Burger King Delivering Whopper Success.

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ Steven Johnson  thinks “legacy restaurant chains must evolve from restaurant to food merchants to grow customer counts, top line sales, and bottom line profits in 2014.” 

Burger King with a keen understanding that the consumer is evolving fast and migrating to new points of fresh food distribution is not idly sitting by.  Burger King is proactively inviting more customers to "be your way" by bringing delivery services their way. The fast-food hamburger chain issued multiple releases this week announcing the expansion of the BK Delivers program into four new markets: Atlanta, Kansas City, Mo., Fresno, Calif., and Montgomery, Ala.  

Nathan Chiantella, Burger King Worldwide Inc. manager, for retail innovation, stated:. “As its popularity has grown, we have seen an increasing demand for the program in other markets and the Burger King brand is excited to offer our loyal fans … the opportunity to enjoy the food they love, delivered to their preferred destination.”

BK Delivers is performing well in top markets such as Boston, New York, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and more,” according to Chiantella. 

Customization, Personalization and Mix and Match bundling are hallmarks of the booming Grocerant niche according to the Grocerant Guru™ and Burger King is positioning for Grocerant niche success. Burger King

Customer’s within each delivery zone can customize and order their favorite Burger King menu items by visiting BKDelivers.com or by calling toll free (855) 673-3725.

Delivery can be for home or office as customers must place a minimum order of “$10 for delivery and can choose from a variety of menu items, including the signature Whopper sandwich, Tendergrill sandwich, smoothies and shakes.”

Customers want Hot food Hot and Cold food Cold so to ensure fries arrive crispy and sandwiches stay hot and fresh, they “developed innovative packaging and uses temperature-controlled bags. Orders must be placed during delivery operating hours of 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Delivery times and prices vary by location.”

BK Delivers is currently available in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Sacramento, Calif., Salt Lake City, San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., greater Washington, D.C., and more.

Interested in learning how the 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or  Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Whole Foods is Fresh Food Focused for Success

Industry analyst like to compare Whole Foods to Wegmans because they each have an embedded quality about their brand that helps them drive top line sales and bottom line profits while simultaneously driving new unit growth. The same analyst like to compare Sprouts Farmers Market to Whole Foods since they each focus on ‘better for you’ or ‘healthy’ fresh food and organic food.  Then there are those that compare Central Market and Publix to Whole Foods neither is Whole Foods and those analysts are simply wrong.

Like Wegmans:

Wegmans Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food continues to drive a quality halo around Wegmans brand extending the Wegmans retail food brand into a ‘lifestyle’ brand. Wegmans is more than fresh food, but that’s where it wants to be.  What it is not is Whole Foods. 

Like Central Market:

Central Market, one described by the Hartman Group  as a “three-dimensional immersion in food experiences that H-E-B’s Central Market provides never fails to amaze us—experiences that nearly always leave consumers in a zealous state, eager to cook.” The consumer has changed they are according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™  dynamic not static, they want to cook but don’t have the skill-set to cook the bold flavorful food they have become accustom.”

Maybe it just Texas that all the Central Markets are so large, but nationwide all research indicates that consumers simply don’t want to spend time to walk around, shop in, day-dream in a grocery store any longer. Whole Foods for the past three years continues to open new units all with a smaller footprint than before 2011. Central Market is no Whole Foods, as Whole Foods is going fresh, small and fast.

Like Sprouts Farmers Market:

Sprouts offers customers “mountains of fresh fruits and vegetables, barrels of wholesome grains, nuts and sweets, full-service deli, meat and seafood counters—complete with homemade burgers and sausages. Roam around our spacious aisles and you'll find fresh baked goods, eclectic beer and wine, gourmet cheese, sensibly-priced vitamins and supplements, and thousands of natural, organic and gluten-free groceries.” Sprouts is what Whole Foods was, Sprouts Farmers Market is positioned for yesterday’s customers today.  Whole Foods is repositioning successfully today for the customer of tomorrow. 

