Menu mavens delight at options available in the fresh prepared grocerant niche.

The tables are turning and consumers are finding innovation, excitement and sophisticated choice in fresh prepared food in Grocery stores, Convenience stores. This is complementing very well what they have for years found in restaurants. The new paradox for consumers is where to shop? Grocery, Convenience store or take away from restaurants.

I will list three sets of menu items; A, B, C. The first person to Email me and list in order which sector each menu grouping came from will win a Starbucks gift card. The sectors of choice are: Grocery, Convenience Stores and Restaurants. Email:stevejohnson77@msn.com Grouping A:

1. Potato Crusted Dijon Salmon

2. Corned Beef ∧ Cheddar on Rye

3. Red Pepper Risotto

4. California Chicken Salad

Grouping B:

1. Lager Battered Fried Shrimp

2. Sweet Potato Salad

3. Wild Mushroom Farro

4. Almond Cream Torte

Grouping C:

1. Pasta with Vodka Blush sauce

2. Edamame Succotash

3. Turkey Club on Flatbread

4. Raspberry-White Chocolate Cake

I will post the correct order and the winners name 12 hours after the win. GOOD LUCK

Join me here on my blog for insights, information and inspiration. Since 1991 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. For more read:

Take Away food ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat is convenient meal planning!

Grocerant niche food is fresh prepared ready-to-eat or ready-to- heat. It may be from Wawa as a salad or fresh hoagie! It can be from Whole Foods and come as sous vide /cook chill or fresh prepared from one of the display food stations ready-to-eat, it must have the ability to be portable however.

It can be eaten on site, in the car, at the office or down the road at the park. At times it is reheated; it is focused on single serve portions or portions for two. The list of companies in the grocerant niche doing a very good job continues to grow, Central Market, Speedway Super America, Boston Market, Ralphs, Food Lion, Tesco, HEB, Safeway, Sheetz, Burger King, Subway and KFC.

One of the most interesting new developments is bundling of the meal components it’s a Mix and Match combo that is very empowering for the consumer. Subway and Burger King have for years been doing this with individual sandwiches. Today however now consumer’s can buy from grocery stores and restaurants a fresh prepared sauce, and utilize it on fish, steak, chicken, a burritos or pasta. Two people in a home may use the same sauce on two different entrees! The same can be said for each course of the meal.

This mix and match of small portion, fresh prepared food components makes meal time a time of convenient meal participation, with differentiation and individualization. Today’s success clue for all the players in this niche, is packaging. KFC understands this and watch the PR and sales of KFC’s new sandwich the doubledown! http://www.kfc.com/doubledown/

Join me here on my blog for insights, information and inspiration. Since 1991 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. For more read:

http://www.foodservice.com/articles/show.cfm?contentid=4112&title=Restaurant Consumer Discontinuity

Subway leveraging consumer choice, value and daypart too garner additional sales success.

Blending better for you products with added daypart exposure will in the long run contribute to the long term success of Subway and its franchise partners. Let’s face it Subway gets it! “It” by the way is today’s retail food consumer!

Still building frequency and unit volumes with the continued success of the $ 5.00 footlong! You have to give credit were credit is due! Entering the breakfast niche late in the game, Subway trumps them all with healthier alternatives meal options. The Mix & Match lineup of include one “a Western Egg White Muffin Melt omelet on a light wheat English muffin containing 4 grams of fat.”

Empowering choice, Subway has four Fresh Fit(tm) Egg White Muffin Melts that are each under 180 calories, contain less than 4.5 g of fat and have 5 g fiber. In addition to the Western Egg & Cheese omelet sandwich, which is made with Black Forest Ham, Red Onions and Green Peppers, other omelet sandwich choices include, Egg & Cheese, Black Forest Ham & Cheese, and Steak, Egg & Cheese.

Bundling meal components now includes upgraded coffee options including Seattle Best coffee. Subway will allow customers to order and mix and match these options all day long. Better for you all day long should be Subways new tagline! They are providing the presentation of fresh prepared, better for you food with some of the lowest calorie counts in the industry!

