Make Your Super Bowl Party Simple Get a Rutter’s Game Bundle

 

Rutter’s excels a quantifying and qualifying additional food retail segment opportunities, new menu product segments, brand and menu marketing integration strategy that edifies its relationship with consumers according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Now Rutter's is helping football fans get ready for the Super Bowl by bringing back a popular deal and adding another. Two Big Game Bundles are available at Rutter's convenience store now through March 16.

The bundles are:

·         The Made for You Big Game Bundle — It includes 12 boneless wings, five chicken strips, four hot dogs, an order of extra-large fries, two portions of macaroni salad, two portions of coleslaw and a 2-liter bottle of soda for $29.99.

·         The Made for You Sub Bundle — It features two turkey subs and two ham subs topped with lettuce, tomatoes and American cheese for $19.99.

The Made for You Big Game Bundle is an enhanced version from last year while the Made for You Sub Bundle is new for 2024.

Chad White, Rutter's foodservice category manager, stated, "Whether you're cheering for a football game, basketball game or enjoying a golf tournament, Rutter's Big Game Bundles are the ideal food choice for any event," … White expressed the company's goal to provide customers with an enticing way to share Rutter's food with friends and family.

Headquartered in York, Rutter's is a privately held chain of convenience stores that operates in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. Part of a family managed group of companies, the Rutter's companies include not only the c-store chain, but a dairy and beverage company, and a real estate company. 

In 2023, Rutter's reached an 85-store milestone with the opening of a new location in Orwigsburg, Pa., part of a five-year plan that calls for the c-store chain's expansion for the first time into Delaware and Virginia, as well as an investment of $150 million into updates at several existing locations.

With roots dating back to 1747, Rutter's 276-year history makes it the oldest vertically integrated food company in the United States.

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

Rutter’s Restaurant Quality Convenience Store Selection

Understanding what customers want is key to driving top-line growth and bottom-line profits according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Serving restaurant quality fresh food fast has served Rutter’s well.

Rutter's continues to listen to consumers, and has heard the cries for fresher faster, so they have elected to add more technology to the mix this time in the way of online ordering.  They are starting by, rolling out the online ordering service to Rutter's VIP Rewards members.

Why Go Anywhere Else?!?" the convenience store retailer posted on its Facebook page on March 14. 2023, "You asked for it and we answered! Today, we launched online ordering for all Rutter's Rewards customers! Now you can skip the line and order ahead at Rutters.com, or by using our updated mobile app! With billions of food combinations to choose from…”

Here is how it is working, to commemorate the kickoff of online ordering, all VIP Rewards members will receive a bonus of 25 cents off per gallon of fuel when placing their first online order. First-time users of the Rutter's app who sign up to be a Rutter's VIP Rewards member will receive 10 cents off per gallon of fuel. VIP Rewards members earn 3 cents off gas every day.

In case you did not know, Rutter's won the 2022 Best Cold & Frozen Beverages Innovator award in Convenience Store News' annual Foodservice Innovators Awards program. The retailer is no stranger to the winners' circle, having won the overall Innovator of the Year title in 2012, 2018 and 2021. Rutter's was also named Prepared Foods Innovator of the Year in 2013.

Rutter’s is setting its sights on new and existing markets to grow its retail footprint. Expansion plans call for 50 new c-store locations over the next five years. Rutter's will add c-stores to the states in which it currently operates, and will enter Delaware and Virginia for the first time. Are you listening to your customers and giving them what they want? 

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

Rutter’s Paying Up Pays Off

 

In the sixties at the intersection of the War and Civil Rights movement it seems as if “the times they are a changin” right in front of our eyes as Bob Dylan wrote. It would seem today the same can be said as the country seems as divided as it was back in the day.  This time it is inflation the is the undercurrent of discontent bringing everyone together according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  

Paying up in 2022 means paying more for line employees and ever thing else.  Rutter’s is now paying its line employees $17 an hour to start. Note that it is the sixth time it made the move in the past three years. Rutter's team members and field employees will both see the wage increase, with full-time team members earning more than $35,000 per year.