Like Publix:

Publix rumored to be interested in buying Whole Foods might be on to something because unlike Publix Whole Foods is not focusing on the yesterday’s middle market customer. Today Publix seemingly does not understand the growing bifurcated food marketplace. Unlike Whole Foods, Publix is extraordinarily inconsistent in fresh prepared foodservice store to store region to region. Whole Foods is an example of consistency in quality, content and context of its fresh food offerings.

Whole Foods Fresh Food Conundrum:

If Whole Foods were to have a fresh food conundrum it would be what to call its new positioning.  While many in the industry may call it ‘fresh food with style’ others ‘better for you Food Fast’.  Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ says that “Whole Foods is developing fresh prepared food offerings with context, including appealing sight, sounds, and smells (flavors) of the community they are located in. They are doing that with the knowledge and a focus of consumer inclusion all the while the undercurrents of grocery industry bifurcation continue to grow causing customer migration to new formats. Whole Foods is becoming one of the new formats with customer relevance. “

There is no conundrum for Whole Foods. The mandate from customers is more Fresh Prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat food on that Whole Foods delivers. Increasing the quality and quantity non-organic fresh local fruit and produce is not only consumer inclusive, sustainable; it is the right thing to do while economic disequilibrium continues to grow. Whole Foods is positioning Fresh Food as ‘Better for You’ food and that is what today’s consumer will want Tomorrow.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Fresh Prepared Food niche aka the Grocerant niche.  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy

Does you restaurant have ‘Braggability’ ?

Restaurant customer migration has been most difficult for chain restaurants lacking differentiation.  While Millennials are seeking food discovery, others are simply tired of the same old same old.  Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ Steven Johnson says “Differentiation does not mean different rather it means familiar with a twist and today that twist must be clearly defined and noticeable.” I ask do you have “Braggability’?

In Henry Ford’s 1922 autobiography “My Life and Work” he famously remarked, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” In this statement, Ford the pioneer of the assembly line was stating that mass producing the same product in large numbers was the secret to keeping prices low.

There is one problem all things being equal, people like to have things that are made just for them. Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ continually reminds us that the consumer is dynamic not static. That helps explain the evolving retail demand for a food platform that includes convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization.

Today, eating-out while eating-at-home, take-out food, and meal component bundling are leading ways in which people are looking to differentiate themselves, simplify their lives, and same time.

Prior to 2005 no one would have thought that the future of food was not a chain restaurant.  Streets were lined with Look-a-Like Menu-a-Like steakhouses, fern bars and grills, Quick Service Restaurants and food courts in every mall and city in the United States.

Not any longer today the Grocerant Niche fresh prepared food has caught on fire. Once considered uniquely American the grocerant niche is booming in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa of late.  Universal commonalities of time saving, lack of cooking skill-set, meal component bundling have taken root.   

It has become about discovery, simplicity, and transparency fresh food fast without the labels of ingredients that no one wants to pronounce let alone understand. New unique venues and menus are two of the biggest drives companies the ilk of Pinkies Liquor stores, Wawa is much more than a C-store, Hello-Fresh is a global Meal Kit success story driving new trends. Each has ‘braggability, they are different, notable driving non-traditional meals outlets and occasions to social consumption acceptance.

Is your restaurant experiencing positive customer counts?  Are you catering to diners who are looking for differentiation? Do you have a look alike / copycat menu?

Non-traditional food retailers that serve great food in unusual surroundings offer a side of ‘braggability’ while creating a social buzz that is becoming a roar.  More and more that ‘braggability’ is in the form of Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food. The restaurant business is famously Look-a-Like Menu-a-Like outlets.  What do you give your customers to talk about? Boast about?

So think about it. Does your restaurant have ‘braggability’? How do you package your food? How do you package a meal?  Is the meal you offer today the same as it was ten years ago? If so them maybe your restaurant is running more like yesterday that today.  Create ‘braggability’ it’s simple it will make you noticed by new customers and notable by your current customers.

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing the same way.  Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? via Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information. 

Is Kitchen Surfing a Fine Dining Disruptor?

