Did you know
that overall, 13% of the U.S. population aged 2 years and over, consumed pizza
on any given day
That said, on the day consumed, pizza
provided about one-fourth of the total daily energy. So, why pizza and just who is the target
market? The percentage consuming pizza
ranged from approximately 22% among older
children (6-11 years) and adolescents (12-19 years) to less than 6% among
older adults, 60 years and over
The majority of pizza is consumed at
dinner time for adults and lunch time for kids. Thick crust pizza is the most
popular form. 17% of all restaurants in the USA are pizza shops. That totals
70,000+ restaurants. The average American typically eats approximately 23
pounds of pizza in a year.
Here are some clues to consider before
you begin from industry professionals including Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at
Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® to Nick Charles, from Alive and Kickin:
1. Size, Even Heat, and Fast - Your Oven
Matters
Building a brand known for quality
requires consistency. Including how long it takes to get served. When the first
Pizza Hut opened in Hong Kong I was invited to the grand opening. I will never forget the second guest I spoke
with said; “I though Pizza Hut was American Fast Food’. It took 14 minutes for her to get her order.
Plan to grow you want consistence because
when a customer buys a slice at one location, it needs to provide the same
experience as the slice they bought three weeks ago at your operation across
town. While standardizing the recipe across all locations is necessary to
deliver the same taste and texture your customers expect, variation in equipment
can also alter the outcome.
The larger the oven the more sales space
you are paying rent on. Oven variation between stores can throw off standard
bake times and influence the coloring, texture and other crust characteristics.
If you're struggling to provide consistency across all store locations, or
you're thinking about starting a new pizza program, don't forget how your oven
can influence the product. Oven standardization can help enhance crust
performance, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and strengthening your
bottom line.
2. Do More than the Basics Rising Crusts
Can Optimize Your Operation
Being adaptable within the foodservice
industry is vital to staying competitive and fresh. Considering the
particularly unpredictable product and labor availability, the efficiency and
convenience of food products can make all the difference. All fresh food
retailers who want to take their pizza program to the next level can benefit
from rising pizza crusts, with enhanced simplicity of operations and improved
consistency for a variety of menu items.
So, self-rising crusts are a great way
for c-stores to provide a high-quality pizza with ease. These crusts combine
leavening agents with yeast to create a dough that rises as it bakes, giving
each pie that fresh, pizzeria-style experience that customers desire with easy
preparation. With no kneading, proofing or resting necessary, c-stores can stay
agile by benefiting from freezer-to-oven convenience.
Customers want and care about having the
same positive experience in flavor, texture and quality of their food products.
For many grab-and-go options, quality may decline the longer a product rests
under a warming unit. With excellent performance in a warming station for
extended periods of time, rising crusts can help c-stores exceed expectations
and provide the uniform taste and textures customers rely on. Additionally,
rising crusts are adaptable to a wide range of recipes, helping you do more
with less.
3. Hand Held Marketing with Multiple
Merchandising Channels Is Vital
Regular readers of this blog know that
82.3 percent of all restaurant meals purchased are hand held food for immediate
consumption. There's a lot more to running a successful pizza program than
simply offering hot and ready slices. Customers have busy lives, and every
individual is different; some like to plan ahead, while others make decisions
on the fly. Satisfying a variety of customers in their time of need is
important to establishing long-term loyalty.
Where are you going to sell you pizza and
how are you going to build your brand?
You need to know where your customer is and what you can sell them in
each retail channel. In addition to offering hot, grab-and-go pizza by the
slice for the individual to enjoy, whole pies that are prepared, boxed and
ready to go can please larger groups and families at mealtime. Alternatively, a
traditional frozen pizza or a take-and-bake pizza can provide a helpful
mealtime solution for those who are thinking ahead.
Your customers' lives are busy and
often unpredictable, and multiple merchandising provides the versatility they
want and need, quickly. If you're crafting a pizza program, providing your
customers with a variety of options to fit their lifestyles should be a given.
With modern customers navigating hectic
lives, they typically know exactly what they want and when they want it. Your retail
operation offering the convenience of a mobile order paired with a curbside
pickup service could spare the headache of relying on a third-party partner to
deliver the same high-quality service that is expected of your own staff.
5. Limited-Time Offers Expand Your Brand
Invitation
Pizza's popularity makes for a
consistently competitive market. To ensure your convenience store pizza program
remains a top choice for customers, encourage them to act with a limited-time
offer, new promotion or even a loyalty program.
Who doesn't love a good deal?
Limited-time offers are effective because they create a sense of urgency.
Placing a deadline or quantity limit on your pizza products compels customers
to act immediately, incentivizing them to buy now to avoid missing out on deals
set to expire.
Increase the odds of a successful
promotion by using these tactics:
·
Timely promotions: As the seasons change, so do customers' desires for
certain comfort foods. Keeping a pulse on what customers want and when they
want it can help keep your menu fresh year-round and prevent customers from
getting restless with the same offerings.
·
Bundles: Customers may love your pizza, but maybe aren't aware of your
other innovations like breadsticks or cinnamon rolls. Promoting a bundle can
incentivize them to try new things and get them hooked on your other menu
offerings.
·
Charitable donations: Limited-time offers that include a charitable component
generally help customers feel good about supporting something meaningful. Plus,
in their eyes, your operation will benefit from the halo effect when your store
donates a portion of its proceeds to a worthy cause.
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
us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter
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