Private label food brand managers are out witting legacy food national brand managers.

If success leaves clues in a recent article at Mediapost.com by Karlene Lukovitz she quoted noted supermarket expert Phil Lempert saying “next year we’ll see major food brands developing co-branded private-label foods with retailers, meaning private-label foods featuring brands' key ingredients.”

If Phil is right there is only one clear clue. It's clear that brand managers of “legacy " national food brands have Failed. Yes, they missed the mark simply put they failed to keep pace with the consumer, quality, flavor profiles, price equilibrium and consumer relevance. This act is a simple act of marketshare capitulation by the legacy brand managers. It’s the easy way out blame the economy, point fingers and make excuses then join the other team.

What has happened is private label companies and products now have quality educated brand managers and they are doing a better job! Success does leave clues and the opportunity for good brand managers is growing with private label products.

Does it make sense to other industry proffesionals for food brands to take it a step further by providing ingredients for and co-branding store labels? Bill Cross, VP, food licensing for Broad Street Licensing, “says he can't imagine major food marketers engaging in this strategy, given that they're in a "dog fight" with retailers aggressively pursuing private-label growth.” Bill understands the value of a brand and how consumer relevance plays an important role. If you’re a brand manager in Grocerant ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat foods build your brand not your competitors.

Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche. View my complete profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or leave a comment or question below.

Top Five Innovative Disruptive Food Menu’s or menu items of 2009 penciled in.

Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Convenience Stores and Supermarkets were all competing for a larger share of stomach this year. The companies that appeared to introduce the most innovative potentially disruptive menus or menu items all were focus clearly on the US marketplace and evolving points of distribution as the end game. Each company keenly realized the importance of demographic, psychographic and behaviorist research including new econometric food modeling. Then blended the findings into the companies or niche market food marketing mix. Research intelligent quotient (IQ) blended with understanding the industry consumers emotional quotient (EQ) will propel either the company or the product itself too a new level in coming years. So here are the top five innovative potentially disruptive food menus or menu items for 2009:


1. Angus Burger by QuickChek

2. Fresh prepared Hot Breakfast by 7 Eleven AU

3. Wood-fired Pizza by Müvbox,

4. Crispers by Publix & Next Door Bar & Grill by Wegmans

5. MightyMunch-Meals by: www.gopicnic.com/All-GoPicnic-Products/MightyMunch-Meals

Leading the way is QuickChek with it’s fresh Angus Burger taking customers outside the Convenience store box thinking and head on with QSR’s. Without a doubt the 2009 company with the most proactive global food innovative footprint test going on is 7 Eleven. They have exciting new coffee formats, pizza and fresh prepared breakfast, this is the sleeping giant of the foodservice industry. I for one think that they are waking up. How cool is Müvbox portable Wood fired Pizza taking fresh to any neighborhood in the world fast. Joining the success that Publix has found in Florida with it Crispers restaurant, Wegmans now is stepping out with a freestanding concept. In both cases quality leveraging buying power, supply chain and regional marketplace knowledge into non-traditional points of distribution and success. Then there is a better for you meal for kids, ready when they are, nothing is better than that. 2009 was a outstanding year for the Grocerant niche. For background on the booming grocerant niche you can read more at the following link: http://www.anything4restaurants.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/restaurant-consumer-discontinuity-the-consumer-moved-first/

Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche. View my complete profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or leave a comment or question below.

Drive-Thru’s much more than Burgers, Sodas, Fires and Coffee now Beer and more!

Prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food has been the staple of the QSR industry for years. Most offer bundled grocerant meal solutions with three choices small, medium or large. Recently the Convenience Store sector has been working hard to expand fresh food offerings via drive-thru’s. It looks as if Texas based Pak-A-Sak Inc. might just have found the right formula. The first drive-thru opened now accounts for 33 percent of all grocery sales at that store. Given the positive customer response, all new Pak-A-Sak convenience stores will have a drive-thru a third is already under development. The largest selling items for Pak-A-Sak reportedly are cigarettes, fountain drinks and beer.


Pak-A-Sak joins a long list of other convenience stores operators who are using or testing drive-thru’s including Quickie Mart Hackensack, N.J. Dairy Barn, New York. Bennie’s, drive-through convenience store Arizona, The Kwik Trip convenience store chain, Wisconsin. Loveland Farms Drive-Thru Albuquerque, New Mexico.

If success leave clues there will be many corporate visitor heading Texas visit Pak-A-Sak Inc. new drive-thru stores and then calling the design firm Paragon Solutions. What is your company doing with it’s fresh food. Consumers are flocking to the grocerant sector and C-stores are taking advantage of the opportunity. Marketshare can be won or lost early in this fight for the transitioning consumer. Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche. View my complete profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or leave a comment below.

Convenience stores have learned menu bundling from Quick Serve Restaurants.

Grocerant prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food is booming in the Northeast United States Convenience store sector. According to Convenience Store news;” Rutter's Farm Stores recently expanded its fresh-food menu to include turkey wings and sliders, which are available in all 36 of its stores that offer touchscreen ordering. The wings, which are $1.39 each and can be ordered one, two or three at a time, comprise 2.25 ounces of meat that is marinated and then fried. They can be ordered with original, buffalo or spicy seasoning, according to the convenience chain.”

