The Importance of Speed of Service in Modern Food Retail: A 30-Year Perspective Across Restaurants, Convenience Stores, and Grocery Service Delis

 

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes that across the food industry, speed of service has shifted from a competitive differentiator to a fundamental expectation. Over the past three decades, consumer demand for faster experiences—driven by lifestyle changes, technology adoption, and economic pressure has reshaped how restaurants, convenience stores (c-stores), and grocery store delis operate. Today, speed is not merely operational performance; it is a strategic lever influencing traffic, sales, customer satisfaction, and competitive positioning.

 

1. Restaurants: From Sit-Down to Seamless Service

Historical Context (1990s–2000s)

In the early 1990s, traditional full-service restaurants dominated dining occasions where consumers expected multi-course experiences and longer table times. Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) existed but operated within an ecosystem segmented by drive-ins and sit-down counters with service measured in tens of minutes.

Late in the decade, technological changes began reshaping expectations. Single-point ordering systems, basic drive-through lanes, and cash registers were the norm, with speed of service largely dependent on staff skill and kitchen efficiency.

Technological Acceleration (2000s–2010s)

The adoption of point-of-sale (POS) systems, kitchen display systems, and workflow optimization in QSRs improved baseline operations. Drive-through service became a focal point as cars brought mobility access to speed, and limited-service restaurants began benchmarking service times under ten minutes during peak hours.

During this era, the broad adoption of mobile phones enabled rudimentary digital orders, beginning the shift to off-premise consumption.

The Last Decade (2015–Present)

Data from industry reporting shows that average drive-through service times across major U.S. QSR brands were around five to six minutes in 2023, with innovations such as multi-lane formats and automated ordering significantly reducing service times at select locations to under four minutes.

From 2019 to 2023, statistics also show an increase in the share of visits lasting ten minutes or less at major brands like Taco Bell and Wendy’s, reflecting operational refinements and labor productivity improvements.

A pivotal shift occurred in the 2020s as technology—mobile ordering, AI voice systems, dedicated mobile pickup lanes, and automation—enhanced not only speed but order accuracy and customer satisfaction. Investments in digital order platforms and real-time kitchen performance monitoring have become standard operating tools.

Consumer Expectations

By 2025, industry research indicates that nearly all restaurant consumers place “quick service” among their top priorities, with fast take-out and drive-thru accounting for roughly three-quarters of all restaurant traffic.

 

2. Convenience Stores: From Grab-and-Go to Foodservice Competitor

Evolution of the Format

Originating in the early 20th century, convenience stores initially filled gaps in off-hour retail service. Through the latter half of the 20th century, they offered basic items and fuel with a focus on customer access rather than complex foodservice.

Transformation Through Speed (2000s–Present)

Since the early 2000s, c-stores have made strategic investments to expand prepared food offerings and shorten transaction times—turning the channel into a viable competitor to restaurants and grocery prepared food by prioritizing speed, ease, and accessibility.

A 2023 industry survey found that customers inside convenience foodservice spend an average of roughly three minutes and thirty-three seconds from leaving their vehicles to returning, underscoring the inherent velocity of c-store transactions.

Increasingly, convenience stores provide high-frequency visits with prepared meals, beverages, and snacks that meet or exceed consumer expectations for speed and affordability. Foot-traffic data from 2019 to 2023 shows c-store traffic outpacing that of grocery, superstores, and quick-service restaurants, suggesting speed and convenience are key drivers.

Modern Competitive Dynamics

Operators now optimize store layout, digital and contactless payments, mobile ordering, and hot-case prepared offerings to reduce bottlenecks and capture time-sensitive consumers. Early reports also show significant adoption of loyalty programs and mobile wallets to accelerate checkout and drive repeat visits.

 

3. Grocery Service Delis: Retail Foodservice’s Rapid Rise

Baseline History

Grocery delis historically offered cut-to-order meats or sandwiches as niche departments within larger stores. Service speed was secondary to product quality, and traditional deli counters operated on human throughput with moderate wait times.

Shifts in Consumer Behavior (2010s–2020s)

Over the past decade, grocery chains expanded prepared food offerings—pizza, sushi, sandwiches, and heat-and-eat meals—positioning delis as alternatives to restaurant meals when consumers prioritize both speed and value.

