What Goes Around Comes Around: Why “Back to Basics” Is Winning the Modern Plate

 

In foodservice, trends rarely disappear. They cycle, evolve, and return with sharper relevance. In 2026, one of the most telling examples is the resurgence of traditional cooking fats such as butter, lard, and beef tallow. This shift is not driven by nostalgia alone. It is supported by clear, data-backed consumer demand, particularly among younger diners.

A new national survey conducted in February 2026 among 1,005 U.S. consumers highlights a meaningful change in behavior:

·       Fifty-two percent of consumers ages 18 to 34 say cooking fat influences where they choose to eat

·       Thirty-three percent of consumers age 55 and older say the same

·       When choosing between two identical restaurants, thirty-one percent of younger diners select the one using beef tallow, compared to nineteen percent of older diners

·       Overall preference shows twenty-four point seven percent favor animal fats such as butter and tallow, while fifteen point six percent prefer seed oils

This represents a significant preference gap and, more importantly, a shift in how consumers evaluate food quality.

The Strategic Insight

Cooking fat is no longer just a back-of-house operational choice. It has become a front-of-house marketing advantage.

 

Three Chains Going Back to Basics to Win Customers

1. Steak 'n Shake: Using Tallow to Drive Traffic

Steak ’n Shake has leaned into beef tallow fries as a way to reconnect with its heritage. The messaging focuses on original cooking methods and authentic flavor.

This approach resonates with younger consumers who are actively seeking transparency and simplicity in ingredients. By returning to traditional frying methods, the brand reinforces both indulgence and value.

The result is a clear product differentiation that also generates conversation, particularly across digital and social platforms.

 

2. Shake Shack: Simplicity and Ingredient Integrity

Shake Shack continues to succeed by focusing on fundamentals. Its approach includes butter-toasted buns, a streamlined ingredient list, and a clear sourcing story.

While the brand does not center its messaging on beef tallow, it aligns with the same broader trend. Consumers are gravitating toward food that feels less processed and more traditional.

Industry data from 2024 through 2026 shows that brands emphasizing ingredient clarity consistently perform better with Gen Z consumers.

 

3. Buffalo Wild Wings: Returning to Flavor Fundamentals

Buffalo Wild Wings is reinforcing its focus on craveable, traditional wing preparation. The emphasis is on classic frying techniques and delivering a consistent, high-quality texture and flavor.

This pivot reflects a broader move away from overly engineered food and toward authenticity. For products like wings, where texture is critical, traditional fats and cooking methods play a key role in perceived quality.

 

Macro Food Marketing Data Points from 2024 to 2026

·       Whole Foods Market’s 2026 trend forecast identifies beef tallow as an emerging ingredient gaining visibility

·       Datassential reports that ingredient transparency is one of the top drivers of restaurant choice among Gen Z

·       Technomic data from 2025 shows a double-digit increase in menu claims tied to back-to-basics cooking methods

·       Social media engagement for content featuring traditional cooking techniques significantly outperforms content focused on highly processed foods

 

What This Means for the Industry

This shift is not simply about cooking fat. It is about trust, flavor, and authenticity.

Younger consumers are paying closer attention to how food is prepared. They are asking more questions and connecting preparation methods directly to value. In this environment, value is no longer defined by price alone. It is defined by the quality and transparency of the process behind the food.

 

Grocerant Guru® Insights

1.       Back-of-house decisions are now front-of-house opportunities
Restaurants must communicate how food is prepared, not just what is served. Transparency builds trust and drives traffic.

2.       Flavor leads when it is framed as authentic
Consumers are not avoiding indulgence. They are choosing indulgence that feels real and rooted in traditional methods.

3.       Heritage cooking methods are a growth strategy
Brands that reconnect with proven techniques and explain their relevance to today’s consumer will be better positioned for long-term success.

Think About This 
What goes around does come around. In today’s foodservice landscape, it returns with clearer data, stronger consumer intent, and measurable impact on where and how people choose to dine.

Tap into the Foodservice Solutions® team for greater understanding of New Electricity or for 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

Grocers’ Biggest Strategic Misfire: Chasing Shelf Rent While Consumers Chase Dinner Tonight

 

The data is not ambiguous—it is directional and disruptive. According to FMI – The Food Industry Association, the percentage of consumers replacing restaurant meals with deli-prepared foods jumped from 12% in 2017 to 28% in 2025. At the same time, 53% of consumers are assembling hybrid meals, blending prepared foods with items already at home.

That is not incremental change. That is a behavioral reset around time, value, and immediacy according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Yet, as grocers attempt to reposition around foodservice and “fresh,” they continue to operate with legacy economics—most notably, slotting fees and shelf monetization models—that are fundamentally misaligned with how consumers actually eat today.

What follows is a sharper, more direct assessment of where grocers are getting it wrong—and why slotting fees may be the single biggest structural impediment to relevance.