Back in the day Weddings, Anniversaries, New Jobs, Job Promotions, and Milestone Birthdays were excuses for a special treat visiting a ‘nice’ restaurant.  Special occasion dining back in the day was the bread and butter of fine dining restaurants around the United States and the world for that matter.  That may be about to change according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ who thinks” Kitchen Surfing may be the next big thing to disrupt the fine dining sector of the restaurant industry.”

Millennials quest for discovery, exposure to bold new multi-national food flavors, integrated with constant use of technology is seemingly a natural platform for one new service Kitchensurfing which is an online marketplace where you can find talented local chefs to cook for you in your home. 

Pick a flavor, nationality, a specific menu item then pick a chef specialist.  No need to go out, they come right to your home.  The chef you pick buys the ingredients, brings it to your home, cooks, and cleans up the cooking mess. The cost of the customized personalized dining experience includes the chef’s labor, ingredients cost and gratuity.  You can get a price is the same a dining out at a nice restaurant.

That’s not all here is why the Grocerant Guru™ thinks that www.kitchensurfing.com has the potential to be a restaurant industry disruptor.  It’s much more than just a fine dining replacement.  Kitchensurfing.com  is a global marketplace for chefs. They match up chefs and people who need a cook at both high and low price points including for an expanded variety of engagements. Kitchen Surfing does everything from cooking lessons for you or the kids, Asian menu magic dining, Backyard BBQ Delight, to a sit down 10 course anniversary dinners.

The retail food sector is evolving faster than ever before, restaurant customer migration continues as customer counts continue to decline.  Those customer are not eating less they are eating food from new non-traditional points of fresh food distribution.  www.kitchensurfing.com is one of them.  If success does leave clues my clue for today is keep your eye on Kitchen Surfing they are doing many things right.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Fresh Prepared Food niche aka the Grocerant niche.  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy

Is College Food Getting Better this Fall?

Are you sending your child to college this fall?  If so fresh food is top of mind for most campus dining rooms and that may not save you money, but it may put save a freshman 10 lbs.

Each year for the past ten years Y-Pulse has been tracking foodservice trends through the nation’s leading foodservice directors in the education segments to give food marketers insight on what would shape the tastes of tomorrow’s consumers. We selected and parsed the top 7 findings for you. Here they are:

Transparency Rules the Day Even when it comes to snacking, millennial consumers want fresh and healthy snacks to feed their cravings on demand. Eighty-three percent considered healthfulness an important criterion for the snacks they chose. Today’s consumers want fresh, fast fuel for their bodies. Fresh homemade taste has become the new definition of quality for young consumers.

Wellness as a Way of Life: “Wellness policies have been in place for many years in public schools and in a recent Y-Pulse study, 82% of colleges and universities stated that their campus has a wellness policy or program in place. Of the other 18% that did not have a formal policy, 45% said a program was pending.

Not all Deep Fried: A combi oven in every kitchen is the dream of school foodservice directors. When foodservice directors were asked if they could have one new piece of equipment what would it be; 72% noted a new item of cooking equipment and 37% of those identified a combi oven specifically.

Technology Enabled Connections: In a Y-Pulse study, 95% of foodservice directors in college foodservice said they use social media to connect with their foodservice customers. Eighty-five percent said social media tools are very important or important for promoting foodservice venues.  Foodservice directors are also handling customer feedback in real time to continuously improve the relevance and satisfaction of their foodservice programs. Campus dining apps are popping up everywhere as operators look to connect their offerings with student lifestyles and social media habits. These new apps allow students to track calories and evaluate menus across campus in real time.

Community Enabled: Gardens are becoming part of the culinary landscape as the farm to table movement continues to gain momentum. Schools and community gardens bring people together, and some college campuses are serving up dinner on the farm with locally grown foods.

Cooking Transparency: Display kitchens allow customers to enjoy the experience of seeing their meal being prepared and feel more of a connection to those preparing it. Bringing the kitchen out front has the added advantage of building esteem for the kitchen staff by bringing them out of the back of the house to center stage with customers.

The Global Kitchen: Today’s college age consumers are more diverse and aware of global cultures and cuisines than any previous generation. Yet even 58% of K-12 foodservice directors say that almost all of their students expect to see ethnic foods on the menu regardless of their ethnic background.

