SONIC Drive-In Dives into SEC Football Frenzy as Official Quick-Service Restaurant!

Hey there, sports fans and food lovers! Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® is here with some electrifying news that will have you buzzing with excitement! SONIC Drive-In, the champions of craveable food and fun, have teamed up with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and SEC Network in a game-changing, multi-year sponsorship. That's right, folks—SONIC is now the "Official Quick Service Restaurant of the SEC!"

This partnership started this July 1st, SONIC is hitting the gridiron with SEC football programming and productions across SEC Network, ABC, and ESPN. This isn't just a touchdown—it's a game-winning play for everyone involved!

“SONIC has always been in the heart of college and professional sports for the past 70 years, and we couldn’t be prouder to rally with our fans as the Official Quick Service Restaurant partner of the SEC,” said Ryan Dickerson, Chief Marketing Officer of SONIC. “The SEC’s expanded reach means we’re closer than ever to our amazing guests and team members across the Southeast. We’re ready to bring the fun to college football this season—whether we’re at the pre-game tailgate or the afterparty, you can count on SONIC to be part of the action all season long.”

Now, let's talk about why this is a monumental win for SONIC and the SEC. Gen Z and Millennials are redefining the sports fandom landscape, and they crave experiences that go beyond the game. By aligning with the SEC, SONIC is capturing the hearts (and stomachs) of these dynamic, digital-savvy generations. Did you know that 62% of Millennials are avid sports fans, and Gen Z isn't far behind at 53%? These generations are social media mavens, amplifying their game day experiences across platforms, creating a ripple effect that drives brand loyalty and engagement.

Imagine the thrill of seeing SONIC's mouth-watering commercials during the “SEC on ABC” college football franchise and ABC/ESPN Noon College Football windows, all while connecting with fans on SEC Network. This isn’t just advertising; it’s an immersive experience that brings SONIC's vibrant energy to every home, tailgate, and watch party.

“At Disney, we’re passionate about developing unique opportunities for brands to connect with college football fans everywhere. This season, we are thrilled to welcome SONIC Drive-In as the Official Quick Service Restaurant of the SEC,” said Andrew Messina, SVP of Sales, Disney Advertising. “With SONIC on board, the fan experience will reach new heights for SEC fans across all Disney platforms.”

But wait, there’s more! SONIC is taking their game-day presence to the next level with on-site activations through SEC Nation, the network’s traveling football pre-game show, and other exciting opportunities throughout the season. Picture this: the smell of crispy tots and juicy burgers filling the air as you cheer on your favorite team. That's the kind of fan experience SONIC is bringing to the table.

“We are pleased to welcome SONIC as an official sponsor of the Southeastern Conference,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “The SEC sponsor program is important to the mission of supporting SEC athletics programs and their student-athletes. The addition of SONIC strengthens an already robust family of sponsors for the Conference, and we look forward to SONIC’s participation in our programming and championship events.”

So, gear up, grab your favorite SONIC snack, and get ready to experience SEC football like never before. This partnership is a recipe for fun, flavor, and unforgettable moments. Let's make this season one for the record books, together!

Stay tuned, stay hungry, and let's celebrate this epic collaboration with SONIC and the SEC!

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday than tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues. 

Mix and Match Meal Bundling includes Beer, Wine, Liquor

 

Do you want to make money selling more food and beverage at your retail outlet?  There is one clear way to do that.  Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals are the quality and time saving families want but when you add the option to include beer, wine, or liquor your brand become a top-of-mind brand for consumers when they are looking for a meal, snack, or just a beverage according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

There is no doubt that restaurants offering to-go mugs, bottles and margarita glasses are here to stay, pushing restaurant owners to look beyond the bar for ways to elevate the customer experience. Long past a survival tactic, among restaurant operators that offer alcoholic beverages with takeout or delivery orders, roughly 9 in 10 offer it with takeout orders, cementing a line-item that already accounts for an average of 21% of sales among full-service restaurants.

Consider this, casual dining leads the way in off-premises options, with nearly all restaurants that serve alcohol including it as a takeout offering (90%) and over a quarter (26%) with their third-party delivery offerings. When it comes to who wants to-go alcohol, more than half of millennials (62%) and Gen Z adults (52%) report they would be more likely pick a restaurant for takeout if they could include alcohol beverages.

One again that is according to a new report from the National Restaurant Association which breaks down the latest data on alcohol trends and preferences among restaurant owners and consumers.

Michelle Korsmo, President & Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association, stated, “The innovation we are witnessing right now in beverage programs of all kinds is exactly why restaurants are some of the most resilient and impactful businesses in this country. These incredible operators have turned a survival tactic into a major growth catalyst for their businesses. Consumers are taking note and if we can continue to stay in front of their preferences, there is no limit to how far beverage trends can move the needle for the restaurant industry,”

Cocktails included in your recipe for success. Despite more than half (54%) of delivery customers stating that the availability of alcohol beverages would make them more likely to choose a restaurant, and the growing number of states extending or making permanent the to-go options for restaurants, only one-quarter of adults who opted for takeout or delivery from a restaurant during the last six months included an alcohol beverage in the order.

That leaves significant growth opportunities for restaurants, particularly in how they market, package, and differentiate their offerings, according to the report, which provides several examples and interviews from culinary innovators in several states leading the way on alcohol sales.

The report also reaffirms the Association’s prediction that local experiences would be this year’s hottest trend. Despite the emphasis on to-go options, consumers also expect local restaurants to offer experiential events. For example, both wine (81%) and beer (79%) drinkers say they would participate in tasting events at restaurants.

Finally, the report emphasizes the trust between consumers and restaurants, with most (82%) of adults that drink wine, beer and liquor saying they trust the staff at local restaurants to make good drink recommendations.

