With Summer in Full Swing Snacking is Top of Mind

School is out, families are on planning for vacation, the weather is good with outside activities garnering more and more time and attention.  All that means is consumers are looking of meal substitutes, meal replacements, and an excuse to eat all the fun stuff of summer. 

Restaurants, service deli’s, conveniences store’s all want to fill that meal gap with everything from Pizza, Slurpee’s, Burgers, Ice Coffees, we could go on and on.  Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® stated, snacks are an important component in mix & match meal bundling solutions that every restaurant, service deli, and convenience stores should be expanding as options as a new era of what defines a meal is emerging.

Now consider this from a neuroscience-based consumer insights market research firm Alpha-Diver's "The Snack 50 Psych Pulse" unveils the first psychology-based snack brand rankings and offers insight as to what kind of snacker consumers are, and what affinities determine which brands are winning consumers over.

Alpha-Diver CEO Hunter Thurman, stated, "While previous snack food rankings have been based on popularity polls, sales volume or reviewer critiques, the 'Snack 50 Psych Pulse' is the first ranking of brands based on the WHY's of consumer behavior," ... "The Snack 50 provides diagnostics from a consumer perspective of brand performance, including brand affinity, brand usage momentum and brand growth paths."

When it comes to the five leading dimensions that determine which brands are winning the hearts and wallets of consumers, price tops the list:

1.       Price: Does the brand offer good value?

2.       Time: Does the brand fit daily life routines?

3.       Social: Is the brand socially endorsed/acceptable to one's peers?

4.       Physical: Does the brand carry any negative connotations regarding consumer feelings?

5.       Emotional: Does the brand carry any fear of disappointment?

With these factors at play, the leading snack brands ranked via Alpha-Diver's proprietary Psych Pulse composite score of key dimensions include behavior (consumption routines), emotion (consumer enthusiasm) and trajectory (product usage momentum).

The top 10 leading snack brands among consumers are:

1.       Reese's

2.       Lay's

3.       Great Value

4.       Hershey's

5.       M&M's

6.       Doritos

7.       Oreo

8.       Cheetos

9.       Snickers

10.   Kit Kat

Alpha-Diver found psychological differences across generations and genders relative to snack choices:

·         The top-ranking category among women is potato chips and is chocolate candy among men.

·         Reese's is the top-ranked brand among the general population, but Oreo is top-ranked among Generation Z (for whom Reese's slips out of the top five).

·         Hispanic consumers favor Doritos, with Reese's slipping out of the top five among this cohort.

·         Lay's ranks in the top five among all demographic cohorts, and is ranked first among younger baby boomers. Older boomers favor Hershey's chocolate.

·         Great Value emerges as the strongest snacking store brand, including strong performance among both younger and older millennials.

"One compelling insight relates to the role of store brands, or private labels. While most teams still assume they're growing due to price trade-downs, this study reveals a much more strategic role store brands are playing in fueling consumers' emotional needs," added Thurman.

The Snack 50 Psych Pulse also explores four key dimensions of consumer purchase behavior:

1.       Rational: Product provides options that make rational sense. Top performers in order are Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps, Nutri-Grain and Skinny Pop Popcorn.

2.       Experiential: Brands provide new sensory experiences. The top performers are Sour Patch Kids, Starburst and Cape Cod.

3.       Tribal: Brands provide social connection. The top performers are Aldi brands, Great Value brands and Lay's.

4.       Instinctual: These are feel-good, impulse-driven brands. The top performers are Slim Jim, Jack Links and Sour Patch Kids.

Alpha-Diver is a market research firm that applies neuroscience to understand marketplace behavior more deeply. The firm’s neuroscientists and strategists work with leading brands, retailers and the Wall Street analyst community to explain, measure and predict consumer behavior. Clients include McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Kellanova, among others.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a 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 

Toast Tipping Suggestions are One Thing but Charging Customers to Use Their Service is a Tipping Point

 

The original thesis of technology use in restaurants was to save restaurant employees time thus saving the restaurant money. When Toast came along with it, was a ‘automatic’ tipping charge added to the bill in most cases it started 18 percent.  For those of us in the industry we thought nothing of it as most of us tip well above that as a professional courtesy.

