Grocerant Guru’s Talking Turkey

 

I know, I know, I know Thanksgiving is less than three months away.  That does not mean that families are note beginning to plan where, when, and what they are going to eat on Thanksgiving according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® “now is the time for you to begin messaging your customers and inviting them to buy your meal, side items, and entrees for the holidays.”

This week Butterball released data from its 2022 Thanksgiving Outlook Report. “According to the findings, people are excited for Thanksgiving with nearly 90% of Americans planning to celebrate in 2022 as concerns around COVID-19 shrink. However, concerns around inflation – particularly at the grocery store – are driving the need to get creative with cutting costs all without sacrificing holiday celebrations.” Restaurants, C-stores, Grocery store service Deli’s take note.

When this year’s data was compared to respondent recollection of 2021, the report reveals a 4% increase in those hosting for the first time and a 4% decrease in those not planning to celebrate; the size of gatherings will remain the same as last year. While hosts are planning to manage cost savings on sides and desserts, turkey will still be at the center of their table and guest lists won't be scaled back.

Here are more of the key takeaways and trends from the report are revealed below.

Enthusiasm for Thanksgiving: Despite inflation concerns, celebrations to continue
Though most Thanksgiving celebrators say inflation will have an impact on the holiday, they are not anticipating these worries will keep them from celebrating. Here is where hosts will not compromise to save money this Thanksgiving:

·         The Celebration: Nearly 90% of people plan to celebrate this year – an increase from 2021.

·         The Turkey: Among those celebrating, 85% of hosts are going to have turkey at the center of the table and 90% plan to buy the same size turkey or larger than last year.

·         The Guest List: Only 8% of hosts concerned with inflation say they plan to shrink their guest list to control costs.

Managing Costs: Turkey to be at the center of tables but hosts look to cut costs in other ways
While hosts may not be willing to compromise their gathering size or turkey, they do have concerns about inflation. Notably, 44% of Thanksgiving hosts are concerned about rising prices, specifically at the grocery store (87%) and gas pump (75%). The findings reveal multiple ways hosts may mitigate the costs of this year’s Thanksgiving meal:

·         55% of hosts concerned about inflation said they would shop for deals for parts of the entire meal. This marks a departure from early in the pandemic when hosts were concerned about minimizing the time in store and number of stores shopped.

·         To manage costs, hosts might economize with the sides they prepare (32%), cook more from scratch (24%), look for ways to make the meal less formal (20%) or ask guests to bring a side (15%).

Rebecca Welch, director of retail brand marketing at Butterball stated, “While people are eager to gather with friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving, we are seeing external factors like inflation that will influence the way people celebrate,” ... “But we also see celebrators planning to get creative with ways to cut costs that won’t compromise a memorable Thanksgiving. We know people want to celebrate with a turkey at the center of the table, and as always, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is here to share its 41 years of Thanksgiving expertise.”

If you do not want to buy a catered restaurant holiday meal, note: the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line officially opens for the season Tuesday, November 1 and experts can be reached a variety of ways including phone, text, online chat or Alexa, and will be ready to support consumers through all their Thanksgiving needs. To learn more, visit Butterball.com and stay tuned for more Thanksgiving-related announcements in the coming months.  Dinning-In or Dinning-Out this holiday the planning season is here.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Does your messaging look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.