Mici Italian House Guest Dinner Solutions

 

Do you have family coming for the holidays?  This year Millennials will have an average of 9.8 people at the table this year, compared to the total average of 7.4, according to IRI’s findings. Between family and Friendsgiving Millennials will be looking for meal solutions according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Mici Italian focusing on consumers meal solutions aka grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food is once again offering their handmade, third-generation-recipe lasagna to take home for the holidays. With pre-holiday pick-up, Mici’s fully-assembled lasagnas can be ordered uncooked or cooked and stored for up to three days in the refrigerator (or frozen for up to three months), before baking to bubbly brown perfection at home.

Coming from a big family themselves, the Micelis know how important family time is during the holidays. So this year, Mici invites Denverites and Phoenicians to let them do the hard work, so families can skip the dishes and go straight to the good stuff.

So, each house-made pan of Mici’s authentic Lasagna with Tuscan meat sauce comes with full baking instructions and can serve between twelve and twenty people based on portion preference. here is no limit to how many pans guests can pre-order; however, Mici requires 24-hour advance notice for lasagna trays, and “uncooked” option must be noted on order form.

Details:

·         Pre-Order online at www.miciitalian.com or by calling any of Mici’s nine locations (Colorado or Arizona)

·         Holiday Lasagna Pans are available December 1 through January 1, 2023·

   24-hour notice required*

·         Notate “uncooked” preference in online notes

·         Lasagnas can be picked up at your closest Mici at a pre-arranged time

·         Lasagnas are $125 per tray

Are you expanding your brands menu offerings to help solve the age of question, What’s For Dinner?  Millennials are now cooking meals at home, and they will have an average of 9.8 people at the table this year.  How many tables in your restaurant seat 9 people?

 Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Branding the Metaverse Wow Bao is All-In

 

Are you ready for the Metaverse? Is your brand migrating with consumers? Just where are you extending your brand invitation?  Those are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself right now according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

While regular readers of this blog know that Wow Bao, is a proactive, growing, fast-casual Asian concept; they may not know that they laid out a ‘phased Web3 strategy’, which will includes an NFT-based extension of their Bao Bucks rewards program and the launch of metaverse vending machines. It’s simple Wow Bao is looking a customer ahead.  Are you?

So, to kick off these new initiatives, they are launching a contest wowbao.com/metaverse to give away free digital collectibles and Wow Bao branded merchandise. Now the initial phase of Wow Bao’s Web3 strategy will begin with the launch of a new NFT-based access pass, an evolution and extension of their Bao Bucks rewards program, the first and only Virtual Dining Rewards Program to be offered.

The passes will be available for purchase and will grant access to their Club. Wow Bao will be selling three tiers of passes which will each unlock increasing levels of unique digital and physical rewards, including monthly giveaways and discounts exclusive to Club members. Unlike traditional non-fungible-tokens (NFTs), passes do not require a crypto wallet or cryptocurrency and can be purchased and accessed with a credit card and an email address. Additionally, Wow Bao teased that they will be bringing their hot food vending machines, currently live in GA, FL, and Las Vegas, to the metaverse in 2023.

Technology matters and Wow Bao’s entrance into Web3 cements its commitment to continually exploring leading edge technology and finding unique and engaging ways to reach new consumers. It follows its early use of self-ordering kiosks in 2010, a fully-automated front-of-house animated cubby experience in 2017, and unprecedented growth the last couple of years to over 700 locations through their virtual dark kitchen program. 

Over 100 new dark kitchen locations were launched in October alone. In addition, Wow Bao has an ongoing partnership with Riot Racers, a virtual play-to-earn car racing game, including upcoming tournament sponsorships and an exclusive drop of Wow Bao branded race cars. Fans who want to purchase a Wow Bao car to race in the game should follow both Wow Bao and Riot Racers on Twitter to learn more.

Want to Build a Larger Share of Stomach

Start Looking A Customer Ahead

Geoff Alexander, president & CEO of Wow Bao, stated, “Wow Bao has always been an early adopter of digital restaurant experiences and this is a natural extension of that leadership stance,” …. “With Wow Bao’s virtual restaurant growth, it is important to connect with guests wherever and whenever possible, whether that be in Dallas, TX, Philadelphia, PA or in the metaverse. We’re excited to bring Wow Bao to the metaverse and build relationships with a new group of fans.”

Wow Bao’s metaverse strategy was developed in conjunction with Brightloom, a customer intelligence and advisory services company.

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Does your messaging 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 the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Foodservice Customers Pick Price Over Convenience and Experience

 

If you do not think that the price of your food matters you are wrong.  According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, ho stated, “the price, value, service equilibrium is evolving faster than the wholesale prices the foodservice operators are experiencing.”