From 2017 to 2025, the share of consumers choosing grocery deli prepared foods over restaurant meals more than doubled, from 12 percent to 28 percent. Grocery deli sales also continued to grow, exceeding $50 billion in retail foodservice sales in recent reporting years.

This trend is driven by speed of access, cost savings, and convenience of one-stop shopping. Customers increasingly view the grocery deli as a quick meal solution with minimal wait, often pairing it with grocery purchases on the same trip—an efficiency not possible with standalone restaurants.

Contemporary Expectations

Modern grocers are prioritizing deli throughput improvements—pre-order via app, dedicated pickup stations, drive-through options, and streamlined checkout flows—recognizing that prep speed directly influences visit frequency and basket size.

 

4. Synthesis: What Speed Really Means Across Sectors

Sector	Core Speed Imperative	2025 Consumer Expectation	Data Trends
Restaurants	Rapid fulfillment of orders, especially off-premise	<6 minutes in QSR contexts; high accuracy	Digital ordering and tech automation reducing wait times; 95% prioritize speed. (Food & Wine)
Convenience Stores	Very fast transactions, ready-to-eat food, easy payment	~3:30 transaction cycle	Prepared food power increasing share; traffic growth outpaces other formats. (EMARKETER)
Grocery Delis	Quick deli pickup, grab-and-go meals	Comparable to fast casual but lower price	Deli as viable restaurant alternative; share doubled since 2017. (Supermarket News)

 

5. Three Insights from the Grocerant Guru

1.       Speed of Service Is a Strategic Revenue Lever, Not a Cost Center
Leading operators have recognized that improving speed of service directly correlates with increased throughput, higher ticket counts, and more frequent visits. In restaurants and retail foodservice alike, reducing transaction times without compromising quality elevates total revenue and customer loyalty. Investments in data analytics, predictive labor scheduling, and real-time performance monitoring often deliver outsized returns.

2.       Blurring Channel Boundaries Will Continue as Consumers Prioritize Time
Consumers no longer compartmentalize where they get meals based on format labels. Grocery delis, convenience foodservice, and restaurant off-premise channels compete for the same meal occasions. Operators that build seamless cross-channel experiences (mobile order ahead, drive-up pickup, optimized in-store flow) will lock in market share as time-pressed lifestyles accelerate.

3.       Technology Is Necessary But Not Sufficient—Operational Culture Matters
While digital ordering, AI voice systems, and automated kitchens accelerate speed, the marginal gains come from aligning staff incentives, refining workflow design, and constantly measuring service KPIs. Empowering employees with high-performance standards and real-time feedback loops ensures that technology amplifies human execution rather than simply replacing core skills.

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

Millennials Don’t Hate Foodservice—They Hate Friction: Pricing, Authenticity, and Digital Discovery Are the New Table Stakes

 

The foodservice industry is dynamic, not static—and Millennials have proven to be the clearest signal of where the market is headed, not an anomaly to be managed. For legacy brands struggling to “win back” Millennials, the issue is rarely food quality alone. It is friction: unclear pricing, limited digital access, and food that feels engineered rather than authentic.

As Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson has long stated, “Digital availability, pricing transparency, and in-store fresh prepared food that is ethnically authentic are the combination that attracts both Gen Z and Millennial consumers.” The data now overwhelmingly supports that position.

Millennials Are Not Hard to Reach—They Are Easy to Lose

Millennials (born roughly 1981–1996) now represent the largest cohort of U.S. foodservice spenders, accounting for an estimated 30–35% of total restaurant and prepared food dollars. Contrary to outdated assumptions, they eat frequently, cook selectively, and shop across channels—restaurants, grocery, club, and convenience—often within the same week.

What they reject is inefficiency.

Recent industry benchmarks show:

·       Over 70% of Millennials compare prices digitally before choosing where to eat or buy prepared food.

·       More than 60% expect real-time menu availability, nutrition, and ingredient transparency online.

·       Nearly half say they will abandon a brand if pricing feels confusing or promotional rules feel “designed to trick.”

Millennials do not expect perfection; they expect clarity.

Costco: A Case Study in Millennial Gravity

Costco’s continued success with Millennials underscores a critical truth: authenticity and value scale. The company has expanded its organic assortment, increased fresh prepared food innovation, and experimented with digital promotions—including coupon platforms and app-based engagement—to meet younger consumers where they are.

During earnings calls, Costco disclosed that the average age gap between its U.S. members and the general population has narrowed to under two years, down from more than four years previously. That shift did not happen by accident. It happened because Costco leaned into:

·       Transparent pricing

·       Private-label trust

·       Fresh, globally inspired prepared foods

·       Digital discovery without gimmicks

Millennials do not see Costco as “old retail.” They see it as honest retail.

Grocery Is Still Stuck in the 1960s—Millennials Notice

As Acosta Senior VP Colin Stewart noted, “The typical grocery store, especially center store, is the same as it’s been since the 1960s.” Millennials, by contrast, seek experiences layered with utility. They want discovery, but they also want speed.

Key behavioral facts:

·       More than 75% of Millennials grocery shop with someone else, compared to roughly 60% of the total population.

·       Shopping is social: spouses/partners (38%), children (41%), and friends or roommates (nearly 30%).

·       Among Hispanic Millennials, grocery shopping as a social experience is even more pronounced, with nearly 90% shopping with others.

Food discovery, for Millennials, is communal—both physically and digitally.

Digital Is Not a Feature—It Is an Expectation

Acosta’s Why Behind the Buy research made it clear years ago, and the data has only strengthened:

·       64% of Millennials shop grocery online at least monthly, versus roughly 40% of all shoppers.

·       Six in ten Millennials have tried a meal kit, compared to about one in ten Boomers.

·       Nearly 40% of items in Millennial baskets are organic, materially higher than older cohorts.

Meal kits succeeded not because they were trendy, but because they solved multiple Millennial needs simultaneously:

·       Skill-building (45% want to learn new cooking techniques)

·       Health-forward ingredients

·       Portion control

·       Price predictability

·       Digital-first engagement

Pizza, Value, and the Grocerant Effect—Then and Now

The pizza sector’s success—dating back to the mid-2010s and continuing today—remains one of the clearest illustrations of grocerant principles in action. Pizza won because it delivered:

·       Handheld convenience

·       Transparent value pricing

·       Fast fulfillment

·       Cross-channel availability (delivery, pickup, retail, C-store)

Chains like Domino’s and Papa John’s paired aggressive value menus with frictionless digital ordering, setting a standard that grocery, convenience, and foodservice competitors quickly emulated. Meanwhile, C-stores, club stores, and supermarkets expanded Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat pizza, capturing incremental meal occasions once reserved for restaurants.

The lesson was never about pizza—it was about reducing decision friction while increasing perceived control.

 

Three Grocerant Guru® Insights: Why Food Discovery Now Determines Legacy Brand Survival

1. Discovery Has Shifted From Menus to Moments
Millennials discover food through social feeds, apps, in-store visuals, and peer validation—not static menus. Legacy brands must design discovery across touchpoints, not just at the point of sale.

2. Authenticity Scales Faster Than Innovation Theater
Ethnic authenticity, clear sourcing, and simple preparation outperform “limited-time innovation.” Millennials reward brands that show cultural respect and culinary honesty—not over-engineered novelty.

3. Digital Is the New Front Door—Prepared Food Is the Welcome Mat
Brands that treat digital as marketing miss the opportunity. Digital discovery must connect directly to fresh prepared food availability, pricing clarity, and immediate consumption options—the heart of the grocerant niche.

 

The conclusion is straightforward: Millennials are not abandoning foodservice. They are reallocating spend toward brands that respect their time, intelligence, and desire for participation. Pricing transparency, authentic prepared food, and seamless digital discovery are no longer competitive advantages—they are baseline requirements.

The grocerant niche continues to prove that when brands reduce friction and increase trust, Millennials do the rest.

For more on how the Foodservice Solutions® 5P’s of Food Marketing can accelerate discovery, differentiation, and participation, visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or contact Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us.