The team at Foodservice Solutions® consists like most companies of workers in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and some as old as our Grocerant Guru® who has worked in the industry as long as the other have been on earth. All however thought the minimum was a bit high for beginning workers buying a fast-food meal.

Steven Johnson Foodservice Solutions® senior expert contends that Toast is near a tipping point where the cost of the service becomes a greater annoyance than benefit for the retail outlet or the consumer.

In case you did not know, Toast is adding a new consumer-facing $0.99-cent surcharge to all online orders, without giving restaurants the option to opt out of the new fee, in an unpopular move that has caused restaurant operators to post letters and tweets of protest on social media. The Boston Globe, reported that the fee will be added to all online orders over $10 and will be beta-tested with a small group of restaurants before being rolled out nationwide on July 10.

Now according to a mockup of Toast’s interface, the .99-cent fee will not show up separately and will be instead part of a combined line called “taxes & fees” that already regularly shows up when customers place online orders. Unless consumers expand the “taxes and fees” subsection, they won’t see the new “order processing fee,” which, according to Toast, is intended to “help fund product investments” like SEO menus, customization, and chargeback coverage.

However, if President Biden passes what has become known as the Junk Fee Protection Act, hidden fees like this one from Toast or others from ticket-selling websites could be under fire. NOTE: The team at Foodservice Solutions® that includes all workers of all ages support the JUNK FEE PROTECTION ACT.

Talk about double talk, here is want they are quoted as saying about the new fee; “As we innovate, we remain committed to keeping restaurant digital ordering costs low and protecting restaurant bottom lines from third-party commission fees,”]. “We also take any changes to our pricing model at Toast very seriously. That is why to help fund ongoing innovation in restaurant technology, we are updating our pricing model to add a nominal $0.99 fee paid by guests on orders $10 and over on Toast online ordering channels. This change helps fund product investments and continued innovation in support of helping restaurants maintain the direct relationship with their guests.”

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® 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 one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Paris Baguette Partnerships Drive New Electricity and Growth

Success does leave clues and Paris Baguette growth is not slowing, its brand messaging is growing and consumers are finding out about Paris Baguette via new marketing partnerships that are clearly driving new electricity into the brand with relevance according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. 

In case you did not know, Paris Baguette and Lavazza, have partnered with Yolanda Gampp, Queen of Cakes and Judge on FOX's "Crime Scene Kitchen" and co-founder of How To Cake It, the #1 baking education brand in the world, to create a limited-time menu of baked and brewed goods available now at Paris Baguette locations nationwide.

The partnership serves up an unforgettable sensory experience culminating in the trip of a lifetime for one lucky customer through the Rise to the Occasion sweepstakes. According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. 

 

Working closely with Paris Baguette's expert cakers and bakers and Lavazza's legendary roasters, Gampp has crafted a winning lineup of limited-edition products. These culinary delights include:

·         Drop Shot Bomboloni: A scrumptious vanilla bean custard-filled pastry decorated to mimic a tennis ball featuring an irresistible combination of flavors and textures with smooth icing in vibrant tennis ball green with a white lace design.

·         First Serve Lemon Lime Blackberry Cake Slice: A delightful cake slice inspired by the bright refreshing flavors of summer featuring zesty lemon and lime, complemented by the sweetness of blackberries.

·         Courtside Coconut Oat Milk Nitro Latte: A refreshing and invigorating beverage crafted with Lavazza coffee and coconut oat milk.