 

1. Slotting Fees: The Grocery Industry’s Structural Achilles’ Heel

Let’s be precise: slotting fees are not just a line item—they are a strategic constraint.

Grocers have built a business model where:

·       Manufacturers pay for access to shelf space

·       Category resets are influenced by trade funding, not consumption velocity

·       Center store economics are optimized for margin per linear foot, not meals solved per trip

That creates a dangerous distortion:

Grocers are incentivized to stock what manufacturers fund—not what consumers need tonight.

Meanwhile, the consumer has shifted to a completely different decision framework:

·       “What can I eat in the next 30 minutes?”

·       “How do I minimize effort but still feel good about the meal?”

·       “Can I mix this with what I already have at home?”

Slotting fees push assortment toward:

·       Shelf-stable

·       Packaged

·       Brand-funded items

Consumers are pulling demand toward:

·       Fresh

·       Prepared

·       Immediate-use meal components

That gap is widening.

Bluntly stated:
Grocers are drifting toward a shelf rental model, while consumers are demanding a meal solutions platform.

Until that economic engine changes, execution will remain compromised—no matter how much capital is poured into deli remodels or fresh perimeter expansions.

 

2. They Say “Foodservice,” But Operate Like Merchandisers

Grocers talk about competing with restaurants. Operationally, they still behave like inventory managers.

Foodservice is not about expanding a deli footprint—it is about:

·       Hospitality

·       Throughput

·       Menu engineering

·       Daypart optimization

Most grocery environments still prioritize:

·       Planograms over people

·       Inventory turns over customer engagement

·       Back-of-house efficiency over front-of-house experience

Even NielsenIQ data shows:

·       66% of consumers cite quality as a top driver

·       56% cite ingredients

·       Only 37% trust brands, and 72% will switch when trust erodes

That means every interaction matters. Every meal must “prove itself.”

Insight:
You cannot buy foodservice credibility with shelf resets. It is earned through execution.

 

3. Assortment Bloat Is Undermining Deli Effectiveness

Grocers continue to expand deli SKUs under the assumption that more choice equals more sales.

In reality:

·       Consumers are time-starved

·       Decision fatigue is a real barrier to purchase

·       Shoppers want confidence, not complexity

Industry data shows rising traction in:

·       Signature items (now in ~40% of stores)

·       Focused, repeatable meal solutions

·       Daypart-specific offerings

Yet many delis remain:

·       Overbuilt

·       Operationally strained

·       Inconsistent in execution

Insight:
A smaller, sharper menu that solves dinner tonight will outperform a broad, unfocused assortment every time.

 

4. Speed of Service Is the New Customer Acquisition Cost

Grocers underestimate how quickly they lose a customer.

If a shopper:

·       Waits too long at the deli

·       Cannot quickly identify a meal solution

·       Encounters friction at checkout

They defect—to:

·       Quick-service restaurants

·       Convenience stores

·       Delivery platforms

This is not a marketing problem. It is an operational latency problem.

In today’s environment:

Speed is not a convenience—it is a competitive weapon.

Every minute of delay is equivalent to spending marketing dollars to drive a customer away.

 

5. Grocers Think in Bundles—Consumers Think in Meal Components

Grocers continue to push bundled offers:

·       Rotisserie chicken + two sides

·       Pre-configured family meals

But the data shows something more nuanced:

·       53% of consumers are mixing prepared items with home ingredients

·       Growth is strongest in modular categories:

o   Salads (+6.6%)

o   Prepared meats (+5.7%)

o   Appetizers (+4.2%)

This is not traditional meal bundling. This is modular consumption behavior.

Consumers want:

·       A protein

·       A side

·       A fresh add-on

·       The flexibility to integrate with what they already have

Insight:
The winning model is not bundling—it is curated interoperability.

 

The Underlying Issue: Misaligned Incentives

At its core, the grocery industry is dealing with conflicting economic signals:

·       Slotting fees reward shelf space monetization

·       Consumers reward immediacy and relevance

·       Labor is treated as a cost, while foodservice demands it as an investment

These are not small gaps—they are structural contradictions.

You cannot simultaneously:

·       Maximize slotting income

·       Minimize labor

·       Expand fresh foodservice

·       Deliver restaurant-quality experiences

Something has to give.

 

Think About This from the Grocerant Guru®

Grocers are closer than ever to owning the “dinner tonight” occasion—but they are being held back by their own legacy business model.

If you strip it down to its essence:

·       The industry is optimized to sell shelf space

·       The consumer is trying to buy time and solutions

That is the disconnect.

Three Forward-Looking Insights:

1.       Slotting fees will become increasingly incompatible with fresh food growth
The more a store leans into prepared foods, the less relevant shelf monetization becomes.

2.       Deli will either become a true foodservice engine—or remain an underperforming hybrid
There is no middle ground.

3.       The winners will reallocate space from packaged goods to meal solutions
Not incrementally—but decisively.

Bottom line:
The future of grocery is not on the shelf.
It is on the plate—tonight.

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

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