Mix & Match Meal Components: What’s Really for Dinner?

 

The way Americans plan and consume dinner has undergone a seismic shift. Meal planning no longer begins in the kitchen, but often in the aisle of a grocery store, the drive-thru lane, or on a smartphone app. According to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCards, 83.2% of U.S. consumers do not know what they’ll have for dinner by 11:30 a.m., and 64.7% are still undecided at 4 p.m. This uncertainty has given rise to a new consumer-driven food space: the grocerant niche.

Grocerant foods — fresh prepared, Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat meal components — have become the centerpiece of modern meal solutions. Today’s time-starved, choice-driven consumer is not simply looking for a single entrée but for customizable meal bundles that satisfy the diverse tastes of households while reducing preparation time.

This paper explores the rise of mix & match meal components, analyzes data-driven shifts in consumer behavior, highlights innovative retail and restaurant adaptations, and provides insights from Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, on where the industry is headed.

 

The Consumer Context: Time, Taste, and Customization

·       Time Scarcity: Nearly 71% of consumers say convenience influences their food choices weekly (Datassential, 2024).

·       Personalization Pressure: Families demand variety — one meal option rarely pleases all. 63% of households now prefer “meal kits” or “bundle options” where each member can pick their own side or entrée (NPD Group, 2023).

·       Quality Over Quantity: Shoppers are trading traditional pantry-stocking for immediate, fresh solutions. Fresh prepared food sales in U.S. grocery retail surpassed $34.8 billion in 2024 (NielsenIQ).

As Johnson explains:

“Today’s consumer isn’t just buying dinner; they’re buying time, choice, and control. Grocerant food components empower families to create restaurant-quality meals at home without the labor of cooking.”

 

From Supermarkets to Smartphones: Where Grocerant Food Lives

The grocerant movement has blurred the lines between restaurants and retailers. Consumers can now curate meals across channels, often within the same day.

Grocery Stores

·       Wegmans: Features mix & match hot and cold bars where consumers build plates or purchase à la carte.

·       Whole Foods Market: Beyond salads and sushi, Whole Foods’ in-store restaurants and pub concepts drive evening traffic.

·       Trader Joe’s: Pre-portioned Heat-N-Eat entrées and sides enable quick “home-assembled” dinners.

Convenience Stores

·       Wawa & Sheetz: Leading the pack with customizable sandwiches, bowls, and breakfast-all-day menus designed for portability.

·       7-Eleven: Expanding beyond pizza and taquitos to include healthier bowls, salads, and fresh wraps.

Restaurants

·       Olive Garden’s “Buy One, Take One” model doubles as dinner tonight and Heat-N-Eat tomorrow.

·       Panera Bread: Offers “Family Feast” bundles where sides and mains can be mixed across categories.

·       Fast Casual Chains (e.g., Chipotle, Cava, Sweetgreen): Functionally serve as grocerants by letting customers bundle modular components into balanced meals.

Non-Traditional Channels

·       IKEA: Sells over $2 billion annually in fresh prepared meals, with Swedish meatballs as a cultural icon.

·       Walgreens & CVS: Increasingly integrating grab-and-go salads, sandwiches, and heatable meals.

·       Nordstrom & Macy’s: Using in-store restaurants and cafés to drive dwell time and incremental food revenue.

 

The Grocerant Marketing Advantage

Grocerant solutions succeed by tapping into the 5 P’s of Food Marketing developed by Foodservice Solutions®:

1.       Product – Fresh, flexible meal components (protein, sides, snacks).

2.       Packaging – Attractive, portable containers that maintain “restaurant-quality” appeal.

3.       Placement – Visibility across multiple touchpoints (deli counters, apps, delivery).

4.       Portion – Mix & match sizing for individuals or families.

5.       Price – Value-focused bundles versus traditional à la carte menus.

Johnson notes:

“The retailer who best integrates the 5 P’s creates not only food sales, but a food ecosystem — one where the consumer feels empowered to assemble their perfect meal, anytime, anywhere.”