Darren Tipton, Chief Executive Officer Paris Baguette, stated, "We are delighted to partner with Yolanda and Lavazza on this exclusive bakery line-up and for this once-in-a-lifetime trip," … "Yolanda's culinary expertise and passion for creating unforgettable delights perfectly aligns with our brand's commitment to excellence. We believe this collaboration will provide an unrivaled opportunity for our guests to immerse themselves in an unforgettable experience that merges the world of sports and impeccable craftsmanship."

So, Paris Baguette and Lavazza are giving one lucky fan plus three guests the chance to win an exclusive trip of a lifetime to New York City this September through the Rise To The Occasion sweepstakes. One grand prize winner will enjoy roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, food, and the opportunity to meet Yolanda Gampp. The sweepstakes will also feature a second place prize of a $500 Paris Baguette gift card and third place prize of a $250 Paris Baguette gift card.

Fans can enter now through August 21, and each visit to a Paris Baguette location provides a new opportunity to enter. With the purchase of one of the limited-edition menu items, customers will receive one entry into the sweepstakes. A mixed double combo, which includes a specially featured Lavazza beverage along with one of the exclusive pastries, offers double the entry chances.

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

How Much Can You Charge for a Taco, Burger, or Pizza

 

Whether you are an independent restaurant, a chain restaurant, convenience store, bodega, or grocery store consumers are at a breaking point when it comes to the price they pay for your food.  According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®; every time you raise the price of any item on your menu your customers notice.

Johnson cautions, it is at the intersection of customer discontent over ‘never ending price increases and convenience’ that consumers will change their path to purchase. One of the best tools every food retailer particularly small operator should have in their marketing tool kit is access to Restaurant Price Index (RPT).

So, in case you have not heard of it or used it, Revenue Management Solutions has launched its Competitor Price Intelligence solution. The competitive price platform includes a proprietary Restaurant Price Index (RPI) that analyzes menu price evolution so users can benchmark pricing across as many as 170,000 quick-service, fast casual, casual dining and fine dining locations.

Now for the first time, restaurant operators can access clean, validated monthly price change data from a simple dashboard interface, revealing insights into the increasingly competitive pricing landscape. Using a proprietary AI technology, the solution continually compares menu prices for all restaurant segments across 50-plus brands in all US states and select countries internationally.

Revenue Management Solutions developed the solution to address clients’ most significant concerns. What does everyone else charge?  Do you know just what everyone else is charging for the same thing you are?

RMS Chief Client Officer Bob Donofrio, stated, “RMS developed our Competitor Price Intelligence and RPI based on nearly 30 years of menu engineering and pricing strategy,” said. “With data exclusive to the restaurant industry, operators have a meaningful snapshot of price direction accessible through an easy-to-use, cloud-based platform, with actionable insights to drive pricing strategies, revenue and profitability.”

That said, the Competitor Price Intelligence is much more than a pricing data dump. Leveraged on RMS’ expertise and combined with the user’s input, the solution delivers pre-categorized, like-for-like menu item comparisons. The dashboard includes comprehensive pricing data for in-store and delivery prices in any US region or market and for major brands internationally using local currencies. Updated monthly, the insights and data timeliness are unmatched by third-party sellers.

Additionally, users can:

·         Define their competitor set and menu categories

·         Compare prices across targeted segments and cuisine types

·         Easily tag and compare by location

·         Filter by geography and menu category

·         Understand how an item is priced

·         Track industry and competitor pricing activity over time

Want a Larger Share of Stomach

PRICE MATTERS 

 

Understand that as mounting costs and inflation pressure the industry, RMS is previewing its Price Map insights with a monthly heatmap featuring the latest average prices for burgers, chicken sandwiches and pizza across all US states.

RMS CEO John Oakes, stated, “We asked the world’s leading restaurant brands, through client feedback and focus groups, what they needed to succeed in today’s highly charged environment,” …. “The overwhelming answer was competitor pricing data. Timely data wasn’t accessible, and operators didn’t have the staff to make sense of it. Our Competitor Price Intelligence will change that.”

What is everyone else charging?  How much can I charge for a burger, taco, or pizza? 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 than 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.