What I like is the fact that Rutter’s utilizes restaurant industry bundling options for items; “ new sliders offer a hamburger or fried chicken patty served on a fresh-baked roll. Yellow American cheese, pickle and onion can be added at no additional cost. Sliders can be ordered in quantities of one ($1.29); three ($3.39); six ($5.94); or 12 ($9.96) at a time.

QuickChek, Wawa, Sheetz and Rutter’s all have a strong fresh fast quality food program. Products that are priced with many would say is at a competitive advantage or many Quick Serve Restaurants. Recently we discussed all of the new product in test at 7 Eleven. This sector in currying favor with consumer and retailers are responding.

Contact me for more at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or leave a comment below. For more read this article: http://www.anything4restaurants.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/restaurant-consumer-discontinuity-the-consumer-moved-first/

Bank stocks are up but Food Bank stock is down.

Top of the day to you! 2009 is winding down and with the stock market well off it’s lows for the year many investors are rejoicing. If nothing else they are collectively taking a deep sigh of relief. I was contacted by my local food bank this week and asked for an additional contribution. With unemployment hovering around 10% nationwide we must remember everyone deserves a meal.


The focus of this blog in the Grocerant niche, which is prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat better for you food. We must never forget those with children and the elderly or anyone who can’t afford food. I urge everyone who can to contact a food bank in there area and offer your time, talent or food. It may be December and cold outside, but we can warm one another with a gift of food.

For more on Grocerants or to view my complete profile utilize the following links: http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or leave a comment below. Or for more on Grocerants view www.foodandbeverageunderground.com/grocerant-trend.html or http://www.anything4restaurants.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/restaurant-consumer-discontinuity-the-consumer-moved-first/

Food shoppers psyche: from outer fringe to main street consumer are cutting back.

In a recent report by HealthFocus® International entitled Grocery Buying in the Current Economy there was alarming news for anyone in the retail food business. Consumers are cutting back on purchases at Grocery stores, Convenience stores and Restaurants. In large part due to the rising unemployment, uncertainty in positive changes to our current economic conditions. 56% of all consumers have or are cutting back! Here is the list of where respondents to the study say they are cutting first:


1. Fast Foods 79%

2. Pizza Delivery 75%

3. Soda’s 70%

4. Grocery store prepared meals 66%

5. Cookies 62%

6. Beef 59%

7. Ice Cream 59 %

8. Chocolate 58%

9. Frozen Snacks 57%

10. Alcohol 52%

What is quite apparent is consumer are concerned. First about there the economy second about their health. Consumer want better for you food and better for you products. I continue to believe that the new promo from Kentucky Fried Chicken 395 calories for a price of $3.95 will be a big hit. More important it will spur many other to copy this new formula.

View my complete profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or leave a comment below. Or for more on Grocerants view www.foodandbeverageunderground.com/grocerant-trend.html or http://www.anything4restaurants.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/restaurant-consumer-discontinuity-the-consumer-moved-first/

Roll, Roll, Roll, Away Roller Grill! Don’t become Square.

Harkin back to the days that employee’s uniforms were back & white. Employees all dawned paper hats, a time that the roller grill was introduced and ready-to-eat hot prepared food was introduced in the Convenience store channel. It was a time when the availability of food staples in extended hours of operations drove sales in this dynamic channel. The Convenience store channel continues to be dynamic, currently it is booming in the prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food sector or what I call the grocerant sector. I believe that differentiation does not mean different it means familiar within each food niche and this one is no different. Consumers young and old are demanding more choice, fresher quality and more contemporary food options.


Niche and industry global leader 7-Eleven has left the roller grill at the back door and recently has introduced Stay Fresh Bananas, Pizza, Chicken Wings. They are testing in new pilot stores their “latest insights into market trends to provide a range of 45 freshly prepared food products, including a hot breakfast menu and toasted sandwiches cooked to order.” This test includes a “café-esque range of hot lunch alternatives and will combine with Lavazza to offer barista-made coffee.”

Sheetz & Wawa both offer a full range of prepared food choice including fresh salads and fruit options. Good companies do good things over and over again. Recently Wawa CEO Howard Stoeckel detailed several efforts the convenience store chain is undertaking in during the economic slump the US is in, He stated "we're performing better than the vast majority of retailers," Fresh prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food products are strongly contributing to on-going sales and profit success. Game

On my post for yesterday garnered so many Emails and question about product positioning. Here is KFC’s new meal and focus for this “holiday promotion for its Kentucky Grilled Chicken combo meals. The meals, which contain a grilled chicken drumstick and thigh, green beans, and mashed potatoes and gravy, are now on sale at participating restaurants for $3.95. Louisville-based KFC Corp. said in a news release that the meal is rated at 395 calories. That I felt the need to repost this about the roller grill to add light on the changes underway. View my complete profile at:

Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us ,Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

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