At PDQ Partnerships Pile up Profits

Fresh food retailers from grocery store service delis, convenience stores, and restaurants continue to look for ways to drive incremental sales. In 2018 partnerships are the platform most companies are finding the new electricity that will drive incremental top line sales and bottom line profits according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

PDQ will begin rolling out Ice Cream Floats as part of a partnership with Coca-Cola. Leveraging the strength of partnership to create new menu ideations is nothing new.  However working with stredgic partners on menu and marketing innovation programs that are integrated into your yearly plan can prove profitable according to Johnson.

Michael Brannock, Executive Chef of PDQ stated “We are constantly evolving our menu and coming up with new options to satisfy cravings,” .. “Everyone loves a delicious ice cream float, and these new creations are a fun way to kick off the summer.” Where are you looking for your new electricity?

What is the new electricity that is driving your top line sales and bottom line profits?  Are your customer counts growing?  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.” Differentiation does not mean different it means familiar but with a twist and this has that.

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, urban clothing, grocerant consultants, coins /currency, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing. This program has all of that.

Foodservice 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.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

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 Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or twitter.com/grocerant

Apple Pie, Hot Dogs, and Baseball Not: its Apple Pie, Chicken & Baseball

America’s pastime is baseball even though it ranks third to football and basketball in the televisions ratings. Baseball is the national pastime in the United States because it ‘resonates more deeply in the country’s soul than any other sport.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® asks will Hot Dogs be replaced by chick-n-strips with the Chick-fil-A sponsorship?

Recently, it was announced that Chick-fil-A is now the official quick-service restaurant of Little League Baseball and Softball. That Johnson calls ‘quite a coup’ for Chick-fil-A.  Baseball tugs at the heart strings of Americans and the undercurrent of generational fondness for the game and all that come with it could help propel Chick-fil-A already good band image even higher.

This strategic partnership between Chick-fil-A, and Little League International will be able to provide additional support, resources, and financial opportunities through grant programs to its local leagues while remaining committed to providing fun, healthy opportunities for all children and adult volunteers in communities around the world. Thus, edifying the Chick-fil-A brand for years too come according to Johnson.

While, Chick-fil-A has risen to the top of the ranks within the foodservice industry in terms of customer satisfaction and has been especially popular among younger generations this relationship will extend the brand while introducing it to new customers simultaneously.

In addition to its dedicated support to local leagues throughout the year, Chick-fil-A will join Little League International’s Official Sponsors inside the Family Fun Zone at the Little League Baseball World Series on August 16-26, 2018, with fun and exciting on-site activations. 

Their on-site location in Williamsport will serve as the home to the only Chick-fil-A food service in all of Lycoming County exclusively during the World Series and the only place to enjoy Chick-fil-A products within 35 miles of the Little League International Complex.  Success does leave clues and this one was a coup for Chick-fil-A.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? 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.

Chick-fil-A Pantry Busting with Family Style Meals

Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Johnson excels at identifying, quantifying and qualifying niche opportunity for global foodservice related activity one such activity is grocery store pantry busting and Chick-fil-A’s new family style meals are another great example of Pantry Busting.

Most legacy grocery stores are unable to evolve fast enough to maintain customer relevance, thus paving the way for continued capitulation of retail market share to the dollar store and restaurant sectors.  There is no doubt that the dollar store sector has devastated the ‘center of the store’ for traditional grocery stores and according to Johnson the restaurant sector is about to target the fresh sector of the grocery stores doing the same thing.

Chick-fil-A pantry busting ideation: Family Style Meals. Chick-fil-A is testing meal kits, including new sides, to meet a growing consumer demand it says affects nearly 40 percent of current dinner customers. The team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, found that at noon 83.7% of consumers do not know what’s for dinner and at 4PM 68.7% still don’t know what’s for dinner.

Matt Abercrombie, manager of menu development at Chick-fil-A stated that “Thirty-six percent of Chick-fil-A dinner diners take their meal to go, the chain says. …Our customers told us that they wanted an even more convenient way to share meals at home or on the go, so we worked directly with a group of parents to design every part of Family Style Meals—down to the cutlery caddy that features five unique conversation starter questions to help customers connect over mealtime,” … “Mealtime should be an enjoyable experience that brings family and friends together, not an extra stress in the day.”

 According to Johnson Chick-fil-A  is evolving from fast food to fast meals with the Family Style Meals they are testing through November 18. So, what can you get? Chick-fil-A says:

1.       They include one entrée, two sides, and eight Mini Rolls to serve four people, with the option to add additional entrees, sides, and beverages. Customer feedback will decide if the menu items stick.

2.       These include: Chick-n-Strips (12-count); Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Breasts (4-count); Chick-fil-A Nuggets (30-count), and Grilled Chicken Breasts (4-count).

