Retail Foodservice, what’s under your umbrella? Customers Anyone?

Steven Johnson of Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions believes that Differentiation dose not mean different it means familiar but with a twist in retail foodservice. Consumers young and old are demanding more choice. Today that means they are looking for choice in different ways, at different times.

Grocery stores, Restaurants, Convenience stores, Dollar Stores, Mobile food trucks and Kiosk are all improving the quality of the food that they sell. The questions is; what is quality? Is it better for you foods, meaning less fat, less salt, fewer calories, or a smaller portion?

Within the grocerant niche we understand the successful role of each within your niche. Packaging, portability and plate presentation contribute significantly to the success of new product or LTO’s. What role does food & food product authenticity play in the relationship to the consumer choice for success in your new menu item?

Consumer want to feel connected to you brand and your brand must remain relevant in the minds eye of the consumer. Outside eyes can deliver both top line growth and bottom line profits for positive results.

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 Google: Steven Johnson Grocerants.

Tesco’s Private Label Branded Meal Entity with Identity is a global first.

Brand managers for legacy food retailers are not sleeping like they used too. Fresh prepared food brand managers are now creating top of mind consumer products that drive both sales and frequency. Tesco’s fresh food brand managers have now created the worlds first lasagna sandwich!

Creating or identifying distinctive differentiated food consumable’s as an entity with identity by day part is an area Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA excels at. Understanding the unique balance between palate, price, pleasure and the consumer’s drive for qualitative distinctive differentiated new food consumables places Foodservice Solutions and Steven Johnson in a select industry grouping.

Tesco obviously is utilizing highly skilled private label brand managers to propel the booming fresh prepared food grocerant niche to an even higher industry status. The food value proposition equilibrium for the consumer today balances; better for you, flavor, and traditional products all blended into something with a twist. In industry speak, differentiated does not mean different to the consumer it means familiar.

Tesco’s lasagna sandwich hits the mark! Success leaves clues and utilizing brand managers to create a meal entity with identity as a limited time offer will garner top of mind consumer trial while increasing frequency.

Walgreens Café W will be testing new fresh food products this fall in Chicago, 7 Eleven is testing new products now. Grocerant fresh food brand managers manages understand the 5 P’s of successful food marketing today Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion and Portability.

Invite Foodservice Solutions to provide brand and product positioning assistance or a grocerant program assessment. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven Johnson BING: Steven Johnson Grocerants

Ready-to-heat grocerant food can be Sous-Vide Cuisine.

Steven Johnson of Tacoma, WA based Foodservce Solutions thinks that it is time for retail foodservice to utilize Sous-Vide in fresh prepared settings for on the go meals.  Companies like Walgreens, CVS, Wawa, Sheetze and 7 Eleven must look at new meal bundling options utilizing Sous-Vide.

Sous-vide (IPA pronunciation: [su: vi:d]), French for "under vacuum", is a method of cooking that is intended to maintain the integrity of ingredients while capturing the full flavor of the food. Sous-vide cooking uses airtight plastic bags placed in hot water well below boiling point (Usually around 60°C = 140°F) in restaurant settings.

The method was developed by Georges Pralus in the mid-1970s for the Restaurant Troisgros (of Pierre and Michel Troigros) in Roanne, France. He discovered that food cooked in this way kept its original appearance, did not lose its nutrients and maintained its natural texture. The method is used here in the US in a number of top-end restaurants under Thomas Keller, Paul Bocuse, Joel Robuchon and Charlie Trotter and other chefs. Non-professional cooks are also beginning to use vacuum cooking.

Both Culinary Brands and WR Grace entered fresh prepared Sous-vide products at one time during the late 80’s & early 90’s and both sold their operations due to lack of profitability. With the cost of labor on the rise, health care and increasing obstacle it just may be time for resurgence for Sous-vide. Grocerant ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh prepared food is in demand. Note: Sous-vide must be fresh not frozen.

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. Google: Steven Johnson grocerants

Fresh Prepared Food: Mix and Match components with portability are required options.

As long as multi- generational family’s gather for meals together, the demand for more divergent flavors will continue to permeate. Grocerant ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food offerings allow for increased family integration, understanding and acceptance.

Understanding the unique balance between palate, price, pleasure and the consumer’s drive for qualitative distinctive differentiated new food consumables places me in a select industry grouping. The food value proposition equilibrium for the consumer today balances; better for you, flavor, and traditional products all blended into something with a twist.

In industry speak, differentiated does not mean different to the consumer it means familiar. That is where the Grocerant niche falls, it is consumer inspired, component driven and flavor familiar.