Now, according to Mintel, 51 percent of Americans say they are currently concerned about the future of the economy. A same time, a similar share (48 percent) feel confident their financial situation will improve in the next 12 months. That is the good and the bad news. 

Let’s see what Mintel found by digging deeper, nine in 10 consumers (94 percent) say they are currently worried about inflation, and 67 percent believe the majority of Americans share in these concerns, while a third (34 percent) believe it's other Americans — rather than themselves — who are financially struggling right now. Meanwhile, 22 percent of Americans overall, and 31 percent of parents, say they are struggling to cover day-to-day expenses.

Inflationary pressures are driving consumers to cut back on nonessential purchases (40 percent) and dining out (37 percent), said the research firm.

Do you Want to Build Top Line Sales

Remember PRICE Matters

Do you Want To Grow Share of Stomach

Lisa Dubina, associate director of Culture & Identity, at Mintel, stated, "Americans' heightened concern about the country's economic future — which greatly exceeds all other surveyed financial concerns — is likely due to the current laser-sharp focus on this topic across news media, the political arena and among business leaders,".

Dudina continued, "While not all consumers consider themselves financially struggling at this time, many are already adjusting their shopping behaviors regardless of their level of financial comfort," ... "To support struggling and concerned consumers, brands need to find creative ways to demonstrate the value of their products and services and tangibly reward customers as a way of building brand loyalty and repeat business."  Here is more from Mintel:

Generational Differences

According to Mintel, age and current life stage affect consumers' greatest financial concern. Consumers aged 55 to 64 are more focused on big-picture concerns including the overall well-being of the economy and their personal retirement savings.

Conversely, Gen Z consumers (18 to 24), are more concerned with their own short-term financial well-being: maintaining their current standard of living, ability to pay their bills and ability to afford day-to-day necessities.

With these concerns in mind, Dubina pointed out that brands will need to consider these key differences to resonate with each generation.

Price Over Convenience & Sustainability

The research firm also pointed out that consumers are willing to pay more for higher quality; however, there's little else they prioritize before lower prices. More than six in 10 consumers prefer lower prices over a convenient shopping experience, and 57 percent say they prioritize lower pricing over sustainable brand options.

Additionally, 63 percent of consumers say that brand name is not important to them when shopping most categories, yet 59 percent of people agree they'd rather pay more for a higher quality product than pay less to receive average quality.

"As consumers struggle to adapt to rising prices due to inflation and product shortages, they are likely to continue choosing the best price over the more sustainable and more expensive option," Dubina said. "Understanding that now is a difficult time for retailers to offer more discounts due to challenges like supply chain issues and the rising price of labor cutting into profit margins, offering creative perks and benefits to customers can increase the value of purchases and help build long-term customer loyalty.

"Now more than ever, it's important for brands to not only communicate the value of their products and services but also prove it to consumers who are increasingly looking to avoid financial risk or waste," Dubina added.

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Does your Restaurant App Suck Your Customers Think So

There is no doubt that year over year customer count declines within the restaurant sector are caused by many things including the ilk of slow service, cold food not cold, hot food not hot, delivery orders going out the front door as a customer’s waits, waits, and waits at a table for their food.  Ok, we could go on and on.

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, stated, “technology for online or inline ordering that is not as ‘good’ as McDonald’s is simply not good enough.”

Technomic recently found that “if you are experiencing declines in your customer satisfaction scores, you are not alone. Shifts in digital ordering behaviors and new customer acquisition may be to blame. But the general mood of the market is not helping matters. When you combine digital ordering behaviors with a general decline in national mood, we see satisfaction levels dipping and most often during online ordering occasions. The good news is that there are signs that a good in-person interaction can overcome that negative mood.   

Something is going on in the delivery market that is driving satisfaction levels down from 55% of consumers rating their experience as excellent in Q2 2020 during delivery orders to 49% today. One thing we know about consumers is that they tend not to be “wowed” by their first restaurant visit. More often their satisfaction with a restaurant goes up with experience. They come to know the brand first and then their satisfaction levels increase, as does their loyalty.

he best way to build this type of ongoing, reciprocal trust between a customer and a restaurant is in a face-to-face transaction. In fact, we tend to see higher levels of satisfaction on orders that originate with an employee than other order modes.  On average there is a 2 ppt advantage to an in-person order. It is very hard to build trust with a customer online.