Join me here on my blog for insights, information and inspiration. Since 1991 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.

Fresh prepared food is empowering, sales, customers and success!

This blog continues to focus on the grocerant ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh prepared food sectors of the foodservice industry. The ability to Mix & Match meal components or ingredients on particular sandwich is empowering to the consumer.

Fresh prepared, ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat is driving sales and profits in the restaurant, grocery and convenience store sectors. Most interesting is the strength of motivation and empowerment that customer are developing for this sector.

Sheetz a leading Northeast grocerant niche player has had lots of success with it’s “Made To Order—MTO” sandwich program. So much so that now their customers are producing video’s and posting them on YOU Tube.

This video called "My MTO," a rollicking tribute to the company's made-to-order sandwiches was posted on line and an article was written and then the video was reposted at CSNews.com

“More than three minutes long, the video is the work of a group of young men who took the time to write lyrics, shoot footage at a Sheetz store, and create a video that is not only funny, but its chorus -- "It's my MTO, oh, oh. It's my MTO, oh, oh" -- sticks in the mind.” I just love this stuff. If you build a solid grocerant niche program customers will sing your praises literally. I have posted the link here on this site or visit the Sheetz MTO video on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orlFI7SbS8A

Join me here on my blog for insights, information and inspiration. Since 1991 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.

Better for you food; just might be better!

In a research survey issued by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) on Functional Foods, the survey found that “89% of Americans agree that certain foods can have benefits for long term health including reducing the risk of disease or other health concerns. Consumer identified the following:

1. Fruits and vegetables

2. Fish / seafood

3. Milk & Yogurt

4. Meat & poultry

5. Herbs & spices

What is most interesting to me is that the number one item on the list also appeared as the number one food preferred by college students in dorm meal plans for the past 20 years! Now think about it, our customers are looking for better for you product when they go out to eat and at home.

Grocerants are now providing more Apples via McDonalds and Burger King to family’s via Kids portable bundled Kids meal options than Grocery stores sell Apples. Prudent retailers will soon understand the power of the Grocerant niche! Ready-to-eat and Ready-to-Heat quality bundled meal options that are better for you, create demand and new avenues of distribution for product.

Join me here on my blog for insights, information and inspiration. Since 1991 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.

In retail foodservice differentiation does not mean different it means familiar.

Fresh prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat is showing green. I recently had an Email from a chef asking for new recipes that he could include in his new menu line up. With out doubt I had to suggest two of my personal favorites; Avocado Studded Mac ‘N Cheese or Avocado Pasta (see picture above).

These entrée have great visceral presentation qualities, flavor and a low cost of sales. Now what could be better than that! What is important here is the fact that Avocado’s have a stable pricing history and are available all year long. When they are a hit you’ll want to keep them on the menu all year long.

Both of these entrée / main course recipes can be located at the California Avocado Commission Web site (www.californiaavocado.com/foodservice). The picture above came from this website as well. Take time to peruse the recipe file while visiting the site you will find recipes for are appetizers, drinks, deserts and salads as well. Nothing say’s Fresh like “Hand Grown in California” Avocado’s!

Differentiation does not mean different it means familiar. The grocerant niche continues to build top line revenue and bottom line profits the old fashion way! Giving the consumer something new and familiar!

Join me here on my blog for insights, information and inspiration. Since 1991 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 or on Facebook at Steven Johnson.

Five compelling reasons to buy ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat 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-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh prepared food is driving the success of the retail foodservice today.

Each sector has innovators; Restaurants started with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panera Bread, Domino’s Pizza, MCD, BK and a whole lot more! Grocery started with Wegmans Harris Tetter, Whole Food and now fast charging Safeway and the “lifestyle stores. Convenience Stores have Sheetz, Wawa, with fast charging Casey’s General stores and 7 & Eleven.

1. Visceral presentation, Freshness based on how it looks and is presented.

2. Bundling, the ability to build your meal with components family member will eat.

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

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

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

Join me here on my blog for insights, information and inspiration. Since 1991 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 or on Facebook at Steven Johnson.