Consider that according to the company, the changes have amounted to a more than 60-percent increase in wages since December 2019.

Suzanne Cramer, Rutter's vice president of human resources, stated, "We have fantastic employees at Rutter's and want to recognize them for their continued dedication to being industry leaders," … "As the summer of 2022 gets going, we're thrilled to increase our wages again for our team members and field employees and want to thank them for their efforts."

So, Rutter's last wage increase came in November 2021 when the retailer set the starting rate at $16 per hour. At the time, employees at Rutter's corporate headquarters in York also received a 10-percent wage hike.

Rutter's operates 81 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia is preparing for summer traffic, will help staff the stores for the busy summer season.

Rutter’s is not alone, as 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes, along with participating independent franchise owners and operators, hosted a National Hiring Event on Tuesday, May 3 across more than 13,000 stores in the United States and Canada. Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven's goal was to hire employees for 60,000 jobs — both entry-level and management positions inside the store as well as support roles.

Pilot Co. also hosted a National Hiring Day event on May 3 with the aim to welcome 10,000 new team members. Part-time and full-time team members receive company perks and benefits, including a fuel discount and free meals.

Royal Farms plans to hire more than 2,000 workers in the next few months to staff new stores opening in the mid-Atlantic. About 1,200 jobs are expected to be in Maryland, with about three quarters of those in the Baltimore metro area, where the retailer is based.

At GPM Investments LLC, the Richmond, Va.-based company is offering a range of incentives and benefits to prospective employees as it seeks to add 5,000 new employees to its ranks. The company is looking to fill open, seasonal and turnover positions at convenience stores located in multiple states, with opportunities including both full-time and part-time roles at all levels.

Don’t miss out on getting enough employees pay-up. 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

Rutter’s Fresh Food & Beverage Innovation that Rivals Chain Restaurant Innovation

 

Everyone has heard of the Big Mac at McDonald’s, Whopper at Burger King, and the Chalupa Supreme at Taco Bell, chain restaurant messaging has been clear, on-target, resonating with consumers as we have noted today there are 29 restaurants in the US for every grocery store. 

However, let us not forget that 7 Eleven’s Slurpee was branded before any of those items and is sold in more countries at more outlets than any product offered at any chain restaurant according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Once again success does leave clues and our friend Don Longo, Editorial Director at Convenience Store News is one of the best at identifying, qualifying, and quantifying success within the convenience store sector according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

In the Battle for Share of Stomach

Are you Winning?

This time Longo informed us that the judges on the Convenience Store News Foodservice Advisory Council lauded Rutter's overall approach to foodservice, from dispensed beverages to fresh prepared foods giving them the well-earned title of prepared food innovator of the year.

One of the judges noted that, "They've always been progressive with prepared foods in general, but I think they really lifted their game in cold dispensed beverages with their Spiked Slushies and Xtreme Shakes,".

Reading on, it was also noted how well Rutter's adjusted its menu due to the pandemic (e.g., new comfort-food offerings). And the company's approach to marketing its offerings to consumers digitally via social media, geofencing and a new loyalty app did not go unnoticed. All in all, Rutter’s paints a picture of a retailer operating on all cylinders despite the global pandemic. Johnson noted, that today convenience stores look more like chain restaurants when it comes to targeting consumers and developing new food and beverage products.

So, Rutter's introduced Spiked Slushies to the Pennsylvania market before any other chain as regular readers of this blog know. Being the leader in this category allowed the retailer to innovate even more. In 2021, Rutter's introduced limited-time seasonal flavors to further spice up the category.

Just like most restaurants, the pandemic forced Rutter's to adjust its foodservice offering, which it's done with great success. Customers wanted comfort foods and brands they trust, so Rutter's introduced a second Beef Traveller option, along with SPAM as a limited-time offer (LTO) add-on available for breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Both have been huge hits.

