Sunday, April 30, 2023

Cicis Pizza Mondays and Tuesdays are Slower

  


There is little doubt that Cicis Pizza understands that time starved cash strapped families need a break and that their restaurants are slower on Monday and Tuesdays than other days of the week. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® the legacy of Cicis Pizza brand was build on price as a customer driver. 

That said, Cicis Pizza is inviting guests to indulge in endless pizza, pasta, salad and desserts for only $4.99 every Monday and Tuesday from April 10 through May 23 edifying the legacy of the brand while driving top-line sales and bottom-line profits for individual stores.

This new deal is a continuation of Cicis’ new brand campaign, “Endless Pizzabilities.” A dramatic, creative departure for the brand, the campaign invites fans to dream big alongside its new whimsical spokesperson, C.C. Pazzini.


Jeff Hetsel, president and COO of Cicis, stated, “We’re delighted to offer our loyal customers an unbeatable $4.99 all-you-can-eat deal. What better way to spend a Monday or Tuesday afternoon?” … “We know people are always looking for great value, and this promotion delivers just that. We are proud that we’ve been able to make sure everyone can enjoy a great meal at an affordable price.”

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participationdifferentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Want more Butts in Seats

Price Matters

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Saturday, April 29, 2023

Golden Chick Embraces America’s Pastime

 


Elevating a partnership can expand your brands reach and the ‘halo’ of better for you if that partnership is with the Texas Rangers in one of your key markets according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, Dallas-Fort Worth-based Golden Chick is taking its existing partnership with the Texas Rangers a step further and working with the team by celebrating the release of the Rangers 2023 Nike City Connect uniform launch. This unique uniform with unite both brands while elevating Golden Chick according to Johnson.

In order to leverage brand messaging there will be a two-part launch, Golden Chick team members were first on-site to supply Rangers fans with fan-favorite Wicked Wings as they made their way to the Grand Slam Team Store at Globe Life Field to purchase the highly-anticipated City Connect merchandise. In addition, Golden Chick will act as the only Rangers sponsor to have the new City Connect primary logo adorned on crew gear, with employees wearing the new TX mark on T-shirts throughout the season. 

Mark Parmerlee, chairman of Golden Chick, stated, “As a locally-grown brand, taking part in the history of our region’s baseball team means a great deal and only furthers how strong of a relationship we share with the Texas Rangers,” ... “Golden Chick will not only have a hands-on role in the reveal of the new jerseys but will proudly showcase the emblem for months following, to truly give it the attention it deserves. We are honored to work with the Rangers on this announcement and promote a historic initiative for the team. Our restaurant crews are going to proudly wear the new logo.”


In case you did not know, the Nike MLB City Connect Series launched in 2021 and was formed to celebrate the connection between a specific club and its city. The Rangers are the second MLB team to join the City Connect Series in 2023. The jerseys celebrate the origin story of the Rangers and the Texas spirit that brought Dallas and Fort Worth together in Arlington through baseball, literally paving the way for the Rangers. 

Jim Cochrane, Texas Rangers senior vice president of partnerships and client services, stated, “We’ve had an incredible partnership with Golden Chick for years and when we discussed how we could expand on the City Connect announcement, we knew we wanted to include them,” ... “Both of our organizations have deep roots within DFW and strive to give back and honor the community as much as possible. We’re excited to keep evolving our partnership as the years go by and continue to deepen our involvement as we both grow.”


Working a partnership and edifying the relationships is important. Golden Chick first partnered with the Texas Rangers in 2018 as the sponsor for the iconic Dot Race, a sixth-inning tradition that garners the attention of thousands of fans each game. Since then, Golden Chick has evolved its participation at Globe Life Field to include Golden Chick at the Ballpark with special ballpark-only menu items like the Golden Chick Bases Loaded Fries and fried pickles. In 2022, and continuing in 2023, the brand became the title sponsor of the Jr. Rangers Kids Club, offering great team merchandise and discounted tickets for young Texas Rangers fans 13 and under.