3.       Side options include: Bacon Baked Beans, Fruit Cup, Mac & Cheese, Side Salad, and the Superfood Side. The Family Style Meal starts at $29.99.

4.       There is also a lighter Grilled Chicken Breasts, Side Salad, and Fruit Cup with two Mini Rolls option, which comes in at less than 300 calories per serving.

5.       Additionally, Chick-fil-A is testing Bacon Baked Beans and Mac & Cheese in the three cities.

6.       Note: “The Bacon Baked Beans are kettle-cooked with bacon and brown sugar for a sweet and savory taste,” Chick-fil-A says in the release. “The Mac & Cheese side is a classic macaroni and cheese recipe featuring a special blend of cheeses including Cheddar, Parmesan, and Romano.”

Success does leave clues and retailer must focus on customer interactive participation, transparent marketing, fresh local sustainable food products, new non-traditional points of fresh food distribution, and technology that makes retail food knowledge and availability seamless. Chick-fil-A is hitting on many of those key points and Pantry Busting while expanding their customer base.

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Long John Silver Finds Treasure in Chicken

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson believes that Long John Silver’s has found the right recipe to drive top line sales and bottom line profits.  The recipe includes focusing on price with a #5 Reel Deal Box and offering Crispy Breaded Chicken Tenders to the mix and match combo deal. 

The team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® continues to track customer price point acceptance, adoption, and comfort with the $5 price point.  In addition Millennials and Gen Z zeal for chicken tenders is akin to Baby Boomers zeal for burgers.   Recently Long John Silver’s added a brand new Crispy Breaded Chicken Tenders to the menu of options for the $5 Reel Deal Box.  

Stephanie Mattingly, vice president of Media and PR. For Long John Silver’s stated “The crunch of the lightly cooked breading and the succulent, juicy chicken work in tandem for a flavor we think our customers will love.” Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food with Mix and Match options continue to be top sellers in all areas of retail foodservice to according to our Grocerant Guru®.

The Long John Silver mix and match $5 Reel Deal Box includes a choice of “three Crispy Breaded Chicken Tenders, two pieces of classic battered fish or chicken, or one piece of classic battered fish and 3 shrimp. All of the choices are served with natural-cut fries, two signature hushpuppies, an icy cold 20-ounce drink, and a Hershey’s Chocolate Chip Cookie for dessert.”

Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing 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.

Kid Friendly C-stores Winning at Retail

Success does leave clues and convenience stores offering fresh food offerings for the entire family including children are garnering more visits, larger checks, all while evolving  a positive image for their brand, the convenience store sector, and grocerant niche fresh prepared food sales according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson.  

Empowering solutions by offering speed and convenience the 155,000 convenience stores the United States, have found a combination of success steps to garner customers from both legacy grocery store chain and legacy chain restaurants. 

CSNews.com, in partnership with its sister company Carbonview Research, “recently surveyed 1,505 consumers who shop at a convenience store at least once a month for its eighth-annual Realities of the Aisle consumer study. The sample of respondents was obtained from a national panel, representing the total population based on gender, age, region, income, and presence of children in the household. The yearly survey essentially asks respondents the who, what, when, where, why and how of their shopping habits.”

Carbonview Research delved into the demographic profile of c-store shoppers  and “interestingly, the presence of children in the household seems to have the greatest influence over whether c-store shoppers choose to visit a small operator or a chain.”

In fact the study found “Shoppers sans kids at home — a majority of c-store shoppers, at 58 percent — show a striking preference for small operators: cited by 67.7 percent as their typical choice, compared to 56.9 percent who typically shop at a chain location. Among the 42 percent of c-store shoppers with children living in their household, more typically shop at chains (43.1 percent) than at small operators (32.3 percent).”  So as a retailer is chain or independent what is best? Here is some of what else they found:

1.       customer service, 66.5 percent of those who shop at small operators rated their usual store as excellent/very good.

2.       61.5 percent of chain shoppers who said the same about their usual c-store’s customer service.

3.       Small operators, they earn a higher rating on convenience, but by a very slim margin: 84.5 percent of those who shop at small operators rated their store as excellent/very good on convenience, one point higher than chain shoppers at 83.5 percent.

4.       There was some bad news for small operators, that news is customer service and convenience are the only attributes where they win out.

5.       Conversely, more chain shoppers than small-operator shoppers rate their usual c-store as excellent/very good in the areas of variety of products offered, price, quality of prepared food, and fun to shop.

6.       The two attributes where small operators lag chains most are variety of products offered, and quality of prepared food.

www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  is the global leader in grocerant niche business development.  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.  Has your company had a Grocerant ScoreCard completed?  Want one?  Call 253-759-7869 Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us