 

Consumer Insights: Why Grocerant Food Wins

·       Impulse-Driven Behavior: With meal planning starting at 4 p.m., grocerant offerings capture last-minute purchase intent.

·       Portability: 54% of consumers say they eat at least one meal per week away from home but not in a restaurant (Technomic, 2024). Grocerant foods are designed to move.

·       Health & Wellness: Fresh prepared components allow for better portion control and dietary flexibility compared to traditional QSR combos.

·       Generational Shifts: Millennials and Gen Z are leading the demand for customization, with 72% saying they value “meal choice diversity” over traditional family-style dining (Hartman Group, 2023).

 

The Future of Mix & Match Meals

As consumer demand evolves, expect continued innovation:

·       AI-driven personalization in grocerant apps recommending bundles by household preferences.

·       Cross-channel loyalty programs rewarding bundled purchases (e.g., a salad at Whole Foods, dessert at Starbucks, entrée from Panera).

·       Packaging technology that improves reheating and maintains “plated quality” appeal.

·       Expansion into new retail verticals — furniture, bookstores, and even sporting goods stores testing grocerant integrations.

Johnson’s closing insight:

“The question is no longer ‘What’s for dinner?’ The question is, ‘Where will I curate tonight’s dinner from?’ Grocerant retailers who anticipate that shift will own the future of food.”

 

About Foodservice Solutions®

Foodservice Solutions®, led by Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson, is a leading authority on grocerant trends, consumer food behavior, and retail food strategy. Through its proprietary Grocerant ScoreCards and the 5 P’s of Food Marketing, the firm has helped retailers, C-stores, restaurants, and non-traditional outlets evolve their offerings for the convenience-driven consumer.

Learn more at:
🌐 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us
🔗 LinkedIn.com/in/grocerant
🐦 twitter.com/grocerant

Food Marketing Football Game Day Spreads: Gambling on Snacks and Sports

 

Football isn’t just America’s favorite pastime anymore—it’s become the centerpiece of a high-stakes marketing strategy where food, fandom, and gambling collide. The big screen in the living room, the sizzling of wings in the kitchen, and the tap of a sportsbook app on a smartphone—it’s all part of a new cultural mashup.

What used to be a casual Sunday ritual has turned into a multi-billion-dollar ecosystem where convenience stores, restaurants, and delivery apps run plays that look a lot like gambling pitches. And for many brands, the “game day spread” has become their version of a sportsbook ticket: a chance to hook fans with irresistible offers while their adrenaline is already running high.

 

Storytelling in Action: Who’s Playing the Game?

7-Eleven isn’t the only chain dialing up the stakes. Restaurants are weaving betting energy into food deals, turning every touchdown into an excuse to eat and every wager into a reason to order more.

·       Buffalo Wild Wings famously inked a deal with BetMGM, pushing in-store promotions tied to betting odds. Customers aren’t just ordering boneless wings; they’re engaging with parlays on the TV screens overhead. The food becomes part of the gambling atmosphere.

·       Hooters leans into its party-playbook promotions during college football Saturdays, marketing buckets of beer and wing specials as if they’re part of the pregame betting ritual. The vibe is unmistakable: a sportsbook disguised as a restaurant.

·       Domino’s and Pizza Hut haven’t partnered directly with sportsbooks yet, but their “game day carryout” and “Big Dinner Box” promos echo the gambling cadence—big wins, no losses, limited-time offers. These deals are less about dinner and more about fueling the communal adrenaline of betting, watching, and celebrating.

·       Even DoorDash and Uber Eats are testing “parlay-style” promotions—order one item, unlock a deal on another—borrowing gambling mechanics to drive larger baskets.

Each of these examples shows how the gambling playbook has migrated into food marketing: chance, stakes, and the thrill of a win.

 

The Consumer Data Behind the Hype

·       Game Day Spending Soars: According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spend over $17 billion annually on food and drinks for the Super Bowl alone—more than Valentine’s Day candy and Halloween costumes combined.

·       Wings Rule the Table: The National Chicken Council projects that fans eat 1.45 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl weekend, up steadily year-over-year. That makes wings the ultimate “betting snack.”

