Dickey’s Party Packs are Perfect for the NCAA Basketball Tournament

 

Regular readers of this blog know that Dickey’s marketing team is doing a very good job edifying brand value via grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Here are six reasons why restaurants should tie marketing promotions to the NCAA Basketball Tournament:

1.       Capitalize on High Engagement: March Madness is one of the most watched sporting events in the US, generating excitement and passionate fans. By aligning your restaurant with the tournament, you tap into this existing energy and enthusiasm.

2.       Drive Traffic During Traditionally Slow Periods: Depending on your location and typical clientele, March can be a slower time for restaurants. Tying promotions to the tournament can incentivize people to dine out during these weeks.

3.       Create a Fun and Engaging Atmosphere: Decorate your restaurant with team colors, offer game-day specials, or even host watch parties (with permission to broadcast the games). This festive environment can attract new customers and encourage existing ones to return.

4.       Boost Sales Through Themed Menus: Develop special appetizers, entrees, or desserts with names inspired by popular teams or the tournament itself. This playful approach can spark customer interest and encourage them to try something new.

5.       Increase Social Media Engagement: Run contests or giveaways on social media centered around the tournament. This can be a fun way to generate excitement, promote your restaurant, and gain new followers.

6.       Target Specific Demographics: The NCAA Tournament viewership skews younger. If your restaurant caters to this demographic, then leveraging the tournament can be a great way to reach them during their peak engagement period.

Now then, every March, college basketball fans across the country gather for the big tournament. This year, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit cues the madness by offering hoops lovers barbecue Party Packs as the perfect watch party meal.

Barbecue fans can be the MVP host during the tournament by offering play-making meal options for all sized groups, large or small. These barbecue packs are available for same-day delivery, pick-up, curbside and to-go. Pack options include:

§  Family Pack (starting at $61.00) – two choices of meats, three large sides and six slices of Texas toast. Feeds four to six.

§  XL Pack (starting at $84) – three choices of meats, four large sides, eight slices of Texas toast. Feeds six to eight.

§  BYB Wings & Ribs Party Pack (starting at $134.00) – A combination of 18 ribs and 24 wings, mac and cheese, coleslaw, rolls, and barbecue sauce with ranch dressing.

§  BYB Original Party Pack (starting at $140) – Enjoy two lbs. of pulled pork, 2 lbs. of chopped brisket, large coleslaw, large barbecue beans, large potato salad, rolls, relish and sauce. Feeds 10-12

“Our Dickey’s party pack options are perfect for basketball enthusiasts who are attending or hosting a tournament watch party this season,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.  “There’s really nothing better than celebrating your team’s victory alongside Dickey’s slow-smoked, Legit. Texas. Barbecue.”

Guests can purchase any of these party pack options online, at any Dickey’s store, or on the Dickey’s app.

To learn more, follow Dickey’s Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

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

Let Dickey’s Barbecue Cater you Labor Day Get Together

 

Summers last holiday is here and Dickey's Barbecue has got just what you want for a Labor Day Weekend get together according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Why cook when you can simply call your local Dickies Barbecue? I doubt that there is a better way to host one last backyard barbecue cookout for Labor Day– and avoid the cooking and clean up afterwards – than with the iconic menu at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. Celebrate Labor Day 2022 this year with the best barbecue in the nation. With Labor Day being a 3-day weekend, there is more time (and room) to enjoy Dickey’s Legit. Texas. Barbecue.

Pictured above, is Dickey’s Big Yellow Box and Party Pack options that are a convenient, self-contained way to serve slow-smoked Texas barbecue to you and your loved ones while celebrating the upcoming holiday. Dickey’s award-winning catering offerings are perfect for any gathering of any size, at any time. The affordable catering and carry out options have the perfect proportions that feed up to 12 people. The Big Yellow Box and Party Pack options include: 

·         Big Yellow Box Classic Sandwich Pack ($105) – 12 Classic Sandwiches with choice of meat, large Caesar salad, large potato salad, pickles, onions and Dickey’s Barbecue Sauce. 

·         Big Yellow Box Original Party Pack ($125) – Two pounds of chopped brisket, two pounds of pulled pork, large coleslaw, large potato salad, large barbecue beans, pickles, rolls, relish and Dickey’s Barbecue Sauce.