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 us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter



Friday, April 28, 2023

Domino's Hand-Held Marketing Works

 


Regular readers of this blog know that back in the day service mattered and all restaurant marketers were worried about the ‘veto’ vote.  That is the one person in a party of four that did not like seafood, beef, or Thai for example. 

Domino’s brand foundation was built on speed and they are edifying that core value with no ‘In-Car Ordering’. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® speed of service continues to be top-of-mind with consumers. 

Just what is a marketer going to do?  Sit back and let customers migrate? Or are you going to edify your price, value, service equilibrium? That formula has evolved with Gen Z and Millennials today.  Dominos has elevated service / speed to a degree that it is creating a positive point of differentiation in the marketplace.  Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® has once again retooled, reevaluated, calculated then evolved the formula and here is the new formula:  Price + Quality + Social + Portability = Value.  Johnson asks, are you creating a qualitive point of differentiation?


Consumers want more convenience.  The ability of ordering a delicious meal from your car, but without waiting in long drive-thru lines, does just that.  Now Domino's Pizza Inc. has you covered! The largest pizza company in the world is giving customers a new and more efficient way to order while on the go: via Domino's iOS app on Apple CarPlay.

So, now consumers have two ordering options via Domino's app on CarPlay: "Tap to Order" or "Call to Order." Tap to Order lets customers submit their saved Easy Order or one of their most recent orders, while "Call to Order" allows them to place the order of their choice, hands-free, by talking to a customer service representative.

Christopher Thomas-Moore, Domino's senior vice president – chief digital officer, stated, "Domino's has been known as the industry leader when it comes to pizza and technology, and we're constantly striving to continue providing the best experience to customers. That's why we launched Domino's app on CarPlay," says. "We know how frustrating it can be to wait in a drive-thru line just to place an order. Domino's app on CarPlay is a great alternative to that, as customers still have the convenience of staying in their car, and can place an order from wherever they are, without waiting in a long drive-thru. It's yet another way we're bringing more ease and ordering options to customers across the U.S."

How Does It Work?   Ordering Domino's via CarPlay is easy! To do so, customers simply need to:

·         Download Domino's iPhone app

·         Log into their Pizza Profile

·         Have a saved Easy Order or recently placed order (in order to use "Tap to Order")

·         Select Domino's app on Apple CarPlay and voila! Ordering is at your fingertips.

 


In case you did not know, Domino's is the first pizza company and one of the first quick service restaurant brands in the U.S. to offer easy on-the-go ordering via CarPlay. In addition to placing an order via Domino's on CarPlay, customers can also track the status of their order via Domino's Tracker. Domino's app on CarPlay is the brand's newest AnyWare ordering platform – a suite of technology that allows customers to order from wherever they are, using whatever device they prefer. Other AnyWare ordering platforms include ordering via Apple Watch or with an emoji via text.

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participationdifferentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter


Want to Build a Larger Share of Wallet

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Thursday, April 27, 2023

Jamba Polishes Up Marketing Partnership

 


Garnering Gen Z and Millennial consumers is the goal of all food marketing professionals.  At Jamba that focus created new brand electricity while garnering the targeted consumers according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Spring has come and Summer is just around the corner. This Summer style just got brighter as Jamba has teamed up with Color Dept. to drop a new, limited-edition nail polish collection inspired by Jamba's crave-worthy smoothies that will add a bold pop of color to your day.

Talking about polishing up your targeted marketing.  When Jamba teamed up with Color Dept. to drop a new, limited-edition nail polish collection inspired by Jamba’s crave-worthy smoothies. Food marketers knew it was timed right, positioned right, and targeting their consumers according to Johnson.  

In case you did not know, the bright and colorful set introduces four curated and smoothie-inspired nail polish colors that ensure your summer style is just as vibrant as your favorite Jamba smoothie. While supplies last, beauty lovers nationwide can get their hands on the Jamba x Color Dept. nail polish collection, sold as a 4-pack nail kit, at ColorDept.com/Products/JambaKit:

·         Mango-a-Go-Go: A bright summery yellow inspired by the mango and pineapple flavors found in this whirl'd famous smoothie

·         The Go Getter: A vivid green that celebrates this super blend smoothie's matcha green tea and vitamin-rich kale

·         Razzmatazz: The perfect berry pink hue inspired by the combination of strawberries, bananas and orange sherbet

·         Peach Perfection: A fresh pink-orange polish that highlights this smoothie's peach, mango and strawberry ingredients

 


Julie Sariñana, founder of Color Dept, stated, "These colors are as uplifting as the energy I feel every time I step into my local Jamba to get my favorite smoothie – the Razzmatazz," says. "The collection is an iconic addition to anyone's polish arsenal this summer, which is when we tend to see more upbeat and playful colors."

So, the nail polish line is an expression of Jamba's "Just Gotta Jamba" brand campaign, which celebrates the craveability fans feel for our delicious smoothies, juices and bowls. From the polish colors featured within to the custom collection packaging designed to reflect Jamba store colors, this collection aims to match the upbeat vibes of both Jamba and Color Dept. fans.

Danielle Fisher, vice president of marketing at Jamba, stated, "Jamba inspires individuality and joyful authenticity through customizable menu items to meet you exactly where you are in your day, whether it's grabbing The Go Getter on your way to work or enjoying a Razzmatazz for an afternoon pick-me-up," .... "The nail polish collection with Color Dept. is no exception – no matter how you choose to express yourself, these colors are a fun way to take your favorite Jamba smoothies with you wherever you go."

The 4-pack nail kit is priced at $29.99, and like all Color Dept. products, is plant-based, vegan and cruelty-free. Now while supplies last, consumers nationwide can visit ColorDept.com/Products/JambaKit to purchase, with orders beginning to ship on May 1, 2023.


Don't forget a smoothie to match your nails – order online, in the Jamba app or in stores. Plus, Jamba Rewards members earn points with every purchase that can be redeemed during future visits.

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, 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 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. 

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



Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Service Tops Price in Influencing Food Spend Look at the Demographics


What drives consumers to stop and buy something from one of your locations? What do consumers think is important when they are about and about? Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® stated, its not always about you or your brand.  More often than not it is about your consumer. Below are some valuable insights from Numerator we think you should see.    

Numerator continues to track purchase data and survey verified buyers to understand shifts in consumer behavior. In a recent Mythbusters: Convenience report, we examine the fact that convenience is not a universal metric–what convenience means to consumers differs based on product type and shopping method, as well as between shopper groups, particularly different generations. Here’s what we learned: 

1.       82% of shoppers say convenience is extremely or very important to them; for Millennials, this number rises to 87%, while for Boomers+, it is only 77%

2.       When ranked alongside other shopping considerations, convenience comes in third, behind price and quality. 40% of shoppers rank convenience as their first or second decision-making factor.

3.       1 in 5 shoppers say store location is the most important factor for convenience, with an additional half saying it plays a role. 

4.       78% of all consumers consider the most convenient store location to be the one that is closest to home, followed by one along a route they travel regularly (54%). 

5.       Gen Z consumers prefer having a store within walking distance (25%) and along a public transportation route (13%). This is because Gen Z shoppers are 20% more likely to live in urban settings and 45% less likely to own a vehicle.



6.       Gen Z shoppers are 30% more likely than other generations to consider self-checkout a key component of convenience. 

7.       Store location is the top in-store convenience factor, but for online shopping, the #1 convenience factor is the ability to shop at any time.

8.       44% of Gen Z consumers prefer online stores that make it easy to use promotions/coupons, 28% of Millennials like the ability to store payment info, and 20% of Boomers+ find customer service the most convenient aspect of online shopping. 

9.       43% of all shoppers find online shopping somewhat or much more convenient than in-store, and Millennials are the most likely generation to favor online shopping (48%), followed by Gen X (46%). Gen Z finds in-store shopping “somewhat” to “much more” convenient (32%) than other generations.

10.   Consumers find it more convenient to shop in-store for perishable food and beverages (77%), frozen or refrigerated food and beverages (74%), and large home goods or furniture (55%). Meanwhile, consumers find it convenient to shop online for pet food and supplies (31%), small appliances or electronics (29%), and baby and toddler items (24%).  

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, 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 GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869