Yet, they were not done, Rutter's also introduced Xtreme Shakes, candy-filled shakes that allow customers young and old to add their favorite sweets, like Kit Kat and Reese's, to their drinks. To add even more fun, Rutter's started offering LTO flavors, such as Key Lime Kit Kat, which customers enjoyed.

Marketing messaging is important at Rutter's as they found new ways to reach its customers, primarily through digital media. Platforms such as Twitch and Instagram have offered the retailer ways to reach customers who weren’t on-site as often over the past year. By using these, along with other social platforms, Rutter's was able to target consumer preferences in a strong way, with geofencing and demographic profiles. Like many other retailers, Rutter's trips have been down overall, but the chain's baskets have increased dramatically.

Rutter's Director of Fuel, Forecourt and Advertising Chris Hartman, "Through our new loyalty platform with Paytronix, launched in 2020, we also have the ability to now survey customers. This has allowed us to determine what's working and what isn't,"…  "We also rolled out menu screens above our foodservice areas, in many of our new stores and remodels, allowing customers to look at all we have to offer in a quick time period."

Hartman continued, “If one thing is clear it is that Rutter's believes innovation isn't just about having the most creative item, but about adapting to customer needs. "Thriving during a pandemic isn't something that was expected at the beginning,". "However, our great foodservice team, led by Robert Perkins, took it as a challenge and came out with an improved menu offering and creative flair that fit what Rutter’s customers want."

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

Rutters Limited Time Offers Equals Relevance

 

We have all heard the old adage out with the old, in with the new.  At Rutters in with the ‘old’ via a limited time offer (LTO) adds customer relevance, edifying a partnerships that can pay dividends according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Ok, so Rutter’s and Hormel Foods are bringing some innovation and new electricity to their long-standing partnership by adding the food company’s iconic SPAM family of products to Rutter’s featured food menu for a limited time. (Regular readers of this blog know that SPAM is one of the very few CPG products to have i’s own website.)

Rutters, new SPAM brand menu, which will be available through July, includes seven featured food items available at the Rutter’s kiosk and hot hold. Customers will be able to choose several options featuring the SPAM brand including: a SPAM burger, two types of SPAM breakfast sandwiches, SPAM grilled cheese, SPAM macaroni and cheese, a warm SPAM and cheese pretzel roll sandwich and a SPAM breakfast bowl.

Chad White, Rutter’s foodservice category manager, stated, “Hormel Foods has been a great, long-time partner for Rutter’s, so we’re excited to add iconic SPAM products to our menu,” … “We’re always looking to innovate to meet our customers’ needs and we can’t wait for them to fall in love with our new SPAM brand menu options.”

Rutter’s has an award-winning grocerant menu, that currently incorporates a variety of Hormel Foods products. As both companies looked to expand their partnership, the idea of a SPAM brand limited time offering came to life. The convenience store chain’s desire to continually differentiate their customer offering makes these SPAM brand offerings a perfect addition to their food service menu.

How is your brand building new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new menu related products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, music, developing brands, unique urban hemp clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All 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.  How is your brand building new electricity?

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

At Rutter's Partnerships Adds Value

 

Building incremental sales with grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is something they do well at Rutter’s. Leveraging partnerships to develop distinct differentiated fresh food faster has helped drive menu trail, menu electricity, and customer frequency according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Why would customer go anywhere else?

Rutter's debuted the Philly Cheesesteak Traveller on menus chainwide March 2. It is the second product launched in partnership with Australia's Patties Foods Group known for hand held comfort food that is ‘irresistible’. How are you building new brand or menu electricity with you consumers?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as; corporate partnerships, fresh foods, smell, online ordering, delivery, self-driving cars, plant-based foods, music, streaming, food sampling, toy’s, podcast, movies, 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 and this fits that bill according to Johnson.

