Chuy's Adapting in Evolving Times

 

Consumers are dynamic not static, they evolve, adapt, and reset habits while holding on to as many favorites as they can.  Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® asks are you doing all you can to be one of your customers favorites that they can hold onto? Are you looking a customer ahead?

The pandemic has been har on Chuy’s as same-store sales declined 19.8% in the third quarter ended Sept. 27. Chuy’s is not the only company reeling from the ever-changing rules that restaurants must comply with even when they can open and a what level of occupancy. 

With sales down only 19% during Q3, Chuy’s like all of you has had to evolve fast. So, what lessons did they lean and share.  Let’s take a look as we all might be able to benefit.

Without a doubt Chuy’s expects efficiencies gained during the COVID-19 pandemic will extend into operations moving forward. It sounds simple but remember consumers are dynamic not static and if they move you must move with them.  It looks today as if the COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon.

Steve Hislop, Chuy’s CEO and president stated, “there is no doubt that the hard work of our teams during the last six months will have a long-term benefit to our operations.”  Including testing pay-at-the-table devices, “which will allow our guests to quickly complete their transactions while minimizing any contact point with our waiters.” Customer adoption for service and operational efficiencies improvements are self-sustaining and an incremental brand value according to Johnson.

Regular readers of readers this blog know that our Grocerant Guru® was the first one to introduce and close the first 7 national online ordering software accounts and third-party delivery contracts in the US back in the day for CyberMeals.com, Food.com and EZ2Get.com.

At Chuy’s off-premise sales, including a deal with DoorDash that began just before the pandemic was declared, have remained strong and are performing at more than double pre-coronavirus levels, Hislop added. He said that is expected to continue. Reducing the menu and the number of menu items and offered family-meal and beverage kits have proven successful.

 You may think you know where your customer is eating today, but are your prepared to be where they will be eating in six months?  Are you looking a customer ahead? Consumers move forward not backward.  Comfort food you yesterday will need a new twist if it is to be the comfort food of tomorrow. What lesson will you be moving forward with?

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

NYC Dumpling Shop a Restaurant for Today’s Consumer

The United States continues to be a melting pot of immigrants from all over the world. Today,  households are expanding in complexity, with more multi-generational households, multi-ethnic households, and multi-income households. The team at Foodservice Solutions® has repeatedly found that the cooking skill-set required to meet household palate demands simply does not exist in most homes today.

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru®, Steven Johnson identified four trends driving the future of foodservice growth in the United States. The growth is being fueled by four factors:

1.    On-going High Unemployment.

2.   Pandemic forced restaurants to close, driving independent restaurant foreclosures up.

3.    Young-adult marriages have been delayed, today 62.3% of all households have one or two people.

4.    In person sporting even viewing is restricted and TV viewing new food habits are forming.    

Yes, once again Foodservice Solutions® 65 Inch HDTV Syndrome is playing a role. Additional studies have shown that seniors are the most unlikely to change brands driving incremental delivery sales during the pandemic. While Gen z and Millennials are most likely to expand beyond traditional brands looking for fresh food discovery and authentic full-flavored food.

The battle for the remote control could certainly impact TV viewing habits inside a multigenerational home and food ordering according to Johnson.

When Fransmart announced it will officially represent Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, a 24/7 quick service restaurant serving creative, flavor-packed dumplings with hands-free technology, in its global franchising endeavors, it became clear Brooklyn Dumpling had what it takes for today’s households according to Johnson.

That is fresh fast food that can be ordered online, seared as a meal, a snack and a platform for frehs full-flaovred authentic food. The restaurant’s flagship location will open in Manhattan’s East Village this December. Brooklyn Dumpling Shop's is a unique concept, which reimagines dumplings in 32 unique varieties along with the latest in restaurant tech innovation.

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop Cofounder Stratis Morfogen  stated “This is all about disruption,” ..“Disrupting the [quick-service] industry, disrupting traditional kitchen operations, disrupting traditional 30 percent payrolls and bringing back the greatest product distribution machine ever created, the Automat. We believe we’ve created the Tesla of automats, all controlled from your smartphone. ….

I’m excited to show the world our revolutionary new [quick-service restaurant] from the 100% contactless drive-thru, to our guests’ relationship with our Automat. Grow big and grow fast.”

The state-of-the-art restaurant will have a Dumpling Lab in the front window with the restaurant’s dumpling making machine for all to see. Guests will be able to place an order on their phone or via one of the restaurant’s Touchless POS kiosks. When a guest’s order is ready, the customer will receive a text notification to get their special delivery from a marked locker, which will open automatically once the customer scans their barcode. Lockers storing hot food will be red lit indicating it’s 100 degrees, chilled lockers will be blue lit and 28 degrees and auburn lit lockers will indicate one’s at room temperature. This will provide an experience that is Zero Human Interaction from start, to finish.

Dan Rowe, CEO of Fransmart stated “I’ve never seen anything like Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. Once customers try it, they will be hooked,” “This is the right concept at the right time – high volume, small footprint, tech-forward, fully co-packed menu built for speed, accuracy and incredible taste. The contactless format is the solution to the biggest problem the restaurant industry is currently facing. It is perfect for franchising and we already have prospects who want to open locations in airports and the largest malls in the country. There will be 1,000 locations across North America and in the top 25 mass gathering areas around the world.”

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is positioned at the intersection of yesterday and tomorrow according to Johnson.  They will serve diner-inspired, unique dumpling combinations.  That intersection wis where the dumpling meets the deli sandwich will be on the menu with options like Pastrami, Bacon Cheeseburger, Lamb Gyro, French Onion Soup, Philly Cheesesteak, Impossible, Reuben and Peanut Butter & Jelly.

The Brooklyn Dumpling Shop has perfectly cultivated grocerant niche fresh food sales by focusing on the familiar but with the right balance of differentiation with a twist according to our Grocerant Guru®.

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company 253-759-7869.  

Are You in The 

Battle for Share of Stomach

Firehouse Subs Fired-Up about Pickles

 

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru®, Steven Johnson, likes to say “food marketing should be fun”.  At Firehouse Subs having fun is a consumer interactive and participatory promotion that is inviting and fun for all, according to Johnson.

So, get this Firehouse Subs in honor of National Pickle Day on Saturday, November 14, is going to introduce a limited number of exclusive Firehouse Subs Pickle Bucket Candles. Yes, pickle bucket candles.

Pickle lovers here you go; you will have a chance to claim the unique candle for free at noon EST on National Pickle Day at FirehouseSubs.com/pickle-day. The 13-ounce, pickle-scented candles are inspired by the brand’s iconic red pickle buckets, which are sold for $3 in all 1,180 Firehouse Subs restaurants to benefit Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

Yes, there is more, red 5-gallon Firehouse Subs Pickle Buckets are filled to the brim with approximately 300 fresh dill pickle spears, and delivered to Firehouse Subs restaurants to be served alongside the brand’s signature hot and hearty sandwiches. Once emptied, fans of Firehouse then purchase the buckets and use them for a variety of crafts and DIY projects like gardening, fermentation and homemade drums.

Firehouse Subs Chief Pickle Officer Don Fox stated “Firehouse Subs guests love the look, low cost and life-saving aspect of our five-gallon pickle buckets, but we suspect many of them secretly love the pickle smell that’s inevitably leftover once the buckets have served their original purpose,” .. “For National Pickle Day, we wanted to give pickle lovers across the country the chance to relish in their favorite scent with a free, one-of-a-kind Firehouse Subs Pickle Bucket Candle.”

The Firehouse Subs Pickle Bucket was an idea homegrown by Firehouse Subs Area Representative and Franchisee Mike Pietrzyk in 2009 to create another opportunity to raise funds for the Foundation. In 2019, pickle bucket sales resulted in more than $630,000 raised to help the Foundation’s mission of impacting the lifesaving capabilities, and the lives, of local heroes and their communities. To purchase a Firehouse Subs Pickle Bucket, visit your local Firehouse Subs.  Is your brand doing good and having fun while edifying your brand with consumers?

Note: Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was founded 15 years ago following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Firehouse Subs founders Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen traveled to Mississippi to provide food to first responders and survivors. As they traveled back to Florida, they knew they could do more, and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was born with the mission of providing lifesaving equipment, prevention education and resources to first responders and public safety organizations. Today, the non-profit organization has granted more than $53 million in 49 states and Puerto Rico.

? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Could Kroger Become the Next A&P?

 

Kroger has 21 different banners.  Let’s just wonder out loud if you have 21 banners how can you have a cohesive brand message?  When you buy a brand simply to show ‘Wall Street’ growth to drive your stock price up in the end you have only 21 regional branded companies struggling to find the undercurrents of success in 21 different markets or channels of distribution, that is according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA base Foodservice Solutions®.

With 21 different banners, Kroger is blurring the lines at the top and bottom of the market with messaging from the middle according to Johnson. Today, all 21 banners combined they still are positioned in the middle of the marketplace catering to all, focused on yesterday’s food retail positioning rather than tomorrows customer according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru®.

Back in the day when the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea filed for creditor protection, A&P owned Waldbaums, Food Emporium, Super Fresh, Pathmark, and Food Basics, as well as its namesake A&P stores. Ok, I know that is not 21 banners.  Nor, am I suggesting that Kroger is even low on cash. Nor, am I saying they will have to file for creditor protection. 

However, as the pandemic comes to a close watch for Kroger to begin selling banners and brands to drive cash flow. Remember it was not so long ago that Safeway had to sell of its Canadian operations, Albertsons was bought by Supervalu after losing its way.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Yes, multiple brands all focused on the middle market; just how well did that work for A&P?   Each of these brands has a seemingly greater focus on yesterday’s business model of demanding slotting fee’s rather than tomorrow’s model of grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food. How can that be in 2020?

WinCo has proven very successful as a low-price competitor in the western US where Kroger has been forced to reduce prices across the board at all locations over the past six months. Aldi with quality private label food products, focused on price is the fastest growing grocery store in the United States and is about to become a disruptor in California, all the while it is now opening stores in Arizona.

Foodservice Solutions®, Grocerant Guru® predicts that Kroger will struggle to compete with the newcomers WinCo and Aldi just as it has with Wegmans, Whole Foods Market Inc. and Trader Joe’s Co. So, we ask do you think Kroger can win positioned in the middle if so for how long?

This is the grocery business not brain surgery.  The vast majority of retail food customers do not want to cook from scratch, do dishes, or spend the time planning meals. They want fresh prepared meal components that can be mixed and matched into a customized family meal quickly according to our Grocerant Guru® as regular readers of this blog know.

The pandemic will end, consumers will move on. Will Kroger in four years look more like tomorrow or yesterday?  WinCo, Lidl, and Aldi are winning the hearts and minds of consumers.  We don’t think there is a difference between the Kroger story of today and the A&P story or yesterday.   

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Scorecard or a Grocerant Program Assessment.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant   Call: 253-759-7869 or Email: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us  

Veroni Makes Party Planning for One, Two or Three Easy

 

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru®, Steven Johnson, based in Tacoma, WA stated “leading foodservice manufactures the ilk of Veroni are adapting to and evolving with consumers demand for fresh full-flavored authentic food.

Johnson continued, “consumers are looking for Convenient Snacking Solutions, Convenient Meal Solutions, and Convenient Mix & Match Food &Beverage Solutions for smaller size get togethers”.  After all Johnson reminds us that in the United States 62.8% of US Households had one or two people in 2019.  

Now consider that in 2020 Foodservice Solutions® recent Grocerant ScoreCards found 83.1% of consumers don’t know what’s for dinner at Noon, and 61.7% don’t know what’s for dinner at 4: PM.  Its easy to why prepared food purchases are frequently a planned purchase among 59% of shoppers.

Companies the ilk of Veroni understand the in the United States the dinner meal occasion has the highest amount of prepared food buys with 79%, with lunch at 77% and breakfast at 62%. So, if you want to garner a larger ‘Share of Stomach’ all food retailers must focus on full-flavored mix & match grocerant niche offerings portioned appropriately according to Johnson.  

Battle for Share of Stomach

So, for those of you who do not know, Veroni, is a beloved maker of Italian cured meats and specialty products. They recently introduced their AperiTime line: the brand-new Party Tray. Perfectly suited to further enrich the authentic Italian Aperitivo experience and ideal for at-home enjoyment or to be shared during small, socially distanced gatherings, the Party Trays offer an accessible premade selection of four Italian-style charcuterie boards, ready to open and enjoy. Now that’s convenient, authentic, full-flavored, and a perfect mix & match solution according to Johnson. 

Yes, Veroni’s Party Tray, are crafted to share with 2-3 others, offers 100% made-in-Italy cold cuts in four pairing variations:  the first features classic imported Italian prosciutto and salami combined with Provolone cheese, olives, and 100% Italian-made breadsticks, the second includes Italian prosciutto and salami, Provolone cheese, almonds, and dried cantaloupe, and the final two options feature coppa and salami in both mild and spicy versions, combined with Provolone cheese, almonds, dried pear, breadsticks, and dried ginger. 

Veroni ‘s Marketing Manager Emanuela Bigi stated, “We are all looking for small ways to celebrate, and we want to bring the experience of the classic Italian Aperitivo to life for Americans,” …“Pairing your favorite cocktail or glass of wine with a Veroni Party Tray, or “tagliere” (charcuterie plate in Italian), is the best way to enjoy the ritual of Aperitivo as we do in Italy.”