The Grocerant Advantage Returns: How Olive Garden Relearned the Power of Ready-2-Eat in a Fragmented Food Culture

 

In 2016, Olive Garden offered a clear, if underappreciated, lesson for the restaurant industry: when consumer behavior fragments, the brands that win are those that meet customers where they are—at home, on the go, and on their own schedule. Nearly a decade later, that lesson has only grown more relevant. Once again, the grocerant niche—Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food—has proven to be a stabilizing and growth-driving force for Olive Garden, and a blueprint for casual dining brands struggling with relevance, traffic volatility, and rising costs according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

A Historical Reset: Why the Grocerant Niche Matters

Olive Garden’s outperformance in the mid-2010s was not accidental. It was driven by an early embrace of grocerant principles: bundled value, meal flexibility, and take-home utility. Same-store sales growth outpaced the casual-dining segment by more than five percentage points at a time when many peers were flat or negative. The catalyst was not décor, menu innovation, or price increases alone—it was participation.

Programs like Buy-One-Take-One and the Never Ending Pasta Bowl did more than drive traffic. They expanded use occasions. A dine-in visit became a future meal. A single check became two consumption events. That is grocerant logic: extend the brand beyond the table and into the consumer’s weekly food routine.

Fast forward to today, and the macro environment reinforces why this matters more than ever.

The 2025 Consumer Reality: Fragmented, Value-Driven, and Time-Starved

Current food marketing data underscores three enduring truths:

·       Meal replacement dominates behavior: Over 70% of U.S. consumers now decide what to eat within four hours of consumption, favoring solutions over experiences on weeknights.

·       Off-premise is the profit battleground: To-go, curbside, and delivery account for roughly 40–50% of casual-dining transactions, yet generate disproportionate margin risk without operational discipline.

·       Value is redefined: Value is no longer “cheap.” It is usable. Bundled meals, leftovers, and reheat quality now rank alongside price in perceived worth.

Olive Garden’s historic success with take-home entrees anticipated this shift. Its to-go business grew more than 50% over three years in the prior decade, and the logic remains sound today: consumers want restaurant-quality food with grocery-like flexibility.

Packaging, Platforms, and Participation

What has changed since 2016 is the role of packaging and digital access.

·       Packaging is now brand infrastructure: Heat retention, portion integrity, and reusability directly influence repeat purchase. Packaging that travels and reheats well is no longer optional—it is marketing.

·       App ordering outperforms web: App users order more frequently, customize more, and respond better to bundles and limited-time offers. The app is the modern menu board and loyalty engine.

·       Online convenience beats in-store persuasion: Discovery happens digitally, but loyalty is built when the food performs at home as promised.

Olive Garden’s early willingness to test third-party delivery—even amid pricing tension—reflected a correct strategic instinct: distribution is marketing. If the food is not present when hunger strikes, the brand is irrelevant.

The Grocerant Niche as a Defensive and Offensive Strategy

Casual dining continues to face customer discontinuity. Fewer people eat out the same way, at the same time, every week. The grocerant niche mitigates this risk by allowing brands to sell meals, not moments. It transforms restaurants into flexible food providers rather than fixed-occasion destinations.

Olive Garden’s performance then—and its continued relevance now—demonstrates that leaving the grocerant niche was never the solution. Re-embracing it was.

 

Four Forward-Looking Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1.       Bundles Will Replace Entrées as the Core Unit of Sale
The future menu is not an item list; it is a solution set. Successful brands will sell “Tonight + Tomorrow” meals as the default, not the upsell.

2.       Packaging Will Be a Competitive Differentiator, Not a Cost Line
Brands that invest in sustainable, reheatable, brand-coded packaging will see higher second-day consumption satisfaction—and higher loyalty.

3.       Apps Will Become Personalized Meal Planners
The next evolution of restaurant apps will mirror grocery behavior: saved bundles, scheduled reorders, and predictive meal prompts based on past behavior.

4.       The Grocerant Niche Will Blur Restaurant and Retail Boundaries
Winning brands will no longer ask, “Are we dine-in or off-premise?” They will ask, “How many meals did we enable this week?” That metric favors grocerant-aligned operators every time.

The lesson from 2016 still holds in 2025: when restaurants stop selling plates and start selling meals that fit real life, they win. Once again, the grocerant niche did not just save Olive Garden—it reminded the industry what business it is truly in.

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