So, Rutter’s rolled out the Four N Twenty Beef and Cheese Traveller, a beloved product in Australia, in February 2020, and success does leave clues. Consumers loved them, the clue is giving consumers what they want, the way they want it.

Yes, the Philly Cheesesteak Traveller features the same flaky golden pastry crust as the Four'N Twenty and is full of shaved beef and American cheese. It was designed to be a delicious and convenient item for on-the-go consumers.

Robert Perkins, Rutter's vice president of marketing, stated, "After the success of the Beef and Cheese Traveller last year, we were very excited to continue expanding the Four'N Twenty offering, as part of our Award-Winning Food Service," … "The partnership we've built has been great because both companies have the same goal of continuing food innovation to meet customer demands. Being the first retailer to sell this great product will keep customers saying, Why Go Anywhere Else?"

Rutter's is the first retailer anywhere to offer the Philly Cheesesteak Traveller. Exclusive to the United States, it was created under Patties Foods' Four'N Twenty brand as an ode to its ambassadors, Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.

Anand Surujpal, general manager, marketing and innovation for Patties Foods, stated, "We are extremely proud that Four'N Twenty has been embraced by Rutter's customers," … "The generous hearted people of Philadelphia have really welcomed our Aussie beef pies and travellers since we launched in the U.S. in 2018.

"We were inspired by working with Four'N Twenty ambassador Ben Simmons and in collaboration with Rutter's we wanted to create something innovative and delicious that honored Ben's two homes," he added. "The new Four'N Twenty Philly Cheesesteak Traveller is the perfect combination of something quintessentially Aussie and a Philadelphian classic, and we know our fans will really love the new flavor."

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

Rutter’s Joins the Restaurant Sector Me to We Movement in 2021

 

Once again success does leave clues and industry leading companies understand that there is an increased unmet need that consumers are expressing when it comes to their everyday life and food, meals, and beverages. That is food and food packaging that has the ‘halo’ of better for you and a hallmark of the Grocerant niche.  

So, regular reader of this blog know that we have been highlighting food companies that are focused on elevating next year, 2021 in food, as the year the industry focuses on From Me to We” movement in food aka sustainability. That is expanding the ‘halo’ of ‘better for you’ food and food packaging offerings within every sector of retail food.

Around the world consumers are expressing greater sense of urgency around climate change, droughts, wildfires, and increase in intense tropical storms. According to The NPD Group, consumers reported in July that 63% of their eating occasions during the COVID-19 outbreak have been atypical, meaning they’re eating and sourcing foods and beverages outside of their normal routines. That disruption has elevated consumers focus or ‘better for you’ sustainable food and beverage options according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  

 Rutter’s debuted new paper coffee cups, the new paper cups are a change from the current Styrofoam cups and will feature an updated design. They will also feature ThermoTouch double-wall insulation technology, which will eliminate the need for cardboard sleeves or double cupping, helping to reduce waste elevating the halo of better for you.

Rutter’s is the first convenience store chain to introduce dedicated recycling bins at their stores, Rutter’s has always looking for ways to be more eco-friendly. The move to paper cups that are made of 92% renewable resources and non-toxic materials is a continuation of its environmental efforts.

Chad White, Food Service Category Manager stated, “Moving to a paper cup design will help us reduce our carbon footprint, while bringing a new look to our coffee bar as we move into 2021,”

Rutter’s fresh prepared food is at the intersection of restaurant fresh casual Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat and convenience store mix and match family meal component bundling, both hallmarks of the grocerant niche.

Rutter’s is well known for its award-winning coffee bar, which features six standard coffee blends and a rotating seasonal blend. With a wide variety of creamers, flavored syrups and toppings, there is something for everyone. Rutter’s also offers handcrafted beverages such as frappes, lattes and cold-brew coffees, all of which are available to order through the kiosk.

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