At the start of the pandemic, I held hope this would finally be the event that brought communities together, allowed people to disagree with each other respectfully and helped build trust among diverse people. That hope lasted approximately one hour. That was the moment I opened an article about the delayed NBA season and found a festering pool of anger in the comments section. Displays of common decency were eventually drowned-out by this pool and other similar pools. But there were many common displays of decency and many efforts to make do.  

One area where those common displays of decency thrived was the support shown to restaurants. Our business was all hands on the Zoom deck. Trade groups formed, legislation was passed and when the doors were reopened customers were grateful, save for those occasional folks who wandered out of their anger pool to harass our staff. On average, the goodwill for this industry overshadowed the negativity. The result was unprecedented levels of satisfaction. In total, the proportion of consumers who had rated their last visit to the top restaurant chains in the industry as excellent was as high as it’s been in quite a few years. Restaurants were being given credit for trying. Some were excelling, even.

Since that time, however, we’ve seen a collective erosion of goodwill that is largely driven by this growing pessimism among online orders. Customer satisfaction levels have dropped from a peak in the third quarter of 2020 to this year’s third quarter. The drop-off was particularly large for Quick Service Restaurants.

At its most recent peak, 51.5% of visitors to the fast-food chain space rated their visit as “excellent”. That number was about as close as QSR has been too fast-casual levels of satisfaction in the history of our tracker. Satisfaction levels have dropped 4 percentage points to 47.4%. Fast-Casual restaurants did not see the immediate pandemic boost in satisfaction ratings but have also seen their scores drop as well.

Interestingly, we are seeing a different trend among casual dining restaurants where in-person orders have been recovering and satisfaction levels increased over last year. Midscale satisfaction is also up compared to 2019 levels but has started to come back to earth.

The question is, what is missing from our online ordering experiences that is not translating into satisfaction? This is a question we are setting out to answer in a new off-premise channel study we are launching. My hypothesis is that the missing element is the trust-building power of a smiling face and a warm greeting. If I’m right, then the question become how best to replicate that online. At the very least, we know that is not happening presently in our market.  It needs to be.” In short, the team at Foodservice Solutions® agrees with Technomic.

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 

Restaurants Lose Edge on Innovation

 

Restaurants that are just trying to survive, are finding that is not enough in a world that is evolving so fast your 12 percent pay raise will not keep up with the rising price of food.   According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® who stated, “Millennials and Gen Z consumers are in constant search for something different, fresh, and flavorful.  They seek food discovery and if you are not evolving your customers will move on.”

Now I want you think about this; American consumers frequent convenience stores at least once a week and use their visits as a way to discover new products and brands, according to a new survey commissioned by NCSolutions (NCS).

This online survey of 2,216 respondents, ages 18 and older, fielded from Oct. 7–10, found that more than seven in 10 (71 percent) adult consumers say they discover new products and brands at c-stores.

If that was not insightful enough, nearly four in 10 (38 percent) respondents shop at c-stores two or more times a week. Overall, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) visit c-stores at least once a week.

Alan Miles, CEO of NCSolutions, stated, "These new consumer insights accentuate the considerable role convenience stores play in America today. At the c-store, the shopping moment is low risk for the consumer and high opportunity for brands,"... "With mostly single-serve portions, consumers are looking for products on the go. It is a perfect place to engage and secure new brand buyers and identify the viability of new products."

Let’s see what lese the survey reveal:

C-stores provide a good shopping experience and value.

American consumers find shopping at c-stores offers numerous benefits. Seventy-nine percent of shoppers say c-stores offer a lot of product variety, while 77 percent say they provide a good shopping experience. Sixty-three percent see c-stores as delivering good value for their budgets.

It's all about the experience and delivery for Generation Z.

CPG brands looking to engage Gen Z can tap into this generation's favorable view of convenience stores. Ninety-one percent of Gen Zers say c-stores provide a good shopping experience.

They're also more likely to use a delivery service for c-store items, with almost half (49 percent) reporting they have used a service such as 7-Eleven Inc.'s 7-NOW, Instacart, DoorDash, Uber and other delivery services. This is 96 percent higher than all Americans who reported using a delivery service (25 percent) for c-store shopping.

Location, Location, Location

Americans visit convenience stores for various reasons, but location is the number one reason, cited by 65 percent of consumers. Fifty-nine percent say c-stores meet their immediate needs, while 54 percent like that they can conduct transactions quickly and be on their way.

Nearly one-third (30 percent) say price brings them into the store, while 28 percent enjoy the variety of products c-stores have to offer. Thirty-four percent also shop at c-stores because they are less crowded.