Latin, Mediterranean and Asian flavors have been the top three ethnic cuisines for many years. Micro cuisines from all of these regions of the world continue to emerge in surveys of chefs year after year. Just a few years ago, a Y-Pulse study of middle school students indicated that 30% never ate Chinese or Mexican food although classic Italian foods like spaghetti and pasta were among the top scoring favorites.

There is no denying the appeal of classic American comfort food among all consumers. What’s new is how some of the ethnic flavors are finding their way into mainstream American menu items.

Interested in learning how the 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or  Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Does Your Restaurant Appeal to Millennials?

Harkin back when McDonalds & Burger King, 7 Eleven & Sheetz, Bennigans & TGI Fridays, and Kroger & Whole Foods were each simply competing against one another. Today the consumer has ditched traditional loyalty programs, disregards individual food channels, seemingly creating equilibrium in all retail food channels in what is a battle for Share of Stomach according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ Steven Johnson. Those days of ‘channel fights” are all but over the consumer has moved.

An educated, food elevated, and mobile consumer wants the ability to assemble a personal meal, family meal or office party meal from every channel. According to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ “ the ability to assemble a meal from Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meal components into a customized, personalized, or special meal simply and fast with little clean-up is the goal”.

Consumers don’t think I am going to a fast casual, full service, or fast food restaurant vs grocery deli, c-store, Ikea, Costco or Grocery Deli. Those channel only battle only occur in the minds-eye of legacy brand managers.   The food universe for the consumer is more immediate I want to eat now! Where am I, What can I get? How fast can I get it? How can I bundle a meal fast and for less?

Restaurants with declining customer counts need to drop brand protection practices of yesterday.  Instead they need to focus on how a brand of tomorrow can be positioned in every retail food channel including new digital points of delivery.  

Nearly nine in 10 (87%) consumers say they have purchased a sandwich away from home in the past two months. While away-from-home sandwich consumption is high, data signals room for operators to increase sandwich sales.

Does your restaurant appeal to Millennials? The generation that includes people in their late teens to their early 30s is one of the most sought-after demographics for almost every type of business. Today companies the ilk of 7-Eleven are targeting Millennials with 8 days of free food offers.  Sure they are fun, snacks and maybe not the best for you but 8 days of discover! 

What new hand held food are you offering and to whom? Are you extending you brand  community and exposing your offerings to a new generation of consumers on the go?

For international corporate presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us  Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for all. www.FoodserviceSolutions.us

7-Eleven Free Food Birthday Bash Begins.

Happy Birthday has never been so good for consumers.  7-Eleven is celebrating its 87th birthday as a company with a full week of free offers to customers.  The free food give a way will last for eight consecutive days.

7-Eleven’s most iconic brand—Slurpee—celebrates its 49th birthday this year. 7-Eleven introduced the frozen carbonated beverage in its stores in 1965, and it was an immediate hit. Wacky flavor names and quirky radio spots created a drink craze among teens and young adults, the same demographic group that is the drinks’ biggest fans. Slurpee drinks enjoy worldwide popularity, with more than 7 billion Slurpee drinks slurped during its colorful history, enough for everyone on earth to enjoy one.

Kicking off the week of celebration, July 11 will once again be known as Free Slurpee Day for the 12th year in a row. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., participating stores will give away free small Slurpees while supplies last. Then, from Saturday, July 12 through Saturday, July 19, 7-Eleven's mobile app will feature a coupon for a different free item each day:

·         July 12: Free Big Gulp soft drink

·         July 13: Free M&M'S Birthday Cake-flavor candies

·         July 14: Free Grandma's cookies

·         July 15: Free Hostess Twinkies

·         July 16: Free Snickers- or Twix-brand ice cream bar

·         July 17: Free Quaker Chewy Yogurt snack bar

·         July 18: Free Pillsbury cookie

·         July 19: Another free small Slurpee

Foodservice Solutions® specializes the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Fresh Prepared Food niche aka the Grocerant niche.  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy.