The Grocerant Guru: Unveiling the Efficiency Engine of the Future - The Rise of Grocerants

 

Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  He has spent years dissecting the ever-evolving food industry landscape. Today, he wants to delve into a niche that's not only thriving but fundamentally transforming how we source, prepare, and consume food: the grocerant niche.

For the uninitiated, grocerants are establishments including Convenience stores, Grocery Service-Deli’s, Restaurants offering Takeout, and other outlets that seamlessly blend meals or meal components for takeout.

Imagine browsing fresh produce, then strolling over to have a chef whip up a custom salad using those same ingredients or picking up different meal components fresh prepared that are either Ready-2-Eat or simply Heat-N-Eat that can be bundled into a personalized, customized, fresh, fast, family meal. That's the grocerant magic!

But grocerants are more than just culinary convenience. Behind the scenes, they're a symphony of operational efficiency. Let's dissect the key elements driving this change:

1.        Reduced Waste: Grocerants have a direct line from farm to table, minimizing spoilage that plagues traditional restaurants. Think about it: leftover ingredients from the grocery side can be creatively incorporated into restaurant dishes, and vice versa.

2.        Inventory Optimization: Grocerants leverage real-time sales data to optimize inventory across both grocery and restaurant sections. This reduces the risk of overstocking and ensures fresh ingredients are always available.

3.        Labor Streamlining: Cross-trained staff can seamlessly switch between stocking shelves and fulfilling restaurant orders. This flexibility optimizes labor allocation and reduces operational costs.

4.        Data-Driven Decisions: Grocerants use data analytics to understand customer preferences and buying habits. This allows them to tailor product offerings and promotions, further enhancing efficiency and profitability.

The grocerant revolution isn't just about bean counting; it's about offering a superior customer experience. Imagine whipping up a gourmet meal at home using top-quality meal components you just picked out or had delivered from some of your family’s favorite food retailers, or grabbing a restaurant-quality meal or meal component without the wait. That's the grocerant promise.

As the Grocerant Guru®, I'm witnessing a paradigm shift. Grocerants are the future, and their operational efficiency is the engine driving this transformation. So, buckle up, foodies! The grocerant era is upon us, and it's bringing a wave of delicious efficiency! Eat fresher, prepare meals faster, empower every meal at home to be a happy meal.

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

Fresh Fast Friendly Idahoan Foods Meal Solutions Drive Sales

 

What’s for Dinner? Mom’s and Dad’s don’t know most of the time.  The kids don’t know most of the time but they will ask over and over again. Idahoan Foods is a retail food brand creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization within the grocerant niche according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  

So, let’s look and see how many consumers know what is for dinner to night and where and how they might get it. 

1.       Recent Grocerant ScoreCards found 82.3% of consumers don’t know what’s for dinner at Noon, and 61.1 don’t know what’ s for dinner at 4PM %.

2.       Roughly 66% of consumers purchase prepared food items from a retail location at least three times a month.

3.       83.1% all dinners have at least 1 grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat meal component and 68.4% have two meal components.

4.       When asked if they wanted to cook dinner from scratch or assemble dinner from fresh meal components 90.4 % of Gen Z chose assemble from Fresh Prepared Meal Components and Millennials 82.7% chose meal components.

5.       Seventy-three percent of retail prepared food purchases are taken to go

6.       Prepared food purchases are frequently a planned purchase among 59% of shoppers, while 41% of shoppers said they buy prepared foods on impulse. Dinner has the highest amount of prepared food buys with 79% of respondents making purchases for that meal, while lunch comes in at 77% and breakfast at 62%.

7.       55% of consumers would like to try autonomous EV delivery

We all know that parents are always keen on time-saving solutions, especially when it comes to answering the question of “What’s for dinner?” Now that many consumers have resumed their pre-pandemic commuting routines and many children have returned to in-person schooling, the call for quick dinnertime solutions is as strong as ever. Here are some insights from Idahoan Foods.

 

However, meal priorities have seen a shift. In addition to wanting foods that are fast to get on the table and convenient on-the-go options, consumers also want foods that are high-quality, wholesome, filling and cost-effective. For consumers who want an easy lunch or dinner that doesn’t involve a stop at the drive-thru, quick-prep products from the supermarket can provide an excellent solution. These insights are driving innovation and product line extensions from leading center store brands like Idahoan Foods.

Consumers turn to the center store

Currently, demand for consumer-packaged goods, or CPGs, is greater than it was at the beginning of the pandemic—even after the bulk-buying trend has eased back. According to a report from Consumer Brands Association, consumer demand for packaged goods in Q3 2021 increased 8.3% YOY and 1.8% over the second quarter—totaling more than $1.7 billion in demand.

And in the supermarket, bigger brands have been outpacing the rest in terms of growth — data from IRI and Boston Consulting Group found that national CPG brands took market share from private labels during 2021.

For retailers, these market shifts indicate two shopper priorities: As shoppers gravitate toward the center store, they’re seeking more shelf-stable foods to keep in the house — and they’re looking for brands they recognize and trust as they shop the aisles.

Classic dishes reign supreme

Shoppers buying for their families want affordable, high-quality meal solutions that are both kid-friendly and that appeal to adults.

Unsurprisingly, potato dishes rank high among crowd pleasers. According to Statista, 78% of consumers say they would consider purchasing mashed potatoes from retailers at least occasionally for lunch or dinner, making them one of the most in-demand side dishes in the store.

Quick-prep side dishes, in particular, became a hot commodity during the pandemic as affordable, convenient, shelf-stable foods took center stage — and the demand is likely to remain elevated even after pandemic-related changes to the market begin to fade out, especially for busy parents.

Idahoan Foods offers a wide range of Fresh-Dried™ Mashed Potato products that always start with 100% real Idaho® potatoes from local growers. The company washes, peels, boils and mashes them before removing the water through a proprietary process that helps consumers put delicious, real mashed potatoes on the table in just five minutes. Consumers just add hot water to enjoy mashed potatoes in an array of crave-worthy flavors — including Buttery Homestyle®, Four Cheese, Roasted Garlic and Loaded Baked® Mashed Potatoes.

Idahoan Foods offers many of its Flavored Mashed products in a variety of formats, including standard four serving packages, family sized packages and single serving cups.

The single-serving format – a rapidly growing priority for the brand – brings all the things consumers love about Idahoan Fresh-Dried™ Mashed potato products and turns the convenience factor up a notch with a portable, microwave-ready package. With no artificial flavors or synthetic colors, they offer a wholesome, filling meal solution parents can feel great about serving.

The cups are also easily customizable. Adding a few other favorite ingredients can quickly turn them into a meal, like in Idahoan’s recipes for Buttery Homestyle® Mashed Potatoes with Brisket and BBQ Sauce or Loaded Baked® with BBQ Chicken.

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? 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