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson 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. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

Don’t Cook Thanksgiving Dinner let TooJay's Deli Do the Work

 

Restaurant marketing calendars help you look a customer ahead.  TooJay’s Deli is looking a customer ahead while filling an unmet need.  That need according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® is grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals and meal components.

Regular readers of this blog know that the team at Foodservice Solutions® found in a recent grocerant scorecard that 83.1% all dinners have at least 1 grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat meal component and 68.4% have two meal components on the table with each home cooked meal.

So, since Thanksgiving celebrations will be different this year  simple because of the pandemic, as many people opt for small gatherings over large get-togethers with family and friends, TooJay’s Deli is as ready as ever before to do the cooking. Let’s take a look at what you can order:

Traditional Turkey Dinner ($15.99 per person)

A Thanksgiving classic, this package includes sliced oven-roasted turkey breast served with mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, turkey gravy and a fresh vegetable.

Glazed Ham Dinner ($13.99 per person)

This hearty option includes slices of tender, boneless ham served with mashed potatoes, turkey gravy and a fresh vegetable.

Oven-Roasted Carved Turkey Breast ($55)

Perfect for guests who wish to prepare their own side dishes, this medium-size turkey breast serves 10 people.

Hickory Smoked Honey Glazed Spiral-cut Ham ($40)

TooJay’s sweet and savory sliced ham, hickory smoked and served with a honey glaze, serves 12 to 14 people.

A Garden or Caesar salad may be added to dinner packages for an additional $1 per person. Disposable chafing dishes (including pan, rack and Sterno) are available at $6.99 per set.

Traditional side dishes may be ordered by the pound, including glazed carrots, turkey gravy, green beans almondine, yams, mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing.

Thanksgiving would be incomplete without a delicious dessert. TooJay’s famous bakery has a wide selection of freshly baked favorites, such as Pumpkin Pie, Key Lime Pie and the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Cake and Pumpkin Cheesecake. Dessert platters with an assortment of sweets are also available.

Orders must be placed by November 21 for pick-up by Wednesday, November 25. Contactless curbside pickup orders must be placed online. All TooJay’s locations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Are you looking a customer ahead? Is your calendar filled out for the rest next year?

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.

QuickChek “Better-4-You” Thanksgiving Sub, Wrap

 

One of the hallmarks of grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food retail success is its ability to extend the ‘halo’ of better-4-you according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

QuickChek will donate 25 cents for every new Thanksgiving Everyday Sub and Thanksgiving Everyday Wrap it sells through Nov. 29 to the Check-Out Hunger fundraising campaign, benefiting those in need during the holidays. That my friends is how you extend the your brand ‘halo’ of better-4-you while edifying your customers.  

QuickChek CEO Dean Durling stated, “For us, Thanksgiving is more than a day of thanks, it’s a season of thanks, and especially this year when we wish to help our neighbors in need during these difficult times,”

This new, limited-time-only, QuickChek sandwiches will satisfy holiday comfort food cravings: The Thanksgiving Everyday Sub features no antibiotics ever turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish and mayo on a 6-inch sub roll; the Thanksgiving Everyday Wrap features no antibiotics ever turkey, stuffing, Anytime Spuds, cranberry relish and mayo. Sounds good, don’t you think? Are you in a battle for Share of Stomach? 

Battle for Share of Stomach

So, just why is this a ‘better-4-you offer? Well, today close to 54 million Americans are food insecure, which means they don’t know if they have enough to feed themselves and their families, according to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. More than 1.2 million of those in need live in the Garden State including nearly 400,000 children.

So, get this, a little adds up to a lot. QuickChek has raised $761,000 for local food banks during the six years it has been a Check-Out Hunger campaign partner. All of the money raised benefits those in need within the counties in which QuickChek operates store locations throughout New Jersey, New York’s Hudson Valley and Long Island.

They recently raised $93,500 through a Coin Drive to support local community food banks in their efforts to assist those who have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic this past summer, a critical time for meal programs for children as schools were out and summer camps did not operate in the same manner as they had in the past.

QuickChek’s support is year-round. Company executives, support center personnel and local store team members volunteer at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Fulfill NJ, the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, Long Island Cares, Island Harvest and America’s Grow-a-Row.

QuickChek team members recently packed 19,350 meals to aid the Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s Emergency Box Program, and the company’s senior management team has planted produce at America’s Grow-a-Row in Pittstown, N.J.

The new subs are the latest menu innovation from QuickChek, which lets customers choose their convenience in placing orders and enjoy savings and free items through the QuickChek Rewards mobile app, through Curbside Pickup, delivery service through DoorDash and in-store self-checkout counters; with each providing a safe shopping environment to get you on your way fast. How are you expanding your brands ‘halo’.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success