·         Big Yellow Box Texas Brisket Party Pack ($166.50) – Four pounds of brisket, choice of three large sides, rolls, relish and Dickey’s Barbecue Sauce.

·         Big Yellow Box Wings and Ribs Party Pack ($120) – 18 ribs and 24 wings with choice of sauce, mac and cheese, coleslaw, rolls, Dickey’s Barbecue Sauce and ranch dressing.

·         Classic Family Pack Special ($46.50) – One pound of brisket, one pound of pulled pork, medium potato salad, medium coleslaw, medium baked beans, six dinner rolls and choice of sauce.

·         Family Pack ($55) – Choice of two one-pound servings of meat; choice of three medium sides; six rolls and Dickey’s Barbecue Sauce.

·         XL Family Pack ($75) – Choice of three one-pound servings of meat; choice of four medium sides; eight rolls and Dickey’s Barbecue Sauce.

Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, stated, “The perfect end to the summer is spending Labor Day Weekend with friends, family and Dickey’s Legit. Texas. Barbecue.” … “Our catering options provide a stress-free way to feed, and win over, any gathering. Dickey’s takes care of the delicious barbecue, and you can relax with your loved ones. Just order your box online at Dickeys.com, and you’ll be ready to dig into hickory-wood smoked meats, sides and sauces.”

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Food Marketing Managers Magic will Drive Virtual Restaurant Growth

 

At a time when chain restaurant marketing managers have been handcuffed on brand messaging looking at the present, the past and future it’s hard to decide on what consumers want or need to hear with dinning restriction ranging from wide open in some states too limited hours and spacing restrictions in other states.

Chain marketing managers withing with virtual restaurants have an open playing field to develop brands without a past, that can evolve focused on the wants and needs of today’s customers seeking food discovery, according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Regular readers of this blog know that Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants has developed a virtual concept, called, Wing Boss.  Now the marketing managers for Wing Boss have partnered with Keurig Dr Pepper to feature Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce, just in time for National Chicken Wing Day. 

Now, wing lovers can douse their boss-sized drums and flappers in a sweet, smoky sauce inspired by the legendary flavored soft drink. According to Johnson, “this shows the value of co-branding to help drive growth of a start-up. Edifying a young brand with a legacy CPG brand adds incremental value for customer and each brand.”

Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. stated, “We are thrilled to offer such a fun and delicious sauce to our Wing Boss fans,” …  “It’s especially exciting because we’re teaming up with another iconic, Dallas-based brand – Keurig Dr Pepper. We hope this is just the beginning of more tasty collaborations to come.”

Yet, there is more, in addition to launching the new sauce, Wing Boss is offering free delivery on all orders over $10. Plus, guests receive free seasoned or Cajun fries with the code “FREEFRIES,” and $5 off any order over $25 with the code “5OFF25.”

Available in Combos or By The Piece, wing fans can indulge in boss-sized hickory-smoked bone-in wings or boneless chicken wings and wash them down with their favorite beverage – including exciting signature drinks. Wing Boss will also offer Group Packs for fans who want to bring larger orders home.

Brand manager of virtual restaurant brands have the ability to experiment with branded messaging unencumbered a brands tradition, industry constraints, or channel restrictions 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 us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Dickey’s Superbowl Game Deals

 

Make game day focused, fun, for a foodie.  If that’s sounds like your plan you just might want to think about Dickey’s Barbecue Pit as the Go-To game day planning and food solution according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

We know that grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is top of mind and according to a recent DoorDash survey that revealed that 93% of Americans plan to watch the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, and 48% of respondents plan to order takeout or delivery for the big game. 

 Let’s look at just some of Dickey’s game day specials include:

1.       Dickey’s Big Yellow Box Ribs & Wings Party Pack ($115) – A combination of 18 Ribs and 24 Wings, Mac and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Rolls, Barbecue Sauce and Ranch Dressing. Pricing and participation may vary by location.

2.       Pit-Smoked Wings – Available in six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 pieces.

3.       Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs – Available in six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 pieces.

4.       Dickey’s 80th Anniversary Combo ($8.80) – Enjoy a pairing of the Pulled Pork Classic Sandwich, your choice of side, and a Double Berry Cobbler.

5.       Kids Eat Free Sunday – Receive a FREE Kid’s Meal with an order of $10 or more using the code KEFOLO. One Kid’s Meal per check with a minimum $10 purchase. Available at participating Dickey’s locations only. Kids 12 and under. Not valid with any other coupons, offers, discounts or promotions.

Yes, Dickey’s has fall-off-the-bone ribs and pit-smoked wings. Dickey’s offers endless saucabilities to choose from, including fan favorites like Rib Rub and Classic Barbecue Sauce or bold flavors such as Sweet Barbecue, Carolina Barbecue, Buffalo, Hot Buffalo, Texas Hot and Lemon Pepper – perfect for hosting a small group of people with a variety of flavor preferences.

Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants stated, “Whether you’re watching the big game because you love football, the commercials or the halftime show, there’s always one thing that everyone looks forward to on game day … the food,” … “There’s nothing better than watching the big game while chowing down on delicious Texas-style barbecue. Dickey’s Pit Smoked Wings and Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs are all you need to take your party to the next level.”

In addition, Dickey’s is offering guests free doorstep delivery! Let Dickey’s deliver fresh pit-smoked barbecue directly to your door. Simply select the “Doorstep Drop Off” option at checkout. Valid for orders of $10 or more placed through dickeys.com or the Dickey’s App.  Don’t cook, have fun, fresh food, and we hope your favorite team wins.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869.

Are Dickey’s Monthly Subscription Boxes A Mistake

 

What in the world were they thinking about at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit when they came up with the “At Home meal subscription boxes”?  The team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® laughed out loud and read the PR “At Home meal subscription boxes” press piece aloud.  Clearly, Dickey’s did not read or review in-stock or new consumer research about this promotion have any relevant consumer touchpoint.  

Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® understands what drives the path to purchase for grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food items and stated “I’m puzzled, sending mix messaging to consumers does not add value to your brand.”

So, what is the mixed message? Look at the picture below.  That is not a meal it is pounds of meat that can become a meal component.  Driving customers into individual stores is key to building incremental customer loyalty and subscriptions and be the right way to do just that.  This promotion does not fit that bill.

The “At Home meal subscription boxes can be found at:  athome.dickeys.com, the world’s largest barbecue concept’s customizable meal delivery service consists of carefully curated selections of high-quality meats, sides and desserts. You can get them in three box options:

·         Chef’s Special Box—Two proteins, two sides and four individual desserts for $99.99.

·         Dickey’s Classic Box—Five proteins, two sides and six individual desserts for $150.

·         Dickey’s Value Box—10 proteins, four sides and 12 individual desserts for $280.

Do you understand grocerant niche customer relevant touchpoints? Are you simply throwing things against the wall hoping for something to stick?  Do you want actions steps to build top line sales and bottom-line profits at the store level?  If so, you might what to start looking a customer ahead.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Dickey's Extends Omnichannel Approach

 

Driving brand awareness in 2020 requires at minimum an omnichannel approach according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Regular readers of this blog know that an omnichannel approach is simply not enough to drive new electricity into a brand.

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as fresh foods, online ordering, delivery, plant based foods, sampling, toy’s, cereal, developing brands,  grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All food and beverage retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  Does your retail path forward look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?  So, just what is Dickey’s doing now.  Let’s look.

So, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is giving fans unfettered access to restaurant-quality cuts of meat, premium pre-cooked sides and desserts with the launch of their newest line of retail products. With nearly 80 years of restaurant experience Dickey’s unveiled an entire new line-up of retail products on their At Home site including ready-to-heat sides and dips such as queso blanco, buffalo chicken dip, scalloped potatoes and broccoli casserole.

Remember that this is only a product line extension.  That in and of itself will not drive new electricity.  The extension consists of hand-selected cuts of beef, poultry, pork and fish including wild caught mahi mahi, Atlantic salmon, filet mignon, boneless ribeye and a variety of other hand-trimmed, premium-grade proteins available for delivery exclusively on athome.dickeys.com.

says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc stated “As a 79-year-old family restaurant we’ve taken our industry knowledge and curated a selection of proteins, southern-style dips and sides to give folks direct access to premium restaurant-grade products. When grocery shopping, it can be overwhelming trying to decide on the right cut of meat or if you’re getting a quality product at a fair price, but our selection is hand-picked to eliminate that stress by bringing only the finest cuts of proteins directly to one’s doorstep,”.