“The new alcohol to-go laws modernized state alcohol policy, and consumers can now enjoy more of the restaurant hospitality experience in the comfort of their own homes. As this report demonstrates, operators who innovatively connect the experiential aspects of their alcohol programs with a clear off-premises strategy are seeing enormous success with customers,” said Mike Whatley, Vice President of State Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy, National Restaurant Association.

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

Biggby Coffee Fighting Bullying is the Right Thing

Biggby Coffee does not like the undercurrent of bullying that seems to be ever present in the United States today.  Biggby partnered with STOMP Out Bullying and thank all of their customers that allowed BIGGBY COFFEE to collect over $25,000 in donations for the national anti-bullying organization. The entire team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® congratulates Biggby for their efforts.

In case you did not know, STOMP Out Bullying is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the culture for all students by reducing and preventing bullying and cyberbullying; educating against homophobia, LGBTQ discrimination, and racism; providing practical solutions on how to respond to bullying; and helping those at risk of suicide through their HelpChat Line. With celebrity public service announcements and their long-standing #BlueUp campaign, STOMP Out Bullying has become known throughout the nation and world for their efforts to bring attention to and end bullying.

In a press release Biggby said, “In a world where bullying and cyberbullying are becoming more and more prevalent, BIGGBY® COFFEE is honored to work with an organization like STOMP Out Bullying, who hold the same belief as BIGGBY COFFEE that everyone should feel valued, loved, important, and heard.”

 “We are so tremendously grateful for the support from BIGGBY. We have always been an organization dedicated to spreading kindness and preventing bullying and cyberbullying and we are tremendously grateful for the support from BIGGBY.  This donation helps us to keep funding our programs to make bullying history,” says Ross Ellis, CEO, from STOMP Out Bulling.

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 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.

Apple Pie, Hot Dogs, and Baseball Not: its Apple Pie, Chicken & Baseball

America’s pastime is baseball even though it ranks third to football and basketball in the televisions ratings. Baseball is the national pastime in the United States because it ‘resonates more deeply in the country’s soul than any other sport.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® asks will Hot Dogs be replaced by chick-n-strips with the Chick-fil-A sponsorship?

Recently, it was announced that Chick-fil-A is now the official quick-service restaurant of Little League Baseball and Softball. That Johnson calls ‘quite a coup’ for Chick-fil-A.  Baseball tugs at the heart strings of Americans and the undercurrent of generational fondness for the game and all that come with it could help propel Chick-fil-A already good band image even higher.

This strategic partnership between Chick-fil-A, and Little League International will be able to provide additional support, resources, and financial opportunities through grant programs to its local leagues while remaining committed to providing fun, healthy opportunities for all children and adult volunteers in communities around the world. Thus, edifying the Chick-fil-A brand for years too come according to Johnson.

While, Chick-fil-A has risen to the top of the ranks within the foodservice industry in terms of customer satisfaction and has been especially popular among younger generations this relationship will extend the brand while introducing it to new customers simultaneously.

In addition to its dedicated support to local leagues throughout the year, Chick-fil-A will join Little League International’s Official Sponsors inside the Family Fun Zone at the Little League Baseball World Series on August 16-26, 2018, with fun and exciting on-site activations. 

Their on-site location in Williamsport will serve as the home to the only Chick-fil-A food service in all of Lycoming County exclusively during the World Series and the only place to enjoy Chick-fil-A products within 35 miles of the Little League International Complex.  Success does leave clues and this one was a coup for Chick-fil-A.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.

Scotty’s Brewhouse Partnership to Kick-Off Continued Success

With fall just around the corner that means one thing football will be in full swing.  Restaurant awareness of the importance of what a local football team partnership could add to a chains brand value did not go unnoticed at Scotty’s Brewhouse according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru®, at Tacoma WA based Foodservice Solutions®. 

Scotty’s Brewhouse knew that it could add customer relevance while ‘refresh’ the brand when it signed a sponsorship agreement with the Indianapolis Colts that includes several exclusive promotions through the 2018–19 football season.

Does your brand need a refresh? If your brand looks more like yesterday than today or tomorrow it just might be time that you called for outside eyes to help you drive inside results.  What is your new electricity that is driving top line sales and bottom line profits?  Are your customer counts growing? 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as sports team partnerships,  fresh foods, urban clothing, grocerant consultants, urban farming (produce, seafood, etc.), autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, cash-less payments, digital hand held marketing. This program has all of that.

Foodservice 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.  That will require brands to embrace new fresh food partnerships more now than ever before according to Johnson.

Chris Martin, brand president of Scotty’s Brewhouse stated “We are very excited to team up with the Indianapolis Colts this season,” … “We will be sponsoring several events and offering promotions that we feel Colts fans will enjoy leading up to and throughout the football season. Watching NFL games at Scotty’s Brewhouse was already a Great Experience, and we feel this will help us take it to a whole other level.”

So, just what is your brands new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

As the season kicks off Scotty’s Brewhouse guests will receive a two for one offer if the Colts score two touchdowns during that week’s game. The promotion will run from Sunday after the game through Tuesday of that week. Guests will be able to order any food menu item and get one free of equal or lesser value when they mention the Colts’ two touchdown offer.

Fans attending Colts’ home games at Lucas Oil Stadium will also receive an exclusive offer on the back of their ticket stubs that will be good through the entire football season, including the preseason.

“We want to reward Colts fans for dining with us,” continues Martin. “We believe these two promotions will give Colts fans something to cheer for all season long as they watch the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium or at one of our Scotty’s locations throughout the state of Indiana.”

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 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us 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.