NCSolutions Chief Revenue Officer Dan Malmed, stated, "The c-store channel offers a compelling potential for CPG brands to motivate new buyers to try their products. It's an especially attractive channel to reach the Gen Z consumer, who is very loyal to c-stores," ... "Appealing to Gen Z c-store enthusiasts enables advertisers to build and drive loyalty as well as improve the return on ad spend of their campaigns."

Satisfying Their Sweet Tooth & Quenching Their Thirsts

More than two-thirds (67 percent) of Americans feed their sweet tooth with candy purchases from convenience stores, and many rely on c-stores as a place to quench their thirst. Fifty-seven percent of consumers said they purchase on-the-go drinks like coffee, tea or fountain beverages at c-stores, while 40 percent buy milk, juice and other staples. In addition, 32 percent pick up packaged beverages and 23 percent buy beer.

Beyond beverages, almost one third (30 percent) pick up prepared foods while in the store and 37 percent purchase lottery tickets.

Getting Social

Consumer purchase behaviors are also influenced by what they see on social media. Seventy percent of c-store shoppers say they’re more likely to purchase products they see promoted on c-store social media channels.

The grocerant niche is filled with Ready-2--Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.  Consumers continue migrating to the grocerant niche for simple time saving solutions that are full flavored and that save them time according to Johnson.

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 edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information. 

Boston Market 20 Years Late but Welcome to Holiday Meal Season

 

Restaurants thrive during the holiday season.  Its quite simply people are out and about have even less time to cook so they don’t.  When it comes to Holiday meal offerings regular readers of this blog know that if there was ever a company the miss read what consumers wanted for a meal that they could pick-up or have delivered on during the Holiday season our Grocerant Guru® time after time has said that Boston Market missed the mark. 

Last year’s offerings were particularly disappointing to our Grocerant Guru®.  Looks as if they listened to him a bit more this year.  Boston Market has turned the corner and refocused on its core customer according to the Grocerant Guru®, who stated, “this renewed focus on the consumer will drive incremental return visits, top line sales and bottom-line profits.”

This year there is offering a variety of Thanksgiving meal options from $11.99 per person, prices may vary by market, starting today at all restaurants nationwide. Whether dining in-restaurant or celebrating at home, Boston Market has offerings to fit every family this holiday season.

Consumers will have a choice between the Hot & Ready-To-Serve meals, catering and a la carte offerings. The Hot & Ready-To-Serve meals include everything needed to serve between six and 12 people and can be picked up at any Boston Market restaurant the week of Thanksgiving. For those ready to feed a crowd, groups of 10 or more can cater a hot, buffet-style dinner or individually plated meals that can be delivered or picked up.

Building a Larger Share of Stomach

Requires a Focus on the Customer

President and Chief Rotisserie Expert for Boston Market, Jay Pandya, stated, “The holidays have looked vastly different over the last two years, but one thing that should remain the same is family gathering together for a delicious, homemade meal,” …. “Boston Market is continuing to bring people around the table with hassle-free meals that decreases time in the kitchen. We’re thrilled to have so many different options for the holiday season.” Let’s take a look at most of their mix and match offerings:

Hot & Ready-To-Serve Meals: Chilled complete meals for as little as $11.99 per person that are fully cooked. Guests can order a complete whole Roasted Turkey Meal for 12, consisting of a whole roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable stuffing, spinach artichoke dip and crackers, cranberry walnut relish, dinner rolls, one apple pie and one pumpkin pie. Orders can be picked up at any Boston Market restaurant the week of Thanksgiving.

Catering: Starts at $12.99 per person and can be delivered straight to your door or picked up at a Boston Market restaurant.

A La Carte: Perfect for those Boston Market guests who may need an extra entree, side, appetizer or dessert to get their holiday dinner table-ready, guests can order chilled, fully cooked options for pick up in restaurants the week of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day Offerings: Boston Market locations will be open on Thanksgiving Day, in case the oven stops working or the turkey didn’t defrost in time. Day-of offerings include a Thanksgiving Day meal for $15.99, featuring a choice of roasted turkey breast or half rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable stuffing, a dinner roll and a slice of apple or pumpkin pie. Restaurant hours may vary by location.

Holiday Gift Cards: Buy a $50 holiday gift card and receive a $15 bonus card for yourself! The holiday gift cards can be picked up in-restaurant or a personalized eGift card can be purchased at BostonMarket.com and are redeemable from December 26, 2022 through January 31, 2023.

Note: All prices may vary by market. Customers this holiday season can get the gift of extra Rotisserie Reward points when placing an order or dining-in with Boston Market. The loyalty program is available through the Boston Market mobile app for iOS and Android.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter