Any time is Dunkin’ time!



The grocerant niche filled with ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared food continues to expand while driving top line sales and bottom line profits. Dunkin’ Donuts is another company expanding day-part sales with new ready-2-eat fresh prepared menu items.

“Dunkin’ Donuts has been busy, with a new snack menu including stuffed breadsticks in cheeseburger or pepperoni-and-cheese flavors, and hot apple pie, as well as limited time offers like the Maple Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich and Sausage Pancake Bits. The 9,805-unit global quick-service chain also rebranded its bagel twists, available now in Cheddar cheese or cinnamon and raisin, to fit with its snack line.”

Success does leave clues and Dunkin Donuts is a company that has done very well the past 7 years picking up the industry success clues and implementing them.

Nigel Travis, Dunkin’ Brands CEO stated “Our strategy of driving comparable-store sales growth in our core U.S. markets, expanding contiguously in the U.S., and driving accelerated international growth across both brands continues to deliver strong results,” ...We're pleased with our momentum, particularly as we head into key beverage and ice cream selling seasons.”

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® Bing or Google Grocerants or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, twitter.com/grocerant or Facebook Steven Johnson

5 compelling reasons consumers buy ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food!



Companies that develop a platform that allows meal co-creation; in the car, at the office or at home are winning the heart’s and minds of today’s retail food consumer. The grocerant niche comprised of the ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared food is driving the success of the retail foodservice today.

1. Visceral presentation; freshness based on how it looks and is presented and digital menu’s.

2. Bundling; the ability to build your meal with components.

3. Individualized portions; power to select quality and quantity of items.

4. Convenience; unit /store location on the drive home from work, packaging.

5. Time Saving; ability to evaluate price vs. time to cook from scratch.

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® Bing or Google Grocerants or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, twitter.com/grocerant or Facebook Steven Johnson

Food product innovation or evolotion?



Can you recall the last food prodcut that was truly innovative? What was it? If your not sure your mostlikely in the same camp that I am. Most new food prodcuts are simple line extensions or same prodcut in a new package. A colleague of mine thinks “that most innovations usually are new applications of previously invented technologies and/or processes. Truly innovative products usually find new ways to use existing inventions to improve experience of people. The confusion arises when practitioners focus on improving products rather than experience with the product, because that is where a difference between “innovation” and incremental “improvement” lives.”

Is your menu / prodcut mix a blend of brand ideation extensions or niche copy-cat prodcuts? Has your brand become static? New food prodcuts must be integrated into a dynamic brand while focusing on the consumer.

Brand managers, that subscribe to a “thought leadership” the brand is (as oppose to “customer participation” the brand will be) model, love to quote Henry Ford who supposedly said – “If I asked my customers what they want, they simply would have said a faster horse.” There is no debate that a motorized carriage was an amazing invention, which by the way was not created by Ford – he innovated scalable assembly line manufacturing, among other processes.

Breakout new products come in many cases from “outside” brands current purview. Not outside of consumers purview. Creating equilibrium between your brand and the consumer is key too a successful launch of new food items. Copy-cat products only produce subminimum results.

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® Bing or Google Grocerants or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, twitter.com/grocerant or Facebook Steven Johnson

Amazon Fresh and Wal-Mart begin food turf battle!



The grocerant niche continues to drive top-line growth and bottom line profits within food retailing sector. Two of the world’s largest and most respected companies are now entering direct competition with each other for different reasons.

Two plus years ago Amazon.com launched Amazon Fresh home food delivery. Amazon Fresh stated testing in Seattle, WA and now is operation in both Great Britain and Germany. Amazon with Amazon Fresh may have found the “LAST MILE SOLUTION” that all Etailer’s have been in search of. On the other hand Wal-Mart in a defensive move began a test of home delivery.

Amazon.com has a culture that is “Built to Last” built on an evolution of the retail sector. While Wal-Mart is rooted in a traditional grocery culture; they have utilized technology to outpace the industry in distribution. This trail with on-line delivery will be not different. Wal-Mart will clearly out position Kroger, Safeway and Albertson/Supervalue. Amazon.com and Wal-Mart have seen the future of food retailing and are now in a fight for the consumer to today and tomorrow.

Foodservice Solutions® 5 P’s of food marketing: Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability and Price continue to play a leading role in the development of retail food. Wal-Mart and Amazon.com both understand that food delivery is convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization.

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, twitter.com/grocerant or Facebook Steven Johnson

Happy Easter



Ready-2-eat grocerant niche food builds on regional sustainability.



Success does leave clues. If ever your wondering what is the next big thing in retail foodservice keep your eye on McDonald’s. We all know that McDonalds is the 30 lb gorilla in the grocerant niche.

We have all hear and learned from McDonalds. When they personalized their positioning “My McDonalds” the consumers responded and sales went up. In this era of sustainability, regionalization decentralization will be key to national chains long term success.

Leading the way again is McDonalds in five Southern California counties McDonalds has added “two new chicken sandwiches to the menu. The bold and spicy additions will be available at locations in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

The new offerings are designed to pack a punch. The Jalapeno Cheddar McChicken features a combination of spicy jalapeno peppers and white cheddar cheese; the Cheddar Onion McChicken sports caramelized onions and white cheddar. Both sandwiches come on toasted buns.”

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, twitter.com/grocerant or Facebook Steven Johnson

Papa Murphy’s take-n-bake is perfectly positioned in the Grocerant niche.



Everyone knows the grocerant niche is booming! Ready-2-eat and Heat-N-eat fresh and prepared food continues to drive the success within the niche across all retail food sectors. With 18% of Americans responding in a recent phone survey that they eat pizza at least once a week, pizza has cache.

In addition the survey found that Take-home pizza comes in as the favorite choice among those polled. Clearly Papa Murphy’s is positioned well. Interesting for the grocerant niche forty three percent of adults who eat pizza said the last time they eat pizza they picked it up to eat at home. Only 15% had it delivered, and 16% ate it at a restaurant.

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, twitter.com/grocerant or Facebook Steven Johnson