The Grocery Deli Wake-Up Call: Stop Selling Cold Cuts and Start Winning Dinner!

 

Why 2025 and 2026 consumer behavior demands a new approach to fresh food, meal solutions, pricing, and customer engagement according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Foodservice Solutions® based in Tacoma, Washington

The grocery store service deli is sitting on one of the biggest untapped food marketing opportunities in retail. Yet too many operators continue to manage their deli departments as though consumers are simply looking for sliced turkey, potato salad, a pound of ham, or a rotisserie chicken.

That thinking is outdated.

Today's consumers are looking for solutions to a much bigger question: What's for dinner, how much will it cost, and how quickly can I get it on the table?

The grocery service deli should be answering that question every day.

The opportunity is bigger than selling fresh food. It is about capturing meal occasions, increasing transaction value, building repeat visits, and competing directly with restaurants, takeout, delivery, convenience stores, and other retailers.

This is where the Grocerant Niche comes into play. Ready-2-Eat (RTE) and Heat-N-Eat (HnE) fresh-prepared foods are no longer peripheral grocery offerings. They are increasingly important components of how consumers assemble meals across channels.

The challenge for grocers is that consumer expectations have evolved faster than many service deli operating models.

The 2025–2026 Numbers: The Consumer Has Already Changed

Consider several findings that should be influencing every grocery deli executive's merchandising, pricing, and marketing decisions.

1. Grocery-prepared foods are taking restaurant occasions.

FMI's October 2025 Power of Foodservice at Retail research found that the share of consumers choosing deli-prepared foods instead of restaurant meals more than doubled, increasing from 12% in 2017 to 28% in 2025. Furthermore, 53% of Americans reported combining deli-prepared foods with items from their own kitchens to create meals.

That is a significant change. Consumers are not necessarily choosing between cooking and buying a meal. They are combining the two.

2. In 2026, meal solutions are more important than individual products.

FMI's October 2026 research found that 56% of households combine home preparation with food prepared outside the home for dinner at least once a week. Grocery retailers have an opportunity to sell the protein, sides, vegetables, sauces, and accompaniments that complete a meal.

3. Shoppers are under pressure to manage food budgets.

FMI's 2026 shopper research reports that 70% of shoppers say their income has not kept pace with inflation. At the same time, 44% report having more family meals at home than a year earlier, and 35% say they are cooking more often.

This creates an opportunity for deli operators, but it also creates a pricing challenge. A prepared meal must demonstrate why its convenience, quality, and portion size justify its price.

4. Convenience is still a powerful purchase motivator.

Circana's 2026 Eating Patterns in America research found that 86% of food occasions are sourced from home. Consumers are increasingly balancing convenience, nutrition, cost, and connection. The report also identifies protein and convenience as important forces shaping eating behavior.

The takeaway is straightforward: grocery operators should stop thinking exclusively about deli department sales and start thinking about the share of stomach they can capture.

Four Disconnects Holding Grocery Service Delis Back

1. Service Failures Cost More Than a Single Transaction

A deli counter with inadequate staffing, long lines, inconsistent availability, and employees who cannot explain the menu is not delivering convenience.

Consumers may be willing to pay for someone else to prepare dinner, but they are not eager to spend 15 minutes waiting to purchase it.

Imagine a customer entering at 5:30 p.m. looking for a roasted chicken, two sides, and a dessert. If the chicken is sold out, the sides are poorly stocked, and nobody can provide an alternative, the retailer has lost more than a chicken sale. It may have lost the entire dinner occasion.

The answer is to schedule labor around actual purchasing patterns, not simply traditional department hours. FMI's 2026 research found that half of same-day dinner decisions occur between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. That is when the deli needs to be ready.

2. Confusing Pricing Destroys Perceived Value

Pricing is not simply a matter of matching the competition. It is about demonstrating value.

A $9.99 rotisserie chicken may appear attractive, but a family purchasing that chicken, two prepared sides, rolls, and dessert needs to understand the total cost of dinner.

Retailers should display complete meal prices, serving sizes, and individual component prices. Consumers need to see what they receive, not discover the final cost at checkout.

A deli that charges premium prices without communicating premium ingredients, preparation, freshness, portion size, or convenience risks losing the consumer.

Price without context creates resistance. Price accompanied by a clear value proposition creates an opportunity.

3. Poor Merchandising Makes Fresh Food Look Anything But Fresh

Fresh food sells with the eyes before it sells with the appetite.

Empty trays, dried-out sandwiches, unattractive salads, inconsistent labeling, and displays that look neglected undermine consumer confidence.

Consider the difference between displaying a container of pasta salad and merchandising a complete Mediterranean-inspired meal with grilled chicken, pasta salad, roasted vegetables, and a complementary sauce.

The ingredients may be identical. The consumer proposition is entirely different.

Merchandising should communicate freshness, flavor, meal possibilities, and convenience.

4. Generic Packaging Sacrifices Brand Equity

A clear plastic container is functional. It is not necessarily memorable.

Packaging should tell consumers what they are buying, why it tastes good, how much it serves, and how to enjoy it.

Imagine branded packaging for a store's signature Nashville hot chicken, Mediterranean grain bowl, Asian-inspired noodle salad, or smoked barbecue brisket.

Add a product name, preparation story, ingredient information, reheating instructions, and a recognizable visual identity.

A retailer should want customers to return specifically for its food, not merely because they happened to be shopping for milk.

The 2026 reputation challenge: FMI found that only about one-third of shoppers could identify a deli-prepared food item for which their primary grocery store was known. That is a major branding opportunity waiting to be captured.

Eight Strategies to Rebuild the Grocery Service Deli

The following strategies move the department away from a traditional counter-service mentality and toward a consumer-focused fresh-food business.

1. Sell Complete Meal Solutions, Not Isolated Products

Develop meal combinations for different household sizes, budgets, and occasions.

Examples include:

·       Two-person dinner: Rotisserie chicken breast, roasted potatoes, and green beans.

·       Family dinner: Whole roasted chicken, macaroni and cheese, salad, and rolls.

·       Game-day gathering: Wings, sliders, potato skins, dips, and desserts.

·       Quick weekday dinner: Heat-and-eat lasagna, garlic bread, and Caesar salad.

·       Global flavors: Korean-style chicken, rice, vegetables, and sauces.

Offer individual components as well as bundled combinations. Consumers want choices, not mandatory packages.

2. Establish Transparent and Consistent Pricing

Display prices prominently. Offer good, better, and best meal combinations.

For example, a retailer might offer an entry-level meal for two, a larger family meal, and a premium specialty meal.

Use actual food costs and local competitive conditions to establish prices. Do not assume every customer wants the cheapest option. Many want the best combination of price, quality, portion size, and convenience.

This is where the Grocerant Guru's Price Value Service Equilibrium becomes important: price, quality, social relevance, and portability all contribute to perceived value.

3. Staff for the Consumer's Clock

The traditional 9-to-5 staffing mentality does not work when dinner demand peaks after work.

Use transaction data to identify lunch, afternoon, and evening demand. Cross-train employees to assist with packaging, replenishment, order fulfillment, and customer service.

Offer online ordering and scheduled pickup for larger orders.

Most importantly, keep popular items available during the hours consumers actually want them.

4. Create Signature Products Consumers Recognize

Every grocery retailer should have food worth talking about.

A signature fried chicken, regional barbecue, premium sandwich, specialty mac and cheese, or distinctive prepared salad can become a destination product.

Develop a product consumers can identify without looking at the store's name.

That is how a deli begins building its own brand equity.

5. Use Data Analytics to Improve Production and Reduce Waste

Track sales by daypart, item, location, weather, promotion, and season.

Measure:

·       Sell-through rates.

·       Out-of-stock frequency.

·       Food waste and markdowns.

·       Gross margin by item.

·       Repeat purchases.

·       Meal bundle attachment rates.

Use those findings to forecast production and adjust batch sizes.

A deli should not be producing 40 sandwiches simply because it produced 40 yesterday. Consumer demand is dynamic, not static.

6. Build Branded Packaging Around Freshness and Portability

Packaging should reinforce the product's identity and make it easy to transport, store, serve, and reheat.

Include clear preparation instructions, ingredient information, portion details, and appealing product descriptions.

Consider packaging that works for office lunches, family dinners, individual consumption, and on-the-go snacking.

The container is part of the product experience, not just an operating expense.

7. Make Freshness, Food Safety, and Quality Visible

Freshness is a promise that must be supported by operating discipline.

The FDA's September 2026 report on retail deli food safety identified improper holding time and temperature and poor personal hygiene as the two most common out-of-compliance risk factors in its 2019–2022 study.

The FDA also found that delis with a Certified Food Protection Manager present had significantly better food safety management system scores.

Invest in trained managers, temperature monitoring, proper sanitation, product rotation, and documented procedures.

Communicate freshness honestly. A marketing message cannot compensate for inconsistent food safety practices.

8. Turn the Deli Into an Interactive Food Marketing Destination

Sampling, seasonal menus, limited-time offerings, digital promotions, and customer feedback can make the deli more engaging.

Create weekly themes such as:

·       Taco Tuesday meal solutions.

·       Friday family pizza night.

·       Saturday barbecue bundles.

·       Sunday comfort-food dinners.

·       Seasonal regional specialties.

Encourage customers to vote on upcoming flavors, suggest new sides, and share their favorite combinations.

Use loyalty programs to measure which promotions generate incremental purchases rather than simply discounting products customers would have purchased anyway.

The objective is participation, engagement, and repeat business.

The Bigger Opportunity: Break Down the Grocery Department Silos

One of the biggest mistakes grocery retailers make is managing the deli, bakery, produce, meat, seafood, and center store as separate businesses.

Consumers do not shop that way when deciding what to eat.

A shopper purchasing deli-prepared chicken may also need fresh vegetables, bakery rolls, refrigerated sauces, beverages, and dessert. The retailer should merchandise those products together around the meal occasion.

Consider these combinations:

Meal occasion	Grocery departments working together
Italian night	Deli lasagna, bakery garlic bread, produce salad
Backyard barbecue	Deli ribs, meat department steaks, produce sides
Healthy lunch	Deli grilled chicken, produce vegetables, refrigerated dressing
Family breakfast	Bakery pastries, deli breakfast sandwiches, dairy beverages
Game-day gathering	Deli wings, bakery sliders, produce vegetables and dips

This is cross-merchandising with a purpose. It increases convenience, exposes consumers to additional products, and creates opportunities to increase basket size.

The future belongs to retailers who understand that consumers have no artificial channel or departmental silos in their minds.

Think About This: The Deli Is Competing for Dinner, Not Just Deli Sales

The service deli has an opportunity to become one of the grocery store's most important customer acquisition and retention tools.

But that requires a different mindset.

Grocery retailers must compete with restaurant takeout, drive-thru, convenience stores, delivery services, and other sources of fresh-prepared foods. Consumers compare all of them based on their own expectations of price, quality, convenience, flavor, and service.

The retailer that makes dinner easier, more affordable, and more enjoyable has an opportunity to win.

The 2025 and 2026 FMI research reinforces an important point: consumers are increasingly comfortable combining food prepared by someone else with food prepared at home. That makes the grocery deli a meal-building resource, not simply another department.

The opportunity is to become the consumer's first stop when deciding what to eat.

Three New Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

1. Stop measuring deli success exclusively by department sales.

Measure meal occasions captured, repeat purchases, basket attachment, and customer retention. A rotisserie chicken sale that generates purchases in produce, bakery, beverages, and prepared sides is worth more than the chicken transaction alone. Market the entire meal.

2. Price transparency is the new customer service.

Consumers under financial pressure do not want surprises at checkout. Build clearly priced meal solutions for one, two, and four or more people. Demonstrate the value of fresh preparation, portion size, quality, and convenience. Remember, the lowest price does not always deliver the best value.

3. Every grocery deli needs a signature food identity.

If consumers cannot identify a distinctive food item associated with your grocery brand, you are missing an opportunity to create destination traffic. Develop signature sandwiches, chicken, regional specialties, salads, and complete meals. Give customers something they cannot easily duplicate elsewhere.

The Grocerant Guru® bottom line: Consumers are dynamic, not static. Grocery retailers that continue operating their service delis as traditional sliced-meat counters will surrender meal occasions to competitors. Those that embrace RTE, HnE, foodservice-quality preparation, transparent pricing, and customer-focused merchandising can turn the deli into a genuine competitive advantage.

Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, Washington-based Foodservice Solutions®. Foodservice Solutions® identified and championed the Grocerant Niche beginning in 1991 and coined the term in 1996.

For corporate presentations, regional grocery chain consulting, food marketing strategy, educational forums, and keynote engagements, contact Steven Johnson.

McRib, McMarketing and the Meat of the Matter: Why McDonald’s Should Not Have to Apologize for a Brand Name

 

The Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson examines the McRib lawsuit, the value of product differentiation, trademarked food identities, and why familiar food concepts with a twist are what keep brands relevant.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding about food marketing at the center of the lawsuit against McDonald’s over its McRib sandwich: A branded food product is not necessarily a literal description of the ingredients or the specific cut of meat used to make it.

That distinction matters.

McDonald’s did not introduce a menu item called the Premium Pork Rib Sandwich. It introduced the McRib®. A distinctive, trademarked product name that has become part of the company's food marketing vocabulary and consumer recognition.

The McRib is not being sold as a rack of barbecue ribs placed between two pieces of bread. It is a seasoned, boneless pork sandwich with barbecue sauce, onions and pickles, presented in a familiar rib-like shape.

That is product development. That is branding. That is differentiation.

And, from the perspective of the Grocerant Guru®, that is precisely what successful food marketers should be doing.

The lawsuit deserves scrutiny, but so does the larger question: Should food companies be penalized because consumers recognize a branded product name and associate it with a familiar food experience, even when the product is a creative interpretation rather than a literal version of that food?

The McRib has been around since 1981. Its trademark was registered in 1985 for a sandwich. That is more than four decades of product identity, consumer exposure and brand development.

On October 30, 2026, a federal judge in Chicago declined to dismiss the central consumer deception claims in a proposed class action. That ruling allows litigation to continue; it does not establish that McDonald's deceived consumers or that the company is liable.

McDonald's has maintained that the allegations distort the facts and that it has been transparent about the sandwich's ingredients.

I agree with the underlying marketing principle McDonald's is defending: A brand name is an asset, a product identity is a promise of an experience, and differentiation should not be confused with deception.

First, understand what the McRib actually is

McDonald's describes the McRib as seasoned boneless pork dipped in tangy barbecue sauce, topped with slivered onions and pickles, and served on a toasted homestyle bun.

Its own product FAQ explains that the company starts with ground pork and uses a press to form the patty into a shape resembling a rack of ribs.

McDonald's even explains why it does this: It's fun.

Let's be clear about the distinction.

·       It is pork.

·       It is real meat.

·       It is boneless.

·       It is ground and formed into a distinctive shape.

·       It is not represented on the product page as a serving of whole pork ribs.

The distinction between ground pork and a whole-muscle pork rib cut is important. Consumers should be able to understand what they are purchasing. But a shaped pork product does not become something other than pork simply because it is pressed into a recognizable form.

The plaintiffs allege that the product's name, shape and advertising lead consumers to expect actual rib meat. McDonald's disputes the allegations, including claims about the use of heart, tripe and stomach. Those ingredient allegations should not be treated as established facts.

The real food marketing question is whether the name McRib, in its total branding and disclosure context, constitutes a promise about the specific anatomical cut of pork.

That is a very different question from whether McDonald's has a recognizable branded pork sandwich.

Six strong food marketing reasons this lawsuit should be dropped

1. McRib is a registered product identity, not a promise of a particular pork cut

McDonald's registered the MCRIB trademark in 1985, with first commercial use dating to 1981. The registration identifies the goods as a sandwich for consumption on or off the premises.

That history matters.

McRib is not simply a generic menu description. It is a branded product identity developed, marketed and recognized over decades.

Consider Burger King's WHOPPER®. The company protects the Whopper name as a trademark. Consumers recognize a branded sandwich, not a technical specification of every ingredient or its dimensions.

The McRib deserves the same fundamental recognition as a branded food product.

A trademark does not excuse false advertising, but neither should a trademarked name automatically be interpreted as a literal ingredient declaration.

2. McDonald's tells consumers it is boneless pork

This is one of the strongest points in McDonald's defense.

Its official product description uses the words "seasoned boneless pork." Its FAQ explains that the pork is ground and pressed into a rib-like shape.

Those are meaningful disclosures.

The company is not advertising a bone-in rack of ribs. It is selling a boneless pork sandwich with a distinctive shape and barbecue flavor profile.

Food marketers have an obligation to communicate accurately. But consumers also have a responsibility to consider the actual product description rather than assigning an ingredient list to a brand name.

There is a difference between creating an appealing product identity and making a false factual statement.

3. Food marketing has always used familiar language with creative twists

Let's look beyond the McDonald's drive-thru.

Consider the Seattle Seahawks and the famous 12th Man.

The Seahawks used the 12th Man identity to describe their fans and the powerful atmosphere those fans create. But the expression is not a literal count of players on the field.

More importantly, the 12th Man is a registered Texas A&M trademark. The Seahawks negotiated licensing agreements to use it. They subsequently shifted toward the expression 12s.

The marketing lesson is that a name can represent an experience, an identity and an emotional connection rather than a literal physical description.

Other examples reinforce the point:

The brand promises wings through its famous marketing slogan, not actual wings. It sells an energy drink, not a zoological product.

Its 2025 company-reported figures show 13.969 billion cans sold in 178 countries, an increase of 10.2% over 2024. That is a powerful example of a distinctive brand identity becoming a global commercial asset.

The product uses the familiar language, appearance and eating experience of meat while being made from plants. Impossible Foods reported in its 2024 marketing materials that 90% of its consumers identified as meat eaters.

Impossible Foods

That is familiarity with a twist: consumers recognize the food experience, even though the underlying product is different.

Burger King used its established Whopper identity to introduce a plant-based alternative. The familiar sandwich format made a different protein proposition easier for consumers to understand.

These examples are not identical legal situations. They illustrate an important commercial principle: successful food marketing frequently builds on familiar consumer language while introducing something different.

Why should McDonald's be denied that same creative latitude?

4. Product differentiation is essential to surviving in a crowded food marketplace

Think about the competitive landscape.

McDonald's competes with burger chains, barbecue restaurants, convenience stores, grocery delis, prepared-food departments, delivery kitchens and an expanding selection of ready-to-eat meals.

A pork sandwich that looks like a rack of ribs, carries a distinctive name and delivers a recognizable barbecue flavor creates separation.

That separation is valuable.

If every restaurant had to market products using only literal descriptions of their ingredients, much of the creative language that helps consumers navigate food choices would disappear.

Brands need recognizable names. They need distinctive shapes. They need signature sauces, flavor profiles, packaging and memorable product experiences.

The McRib combines several of those elements.

It is not just pork on a bun. It is a recognizable McDonald's product with its own identity.

5. Familiarity reduces the work consumers must do when making food decisions

Food purchasing is often a low-involvement decision. Consumers are hungry, busy, price-conscious and looking for something familiar that offers a little excitement.

A recognized product name helps simplify that decision.

The McRib's periodic return is part of its marketing proposition. Scarcity, anticipation and familiarity work together.

McDonald's has been selling the sandwich periodically since 1981. That is a remarkable product lifecycle in an industry where menu items are constantly introduced, modified and discontinued.

The product has become more than a sandwich. It has become an occasion.

Consumers discuss its return, anticipate its availability and share their experiences. That creates earned attention and gives McDonald's a reason to reconnect with customers.

The McRib's recognizable identity does marketing work before the customer even reaches the counter.

6. The lawsuit risks confusing a consumer's preferred ingredient with a legally required product specification

This is where the argument deserves particular attention.

Some consumers may prefer pork rib meat. Others may prefer pork shoulder. Still others may care most about the sauce, texture, convenience, price or overall taste.

Those preferences are legitimate.

But the fact that one pork cut commands a different wholesale price than another does not automatically establish that a branded pork sandwich is deceptively marketed.

The plaintiffs argue that customers expected premium rib meat and paid more because of that expectation. That is an allegation, not a proven economic injury or established finding.

McDonald's defense should focus on the complete consumer-facing message: the trademarked product name, the description of seasoned boneless pork, the ingredient disclosures, the FAQ explanation and the actual sandwich.

If the company has disclosed the relevant facts and has not falsely claimed to sell a whole-muscle rib cut, the lawsuit should not turn a creative product design into consumer fraud.

The food marketing distinction is simple: A brand can promise a recognizable experience without promising that every component is identical to the traditional food that inspired it.

The bigger issue: Don't punish food innovation

7. There is another issue that deserves attention.

Food companies are being asked to innovate, differentiate, deliver value and give consumers reasons to return.

Yet when they create something recognizable but different, they can find themselves defending the very marketing creativity that made the product successful.

That is a troubling direction.

The food industry has always evolved through reinterpretation.

Hamburgers have been reinvented countless times. Chicken sandwiches have become a competitive category of their own. Plant-based burgers borrow the appearance and language of traditional beef burgers. Grocery delis create restaurant-inspired meals. Convenience stores turn familiar restaurant flavors into handheld, portable products.

That is how food marketing works.

The McRib is another example of taking a familiar food concept, applying a different production technique and building a distinctive branded product around it.

I would argue that McDonald's should defend that principle vigorously.

There is one important legal qualification: the October 30 ruling means the case is allowed to proceed, not that McDonald's has lost on the merits. The judge found the plaintiffs' interpretation of the name and advertising sufficiently plausible at this early stage. The ultimate question of deception remains unresolved.

My position is that the complete product disclosures and the longstanding branded identity provide a strong basis for McDonald's to prevail. If discovery confirms those disclosures and the absence of misleading factual claims, the case should be dismissed.

Three Grocerant Guru® insights: Familiarity with a twist wins

Insight 1: Consumers buy experiences, not ingredient dictionaries.

Consumers want recognizable flavors, convenient formats, satisfying portions and products that fit their lifestyles. Brands must communicate what they are selling, but they should not be forced to abandon creative product development because a familiar name inspires a particular food association.

Insight 2: Differentiation is a competitive necessity, not a marketing luxury.

If your product looks, tastes, feels and is named exactly like everyone else's, why should consumers choose you? McDonald's created a recognizable pork sandwich with a distinctive shape, barbecue flavor and trademarked identity. That is differentiation. Brands that fail to differentiate eventually compete primarily on price.

Insight 3: The future belongs to brands that are familiar but never static.

Consumers are dynamic, not static. Their expectations, eating occasions, budgets and food preferences evolve. Successful brands retain the familiar elements consumers appreciate while introducing new twists that encourage trial, repeat purchases and customer migration.

The Grocerant Niche has demonstrated for decades that consumers move between restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores looking for food that delivers on price, time, flavor and convenience.

McDonald's understands something important: Sometimes the best way to introduce something new is to make it feel familiar.

The Grocerant Guru® bottom line

McDonald's did not call its product a rack of pork ribs. It created the McRib®, a trademarked, boneless pork sandwich made from real pork, formed into a distinctive shape and marketed with a familiar barbecue flavor profile.

There is a difference between misleading consumers and giving consumers a new interpretation of a familiar food.

Food marketers should be held accountable for truthful product communication. They should not be punished simply for being creative.

My position: Defend the McRib, defend product differentiation and defend the ability of food brands to create familiar experiences with a twist.

At Foodservice Solutions®, we identify, quantify, and qualify new retail food segment opportunities—from menu innovation to brand integration strategies. We help you stay ahead of industry shifts with fresh insights and consumer-driven solutions. Connect with us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

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Reach out today: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us