Understanding, creating or identifying distinctive differentiated food consumable’s as an entity with identity by day part in an area I excel. Outside eyes can bring new light and assist in your pace of concept growth, redevelopment and deployment of new products. Grocerant specialist can work with you to identify distinctive differentiated food consumables.

Invite Foodservice Solutions to provide brand and product positioning assistance or a grocerant program assessment. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven Johnson BING: Steven Johnson Grocerants

7 Eleven is smart and getting better for you!

In shop class the teacher always said measure twice then cut! Under new leadership that is inspired, informed and in-focus, it’s obvious 7 Eleven has studied the consumer, the marketplace and its own positioning. This weekend with summer just hitting its stride 7 Eleven gave away; yes for fee it’s number one legacy branded product the Slurpee!

This was neither marketing genius nor luck it was planned, timed and positioned to complement and compel consumers to come in and come back!

Dan Ariely In his book Predictably Irrational, said:

“Most transactions have an upside and a downside, but when something is FREE! We forget the downside. FREE! Gives us such an emotional charge that we perceive what is being offered as immensely more valuable than it really is.”

That is exactly what this promotion will do. It will increase visit over next several weeks of summer creating a spike in Slurpee sales generating top line revenue and bottom line profits. Success does leave clues and 7 Elevens marketing tool kit has the tools to propel growth. This particular tool will garner the frequency to assist 7 Eleven in rollout and introduction of fresh prepared food.

7 Eleven has studied the industry, the consumer and understands the future of the company is in the grocerant niche filled with better for you fresh prepared food that is portable. With concurrent test ongoing around the world. There is no doubt 7 Eleven is positioning to lead not follow within the convenience store sector. Clearly 7 Eleven has studied the industry, the consumer and is positioned to garner marketshare.

Outside eyes can deliver top line insights and bottom line profits. Invite Foodservice Solutions to provide brand and product positioning assistance or a grocerant program assessment. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven Johnson BING: Steven Johnson Grocerant

Roll, Roll, Roll, Away Roller Grill or legacy comfort zone.

Harkin back to the days that employee’s uniforms were black & white. Employees all dawned paper hats, a time that the roller grill was introduced and ready-to-eat hot prepared food was new to 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 with fresh prepared ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat food, 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. Fresh prepared food fits that niche to a Tee!

C-store global leader 7-Eleven has downplayed the roller grill recently while focusing on Stay Fresh Bananas, Pizza, Chicken Wings, Salads and Sandwiches. 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 fresh prepared food choice including fresh salads and fruit options. Good companies do good things over and over again. 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

Will fresh win out over the roller grill or will legacy operators cling stay within their current comfort zone rather backing consumer focused fresh program. If success leaves clues one just might be that franchisee may want to Harkin back but will follow the customer all the way to the cash register. The visceral image of the roller grill may hold back more customers than it brings in. That is the reality of today.

Outside eyes can deliver top line insights and bottom line profits. Invite Foodservice Solutions to provide brand and product positioning assistance or a grocerant program assessment. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven Johnson BING: Steven Johnson Grocerant

Ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh prepared food is deemed “better for you”.

The grocerant niche filled with ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat fresh prepared food continues to propel retail foodservice building top line sales while contributing to bottom line profits. The Grocerant niche is about convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization.

Consumer continue to be time starved and searching for fresh convenient options Two particular attributes that resonate with consumer are package size and packaging that is resealable.

Healthy snacking is becoming mainstream with both adults and children. The ability to cross merchandize the same product to an adult as a work snack and better for you alternative for children is garnering attention from manufactures and retailers alike.

Single serve portions of any item seem to be flying off the shelf. These items fly off the shelf particularly well if they are capped at 100 calories per pack. In most cases these are snack or between meal items. The ability for a family to mix and match flavors and items is an additional bonus.

The ability to reseal a package, including a single serve item is an additional attribute that consumer are responding well too. The grocerant niche is benefiting the most from these trends and the results can be seen converging in the fresh food isle of retail foodservice operators.

The ability for a family to select from a single controlled portion of salmon, meat loaf or salad bundling entrée’s ala entire family meal with customization while allowing for individualization is driving the consumer back to grocery deli/ fresh food sections.

Outside eyes can deliver top line insights and bottom line profits. Invite Foodservice Solutions to provide brand and product positioning assistance or a grocerant program assessment. Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven Johnson BING: Steven Johnson Grocerants or Google: Steven Johnson Grocerants.