study “The 65 Inch HDTV Syndrome” was Eating-Out while Eating-In.

Now the former chief financial officer of Smashburger Bradford Reynolds has been named chief operating officer of the recently launched C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), a subsidiary of SBE Entertainment Group that plans to build a nationwide network of ghost kitchens and limited-service delivery brands.

So, get this, C3 is a partnership between hotel and restaurant operator SBE, shopping mall-owner Simon and hotel partner Accor. The partners plan to leverage Simon’s real estate footprint and SBE and Accor’s hotels to open 200 ghost kitchens by the end of 2021, along with a portfolio of restaurant brands available for delivery. That is a template for growth with location, demographic specialist combined with restaurant success experience.

 

C3 is the company that is planning to opened a food hall called Citizens planned for the Manhattan West development in the Hudson Yards area of New York. While it may work in NYC a food hall is no more than a food court in a non-traditional location. Johnson, does not believe that food halls are scalable.

Reynolds in a statement said C3 has “the chance to modernize the culinary experience, providing innovative solutions to address the new ways consumers want their food. In rethinking every step of the dining process, from the longevity of delivered food to efficient and sustainable packaging and distribution, C3 is bringing to market an incredible offering that the hospitality industry has never seen before.”

Johnson, does believe that C3 and Reynolds do have a chance to drive growth within the grocerant niche with multi-branded fresh food via a virtual kitchen.  Success does leave clues and the team at Foodservice Solutions® believes C3 had the ability to drive change within the restaurant “price, value, service equilibrium”.

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your retail food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail business model 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.

What’s for Dinner More and More Ready-2-Eat & Heat-N-Eat Fresh Prepared Meals

Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is deemed ‘better-for-you’ by consumers in large part because it saves consumers time according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

David Portalatin, NPD Food Industry advisor and author of Eating Patterns in America that consumers today are more and more making food choice focused on both health and social consciousness. Here is some of what Portalatin found:

1.        There were over 460 billion in- and away-from-home eating and drinking occasions in the U.S. last year.

2.       16% of consumers regularly use plant-based alternatives such as almond milk, tofu, and veggie burgers; 89% of these consumers do not consider themselves vegan or vegetarian.

3.       14% of in-home eating occasions included at least one item that required no preparation compared to only 11% of occasions in 2013.
Visits to quick service restaurants have increased 630 million visits since 2014, while total visits to restaurants have declined more than 700 million visits.

4.       19% of grocery shoppers now order their edible groceries online; from 2017 to 2020 the average annual growth rate for digital restaurant orders is forecast at 22%.

5.       One in five adults try to manage a health condition with their food and beverage choices.

Regular readers of the blog consumers are fist to ‘jump the curb’ explore new food options and restaurants, c-stores, and grocery stores are always trying to keep up with consumers.  According to Johnson, “the halo of better for your foods, prepared fresh, fast and full of flavor are driving top line sales and bottom line profits in every sector of retail foodservice today.  Is your brand keeping up? Are you looking a customer ahead?

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.

Travelers in a Hurry are Welcome at Pilot Flying J

Battle for Share of Stomach

When your driving up and down the highways of America and looking for a place eat remember the old adage ‘eat where the truckers eat’.  According to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® Pilot Company is doing a great job evolving its meal options with relevance.

Americans have been in love with handheld food for immediate consumption and burritos for breakfast are hot, hot, hot right now.  Thus edifying its relationship with consumers Pilot has introduced Jumbo Breakfast Burritos at more than 300 of its Pilot and Flying J travel centers.

The burritos come in two options in both smoked beef brisket and pulled chicken, the burritos also include scrambled egg, tater tots, a blend of cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, and fire roasted peppers and onions.

On Feb. 26, Pilot is bringing back its fish sandwich and entrée to 270 Pilot and Flying J locations. This item will be available throughout the Lenten season until mid-April, while supplies last. Even better both of these news items apply to the ongoing 25% off deli food exclusive pro-driver deal through March.

Technology helps build relevance while speeding up customer service touchpoints so using the Pilot Flying J App on iOS and Android, makes lie just a little easier for those travelers in a hurry. How are you edifying your relationship with consumers?  Are you saving them time, offering new flavors?

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.

Technology Adoption Drives Sales at Wingstop

Do chain restaurants have an advantage when it come to adopting new technology or independent restaurants? That is the question that posed to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® during a recent industry presentation.

The team at Foodservice Solutions® believes that chain restaurants do have an advantage over independent restaurants simply because they are targeted by technology companies’ sales teams in an effort to expand their ‘install base’ faster.

In the case of Wingstop they are looking for ‘operational efficiencies’ in an effort to reduce the time it takes to service each consumer. Consider this 80% of Wingstop orders are for off-premise consumption. With 40% of sales arriving through digital channels.

Operational efficiencies matter because the consumer is dynamic not static and brands need to be dynamic as well according to Johnson.  At Wingstop sales via digital channels for carry-out and delivery continues to grow, with those making up 39% of sales in December and growing to 40% in January.

Wingstop has about 160 of our restaurants have exceeded 50% carryout with some units have now passed 60% of all orders as carryout.

In an effort to continue speeding up off-premise orders, Wingstop is testing pick-up order lockers in four Dallas locations. If you are a chain restaurant or not remember that your customer is dynamic not static.  Don’t do what you have always done and expect the same results.  If your customer is on the move your company must move with them or risk losing customers.

Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  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