Dickey’s selection of fine meats offer peace of mind to consumers at home as every product is 100% natural, USDA inspected and must pass the brand’s rigorous test of quality, which means all products must be sustainably raised and include no added hormones, antibiotics or preservatives. Each cut is hand-trimmed by master butchers and is immediately sealed and flash frozen to ensure every product is delivered at its peak freshness. So, what is missing here elevated customer relevance.  So, there is our viewpoint on customer relevance.

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 participation, differentiation 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

Dickey's Barbecue Pit Tries Driving Customer Traffic with Kid’s Eat Free at What Cost?

January can be a very slow month for chain restaurants and most chain restaurants leverage price to drive customer back into the stores according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is starting of a new decade by offering free delivery and extending its popular Kids Eat Free Sundays to every day during the month of January.

Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, stated “With these offers, families can enjoy an easy, delicious meal in our home or theirs throughout January, all while sticking to their budget.” Guests can receive free delivery when they order online or through the Dickey’s App. Kids Eat Free is available at participating locations with any $10 dine-in adult purchase.

So, one of the classic traffic drivers for restaurants is the Kids Eat FREE promotion. It used to be found mainly in family style restaurants such as the IHOPs and Denny’s of the world, but now as guest traffic is down across all categories, you see more and more types of restaurants running a Kids Eat Free promotion. The question is, "Does it work?" The easy answer is, yes it works to drive traffic, but the better question is, "Is it right for my business?"

Free is a very good price, and will always bring people in to get the free food. Look at the lines out the door each time a national chain has a free food giveaway promotion. The problem is, just getting people in the door no matter what it costs is not why you're in business. Sure, you need customers, but you need to make a profit on those customers. Your ultimate job is to make money for yourself and your investors, not just drive guest counts.

The typical Kids Eat Free promotion has some strings attached so you can be guaranteed to recoup your food costs. Some restaurants require the purchase of a kid’s beverage in order to receive the free meal. Others require the purchase of a regular priced adult meal in order to receive the free kid’s meals. These requirements protect you from going into a negative transaction territory where you're actually losing money on the deal. There's also often there a limit on the number of children allowed per adult, usually 2 kids per adult meal purchased, so you don't get a busload of kids from the local camp and only sell one adult meal to their leader while you give away 27 kids meals.

A price-based promotion like this does not build loyalty. It attracts customers who are price sensitive, and without the low-price incentive to come in, they won't continue to keep coming. It's akin to your coupon customers. If they have your coupon in hand this week, they'll visit you, but if they have your competitor's coupon in hand next week, they'll visit them. I was involved with a chain that offered Kids Eat Free on Saturday and Sunday nights, two very slow nights for this chain. While we promoted Kids Eat Free, guest counts grew quickly, but as soon as we took it away the counts went right back down to their previous levels.

The other factor to consider is the length of time you're willing to offer this promotion. Many owners roll out the kid’s promotion as an immediate fix to low guest counts on a certain day or daypart. Once that fix starts working, the increase in guest counts is like a drug and you want more and more. If it worked for Tuesday, let's also offer it on Thursday. And at some point, you've devalued your product in your customer's eyes.

Why should I pay $5 for this kid’s meal today when it's FREE tomorrow? And if you keep the promotion in place for any length of time, your customers grow to expect it. There may be a backlash of angry customers when you decide that it's time to stop offering the promotion.

So, should you rollout a Kids Eat FREE promotion? If you do, go into it with a plan. Know what it costs you. Know how much growth you need to offset the food costs. Prepare a marketing plan because you have to tell the world about it, otherwise you're just giving away money to current customers. And make an exit strategy. Offer it for the summer or a certain period of time, to keep customer expectations under control, create some urgency, and keep yourself out of the situation where customers expect to have their Kids Eat Free at your restaurant forever.

Are you looking a customer ahead?  Will your year over year customer counts be positive for January 2020? Success does leave clues.  Is your brand extending it value to more consumers in 2020?  Foodservice Solutions®, Grocerant Guru® has customer focused ideations you can leverage.