·       Pizza Is the Safe Bet: Domino’s reports that it sells over 12 million pizzas during Super Bowl Sunday, nearly double a normal Sunday. Pizza chains now design promotions specifically around football games.

·       Alcohol Anchors the Spread: NielsenIQ data shows that beer sales spike by nearly 20% on NFL Sundays, with light beer brands dominating.

·       Sports Gambling Growth: The American Gaming Association estimates that $100 billion will be wagered legally on U.S. sports in 2025, with football representing the lion’s share. Pairing those wagers with food deals makes intuitive (and profitable) sense.

Together, these numbers prove the spread isn’t just cultural—it’s economic fuel that powers both the restaurant industry and the gambling ecosystem.

 

Five Complications That Make This a Risky Play

1.       Youth Exposure: Pizza and wings are family food, but when bundled with gambling imagery, they normalize betting behaviors among kids and teens.

2.       State-by-State Confusion: Sports gambling is legal in some states, restricted in others. Food chains run the risk of regulatory backlash when their promotions cross legal gray lines.

3.       Reputation Management: Betting still carries stigma. Restaurants risk losing trust with families and older customers who see gambling as predatory.

4.       Health & Safety Concerns: Discounts on alcohol during “celebratory” moments can fuel binge drinking—especially dangerous when tied to emotional betting highs and lows.

5.       Education & Amateur Integrity: Tying food deals to college games puts restaurants at risk of criticism for commercializing amateur sports at the expense of student athletes.

 

The Upside for Food Brands

1.       Cultural Stickiness: Nothing ties a brand to sports like being part of the ritual—betting makes the food feel even more like “essential equipment.”

2.       Basket Building: Betting energy encourages upsizing. Fans grabbing a pizza are more likely to add wings, beer, and dessert if it feels like part of the “winning spread.”

3.       Experiential Marketing: Watch parties with food specials mimic casinos without the casino walls—turning restaurants into entertainment hubs.

 

Insights from the Grocerant Guru®

Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, calls this the “third-party gambling food funnel.” His take:

1.       Third-Party Promotions Multiply Reach: Gambling apps already own the fan’s attention. Plugging food deals into those apps is like hitching a ride on a rocket.

2.       In-App Gamification: Imagine betting apps offering free wings with a winning parlay, or $10 off a pizza if your team covers the spread. That’s where the market is heading.

3.       The Perception of a Win: Even if a bettor loses money, getting a “free slice” or “discounted beer” feels like a consolation prize, softening the sting—and keeping customers engaged.

 

How to Score a Strategic Partnership

For restaurants and food brands looking to get off the sidelines:

1.       Bundle Offers With Bets: Pair betting credits with food deals (e.g., “$20 in free bets when you order two pizzas and wings”). Both sides win: the sportsbook gets traffic, and the restaurant boosts ticket size.

2.       Regional Tie-Ins: Localize promotions around college or pro teams—think “Tennessee Tailgate Pizza” or “Michigan Win-Wings Special”—and partner with sportsbooks operating in those states.

3.       Co-Sponsored Events: Imagine Buffalo Wild Wings and DraftKings hosting official “Bet & Bite Watch Parties.” Fans flock to a central hub, food sales climb, and gambling partners get guaranteed engagement.

 

The Bigger Picture

The collision of gambling and food isn’t slowing down. As betting becomes mainstream, the game day spread is turning into a gamified marketing tool. The stakes are high: brands risk alienating families and regulators, but the rewards are massive—engagement, loyalty, and cultural cachet.

In this new era, wings and pizza aren’t just snacks. They’re part of a new game where every bite feels like a bet and every meal deal like a parlay.

Elevate Your Brand with Expert Insights

For corporate presentations, regional chain strategies, educational forums, or keynote speaking, Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, delivers actionable insights that fuel success.

With deep experience in restaurant operations, brand positioning, and strategic consulting, Steven provides valuable takeaways that inspire and drive results.

💡 Visit GrocerantGuru.com or FoodserviceSolutions.US
📞 Call 1-253-759-7869