From Grocery Shopping to Meal Component Shopping: How Technology Is Rewriting a Century of Food Retail

 

For more than 110 years, American grocery shopping has evolved in step with consumer lifestyles—and today, technology is accelerating that evolution faster than any era before it. From the first self-service grocery store in 1916 (Piggly Wiggly) to the rise of UPC barcodes in 1974 and the online grocery boom that began in the early 2000s, each shift has brought consumers one step closer to speed, convenience, and personalization.

Now, the biggest transformation in decades is underway: grocery shopping is becoming “meal component shopping”, according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Technology—especially AI—is pushing consumers to shop not for categories, but for ready-to-assemble components that fit their lifestyles, budgets, and cooking comfort levels.

AI: The Newest Link in the Food Retail Chain

A new survey from Qlik reveals the speed of this cultural shift.

·       58% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials plan to use AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot to plan, prep, or cook Thanksgiving meals this year—more than any other generation.

·       Over 50% of all respondents believe AI can help them save money on groceries.

·       Nearly 1 in 5 expect to save $50 or more this holiday season.

·       28% believe AI can cut their prep time by up to an hour.

That is not a novelty trend—that is restructuring how America shops, cooks, and decides what to buy.

As Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik, put it: “Americans are showing us exactly where AI fits into their lives—it’s the helper, not the host.”

Consumers agree:

·       31% said they rely on AI more than family members to build shopping lists.

·       26% will even use AI to generate trivia or conversation starters for the holiday table.

Technology is no longer just in the shopping cart; it is shaping how the meal itself comes together.

From Weekly Stock-Ups to Meal Component Missions

Historically, grocery shopping followed a predictable cycle:

·       1950s–1970s: Pantry stock-up trips dominated.

·       1980s–1990s: Superstores and EDLP pricing helped families stretch budgets.

·       2000s: Loyalty cards and data.

·       2010s: Meal kits, grab-and-go, and foodservice at retail.

By the mid-2010s, 62% of consumers reported mixing grocery store foodservice with traditional grocery items in the same trip. By 2023, that number exceeded 70%.

This trend gave birth to what the Grocerant Guru® has documented for more than a decade:

Consumers no longer shop for groceries—they shop for meal components.

Meal component shopping includes:

·       Ready-to-heat proteins

·       Chef-crafted sides

·       Prepped vegetables

·       Sauces, dips, and finishing touches

·       Rotisserie chicken (still the #1 in-store foodservice driver for 25+ years)

·       Mix-and-match prepared entrees

·       AI-generated shopping lists organized by recipes

AI is accelerating this because it thinks in meals, not categories.
Ask an AI for dinner ideas, and it builds a component list: protein, veg, starch, sauce, toppings—exactly how modern shoppers think.

Why Consumers Love This Evolution

Food retail data shows the drivers of meal component shopping align perfectly with AI-assisted planning:

1. Rising Prices = Component Efficiency

With food-at-home inflation averaging 25% cumulative since 2019, shoppers use AI to maximize value, swap ingredients, and avoid waste.

2. Time Poverty

Today, 67% of Americans say they don’t have enough time to cook from scratch.
AI cuts planning time, and stores provide components to speed preparation.

3. Cooking Confidence

44% say they still rely on friends or family for cooking advice, but only 11% use traditional cookbooks.
AI fills the confidence gap with fast tutorials and tailored suggestions.

4. Personalization

Online retailers report that personalized recommendations increase basket size 15–25%.
AI meal planning enhances that effect—especially for younger shoppers.

How Retailers Are Responding

Forward-thinking grocers now:

·       Integrate AI into apps for smart list building

·       Cross-merchandise around meals rather than categories

·       Increase space for fresh prepared foods, now a $50+ billion sector

·       Position stores as hybrid grocery-restaurant destinations

·       Use predictive analytics to reduce shrink and optimize ready-to-eat offerings

In the words of the Grocerant Guru®, “Retailers that sell meals, not just ingredients, win the loyalty battle.”

 

Four Forward-Looking Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1. AI-Driven Meal Pathing Will Replace the Weekly Circular

By 2027, digital meal plans—complete with custom shopping lists—will be more influential than the weekly ad. Promotions will be personalized, dynamic, and tied directly to mealtime missions.

2. Meal Components Will Outgrow Traditional Center Store Categories

Consumers want solutions, not staples. Prepared proteins, value-added produce, and ready-to-heat grains will drive margin as center store declines.

3. Retail Foodservice Will Become the Primary Traffic Driver

The battle for the consumer’s dinner plate will be decided in the fresh perimeter. Grocers that act like restaurants will outperform those that behave like warehouses.

4. AI and Foodservice Will Merge Into a “Smart Meal Ecosystem”

Shoppers will plan meals through AI, pick up components from the grocery store, and assemble them at home—creating a hybrid dining model that is personalized, affordable, and frictionless.

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing it the same way?  Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.

Chicken Wars 3.0: Why Every Brand Is Elevating Chicken—And How Popeyes Is Protecting Its Crown

 

The competition inside the chicken category has never been hotter. From grocery deli counters to C-stores, from QSR drive-thru’s to app-only virtual brands, America’s most accessible protein is fueling a new arms race in flavor, fun, and food marketing according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Chicken—already a $78+ billion category across restaurants and retail—continues to outperform beef in both price stability and consumer demand.

Consumers today eat chicken 4.9 times per week on average, and among Gen Z, it has quietly become the default meal-builder across dayparts. That shift is pushing legacy chains and start-ups alike to innovate or be left behind.

And while the category is sizzling with new entrants, limited-time offers, and crossover collaborations, one brand is demonstrating what it means to elevate the battleground while protecting its identity: Popeyes.

 

Popeyes Shows How to Lead a Category Without Losing Its Soul

In a moment when every brand is chasing attention, Popeyes has opted to pursue something much more strategically valuable: relevance to its core customer.

Their newest collaboration—an exclusive tie-in with Blumhouse’s highly anticipated Five Nights at Freddy’s 2—is a masterclass in staying culturally relevant while reinforcing brand DNA. For a chain built on bold Louisiana flavor, fun, and craveable heat, pairing with a franchise known for suspense, nostalgia, and pop-culture fandom was not a gimmick. It was a fit.

The Freddy Fazbear Crunch Menu Hits the Sweet Spot

The limited-time Freddy Fazbear Crunch Menu, available nationwide, blends video-game culture, movie fandom, and comfort-food indulgence into bundles engineered for value and guest satisfaction:

·       Freddy Fazbear Deluxe Box — $12.99
3 classic or spicy chicken tenders with garlic parmesan rub, garlic-crusted Cheesy Bites with marinara, a Cupcake Cup dessert, and a drink.

·       Freddy Fazbear Box — $7.99
Same tender-and-Cheesy-Bites combo, minus the dessert and beverage.

·       A la carte hits — $3.99 each
Cheesy Bites with Marinara or the Cupcake Cup dessert.

Popeyes further doubled down with limited-edition collectible sticker packs, tapping into the fandom culture that powers franchise engagement both in-store and online.

As Amy Alarcon, VP of Culinary at Popeyes, put it:
“Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria is iconic… we had a blast reimagining that fun, over-the-top energy through our menu.”

This isn’t just clever; it’s strategically aligned brand marketing.

 

Chicken Sector Competition Is Fueling Better Food

Across the broader marketplace, competition is forcing creativity:

·       C-stores report double-digit growth in hot case chicken programs.

·       Frozen grocery chicken snacks are up 14% YOY, particularly breaded tenders and sauced bites.

·       QSRs continue pushing premium LTOs: garlic-parm, truffle, Nashville hot, Cajun, and global flavor mashups.

·       Even convenience formats like ghost kitchens, micro food halls, and AI-powered kiosks are leaning heavily on chicken because of its reliability, price point, and versatility.

In short: everyone is elevating chicken because consumers are demanding more flavor and more fun.

But amid all this heat, Popeyes remains one of the few brands executing with precision—protecting brand identity while delivering fresh pop-culture energy.

 

Why Popeyes’ Approach Is Working

Yes, the brand has faced three consecutive quarters of slightly negative same-store sales (-4%, -0.9%, -2%). But the response from leadership has been clear:
Return to core menu equity. Reinforce value. Drive relevance.

The Freddy Fazbear menu does all three. It:

·       Delivers bold Louisiana flavor with new sensory twists

·       Drives incremental trial through bundles engineered for value

·       Connects with a massive, youthful fanbase tied to a film franchise whose first installment grossed $295M, Blumhouse’s biggest hit ever

This is how a legacy chicken leader adapts without losing its identity.

 

GROCERANT GURU® INSIGHTS

1. Chicken Becomes the “Bridge Protein” of Foodservice

As food inflation squeezes households, chicken’s affordability and versatility make it the #1 protein for mix-and-match meal solutions across grocery, QSR, and C-stores. Expect more meal kits, combo bundles, and cross-category collaborations built around chicken.

2. Flavor-First Messaging Will Win the Next Chicken War

Consumers aren’t just seeking heat—they’re seeking authentic global flavors. Brands that lean into Cajun, Caribbean, Filipino, West African, and Middle Eastern profiles will outpace those who stick to generic spicy/garlic offerings.

3. IP Partnerships Will Become the New LTO Playbook

Collaborations like Popeyes x Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 are early signals. Expect more food brands pairing with movies, gaming universes, sports streamers, and digital creators. Cultural relevance is replacing traditional advertising.

4. Chicken in the Grocerant Era Must Be Portable, Snackable, and Social-Shareable

Handhelds, snack cups, crispy bites, and sauce-forward items are now core to adoption. Consumers want chicken that works in the car, at home, or in a multi-tasking hybrid lifestyle. Brands that optimize portability + indulgence will win.

 

Think About This

The chicken category is hotter than ever—but not all growth is created equal. Brands chasing volume without identity will fade. Brands like Popeyes—who innovate, collaborate, and stay true to their culinary roots—are building staying power that will carry them through the next wave of chicken competition.

In the Chicken Wars 3.0 era, flavor, authenticity, and cultural resonance aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re the new cost of entry.

Success Leaves Clues—Are You Ready to Find Yours?

One key insight that continues to drive success is this: "The consumer is dynamic, not static." This principle is the foundation of our work at Foodservice Solutions®, where Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, has been helping brands stay relevant in an ever-evolving market.

Want to strengthen your brand’s connection with today’s consumers? Let’s talk. Call 253-759-7869 for more information.

Stay Ahead of the Competition with Fresh Ideas

Is your food marketing keeping up with tomorrow’s trends—or stuck in yesterday’s playbook? If you're ready for fresh ideations that set your brand apart, we’re here to help.

At Foodservice Solutions®, we specialize in consumer-driven retail food strategies that enhance convenience, differentiation, and individualization—key factors in driving growth.

👉 Email us at Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us
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AI-Empowered Kiosks: The New Brand Builders at the Crossroads of Restaurants, C-Stores, Grocery & Consumers

 

Self-service has evolved from convenience to core consumer expectation, according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Now AI-powered kiosks are now emerging as brand engines for the next decade of food retailing. Once limited to ticketing and check-in, kiosks are now rewriting the playbook for restaurants, c-stores, and grocers. They are not simply tools for ordering or payment, they are intent-shaping, loyalty-building, margin-enhancing digital touchpoints.

In 2025, U.S. consumers are interacting with self-service technology 2–4 times per day across grocery, fuel, QSR, retail, and workplace dining. According to multiple industry sources, including The Industry Group—a global network dedicated to kiosks, digital signage, smart lockers, POS, EV charging, and smart-city retail—the self-service sector is growing at 12–17% annually driven by AI, personalization, and unattended retail adoption.

The bottom line: AI-empowered kiosks are the fastest-growing foodservice interface in North America.

 

The New Consumer Mandate: Frictionless, Personalized, Always-On Food Retail

Across restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery retail, food consumers are signaling a unified expectation:

·       72% of diners prefer ordering via kiosk when available

·       68% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer personalized menu recommendations

·       58% of shoppers say unattended retail increases brand trust

·       C-stores that deploy AI-ordering solutions see basket sizes rise 15–22%

·       Grocery banners using digital sampling kiosks report 2–3× lift in new-item trials

AI kiosks are doing more than speeding transactions; they are shaping preferences in real time. The new consumer is not just ordering; they are being guided, coached, and motivated by predictive menus, dynamic promotions, and AI-powered upselling logic.

 

How AI-Powered Kiosks Build Brand Equity

As the Grocerant Guru®, I’ve studied how “channel-blurred food retail”—where restaurants, c-stores, and grocers overlap—reshapes consumer behavior. AI kiosks represent the strongest single tool to unify consumer journeys across these channels.

Here are the five most important brand-building functions of modern AI kiosks:

 

1. They Turn Every Transaction into a Personal Story

AI kiosks now integrate:

·       purchase history

·       taste preferences

·       dietary patterns

·       day-part behaviors

·       hyper-local trends

The result is menu personalization that drives loyalty.
A national QSR recently saw a 27% jump in add-on accuracy using AI recommendation engines—similar to grocery’s success with personalized e-coupon kiosks.

 

2. They Bridge the Experience Gap Across Legacy Brands & Startups

Legacy chains—from 50-year-old diners to 5,000-unit QSRs—use kiosks to modernize and stay relevant.

Startups, meanwhile, use kiosks to scale before investing in a full staff model.

Kiosk Industry Group data shows:

·       Time-to-market for kiosk-based start-ups is 55% faster

·       Legacy brands adopting kiosks see labor flexibility improve 20–30%

·       AI kiosks reduce order error rates by up to 80%

This creates a rare level playing field:
Startups get scale. Legacy brands get speed. Consumers get control.

 

3. They Expand Access Through Unattended Retail & Smart Lockers

The Industry Group’s latest quarterly update highlights surging investment in:

·       smart food lockers

·       pickup walls

·       24/7 unattended kitchens

·       automated return hubs

·       EV-charging–adjacent retail pods

Chick-fil-A’s new AI-equipped hospital vending kiosk (noted in the update) shows how foodservice is moving beyond four walls, unlocking high-value micro-markets in:

·       hospitals

·       universities

·       corporate campuses

·       airports

·       high-density multifamily housing

For grocers and c-stores, these kiosks are the new proximity strategy—always near the consumer, even when the store is closed.

 

4. Digital Signage + AI Kiosk Data = Precision Food Marketing

The Industry Group’s work in digital signage shows that AI kiosks improve marketing accuracy by feeding:

·       real-time sales heat maps

·       product-affinity modeling

·       price-elasticity insights

·       inventory-driven dynamic promotions

Food fact:
Kiosk-driven digital merchandising increases LTO (limited-time offer) awareness by 39% and adoption by 18%.

For restaurants and c-stores, this means fewer failed LTOs and faster trial of new beverages, snacks, and seasonal items.

 

5. They Future-Proof the Brand (EOL Components, Modular POS & Service Visibility)

The Industry Group warns in its Olea Kiosks EOL update that many brands never plan for end-of-life hardware cycles. But modular, AI-ready kiosks extend brand adaptability.

New POS devices highlighted by the group—like Global Payments’ modular countertop POS—offer:

·       swappable scanners

·       camera-AI inputs

·       card-not-present protections

·       multi-device kitchen routing

·       field-service friendly components

This ensures brands stay competitive without full replacement costs every 4–5 years.

 

Why AI-Kiosks Are Rocket Fuel for Restaurants, C-Stores & Grocers

FOOD FACTS THAT EXPLAIN THE SURGE

·       42% of prepared food purchases in grocery stores are now influenced by digital prompts

·       C-store foodservice is a $320 billion sector growing 4–6% annually—twice the rate of traditional grocery

·       Restaurant mobile + kiosk orders now exceed 33% of all QSR transactions

·       Unattended retail food sales grew 30% year over year

·       Hospital, campus, and airport unattended vending has grown 2.5× since 2021

The brands winning today are those who understand one truth:

“Consumers don’t want a cashier. They want control, accuracy, speed, and personalization.”

AI kiosks deliver all four.

 

Four Grocerant Guru® Insights on the Future of Kiosk-Driven Food Retail

1. Kiosks Turn Every Location Into a “Digital Neighborhood Market.”

Whether in a restaurant, c-store, grocer or smart locker hub, kiosks localize menu recommendations and promotions at scale.

2. AI-Kiosk Personalization Is the New Loyalty Program.

Brands that adopt AI-menu personalization see repeat visits rise 10–18% within the first six months.

3. Startups Will Build National Brands Faster Through Kiosk Networks.

Expect to see micro-brands scale nationwide using hospital, campus, and smart-locker kiosks long before opening their first storefront.

4. Legacy Brands That Go “AI-First” Will Outperform the Market by Double Digits.

Chains that integrate kiosk analytics into menu strategy will see faster LTO success, higher margins, and a 20–30% rise in check averages.

 

Think About This: AI-Empowered Kiosks Are the New Growth Engine

For restaurants, c-stores, and grocery retailers, AI-powered kiosks are the unifying platform driving modern food retail. They build brands, reduce friction, boost accuracy, drive loyalty, expand access, and create new revenue channels.

Legacy brands use them to reinvent.
Startups use them to scale.
Consumers use them to take control.

The food retail future isn’t coming.
It’s already here—and it’s self-service, AI-enhanced, and always on.

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® 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: us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter