McDonald’s is utilizing its global marketing tool kit repository for US success.

Building top line sales and bottom line profits around the globe is something McDonalds is very good at.  Leveraging McDonalds brand messaging while integrating country by country menu customization continues to be a success clue for McDonalds as they expand into new countries and build out those they are currently operating in.

Finding continued success in the ready-2-eat fresh prepared food niche McDonalds has recently announced that they will utilize what they have learned around the world with fresh prepared better for you food products and incorporate those lessons into new limited time menu offerings (LTO’s) in the United States. 

There is not a food company in the market place that vertically integrates Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of food marketing: Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability and Price better than McDonalds.  The price, value, service equilibrium is resetting and McDonalds will utilize LTO’s to drive a better for you freshness messaging to consumers edifying the brand while reinforcing consumer relevance.

Variety is one thing that is overflowing in McDonalds marketing tool kit repository.  Two of the first LTO’s in the United States this spring and summer will be a blueberry banana nut oatmeal and an iced drink called Cherry Berry Chiller. Don’t think that’s all that’s up there sleeve.

Here is a sample of what is currently offered somewhere in the world from McDonalds. In Germany you can find cold beer in most McDonalds. Canada, has a lobster dinner with the McLobster lobster roll. In Norway, they have the McLaks, a sandwich made of grilled salmon and dill sauce. In Hong Kong,  Rice Burgers, where the burgers are in between, not burger buns, but two patties of glutinous rice.

Long ago McDonalds abandoned brand protectionism for global success.  When it comes to creating menu magic don’t think McDonalds can’t get fresh with its menu.  The United States is a melting pot and McDonalds has a pot brewing with menu magic written all over it.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a grocerant program assessment, brand, product placement or positioning assistance.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® 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.

Fresh prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food is booming.

Are you interested in entering the fastest growing retail food niche?  McDonalds, Burger King excel at ready-2-eat bundled meals.  Whole Foods reported great numbers driven by both fresh ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat prepared food.  P.F. Chang’s sold 100M in heat-N-eat meal kits within the retail sector during its very first year at retail.  The retail landscape is dynamic not static.  Are your food products  positioned for ongoing success?  If so you must be in the grocerant niche.

Fresh prepared meals and meal components simply make consumers life simpler.  With 50% of Americans over the age of 18 single the opportunity in this sector is great and growing.  A new report from Canadean (canadean.com) provides a clear view of market segmentation and key drivers to garner influence with each segment.  Here is a sample of the highlights:

1. Private labels record the highest penetration in the Meal Kit’s product category, which is also the least valuable in the Prepared Meals market currently.
2. Approximately 40% of the value of the US Prepared Meals market is accounted for by consumers in the Time Rich busy lives group. 
3. Older Consumers have a 23% share of the total Prepared Meals market in US. This is a direct result of their sheer numbers, with the age group accounting for 25% of the total population. Slightly below average consumption by this age group indicates that it still had potential to grow.  

Time starved consumer that are single (50% of the population over the age of 18)continue looking for options within the ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared food niche. Are you moving your brand from frozen to fresh?  Are you prepared to move your fresh product into non-traditional channels?

Outside eyes can deliver top line sales and bottom line profits.  Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a grocerant program assessment, brand, product placement or positioning assistance.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® 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

5 Reasons Darden should buy P.F. Chang’s.

Darden has spent much of the past five years building and edifying a portfolio of brands that can help it remain the largest full-service restaurant brand in the United Sates.  While the economy and the consumer struggle and are moving on respectively. Darden finds itself with two brand niche leaders and five regional brands each with synergies yet no chopsticks.   Here are my 5 reasons Darden should buy P.F. Chang’s:

  

1. Authenticity, Darden brands strive to have authentic identity and a true consistent brand message.  They are and so is P.F. Chang’s.
2. Complementary Leadership styles, both teams proven, both with outstanding education and hands on proven ability.
3. Small Store format, P.F. Chang’s has a growing small quick service format that could be a template for other Darden legacy brands.
4. $300 Million supply chain, Darden farm to fork seafood supply chain would have an additional avenue of product distribution with and edifying home office in Malaysia, authenticity built in.
5. $100 Million retail product line, P.F. Chang’s product launch last year into retail grossed $100M the first year.  That knowledge skill set could well be worth its weight in gold too Darden.

 Darden's existing portfolio of brands include: Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and Eddie V’s.  P.F.Chang’s is a brand niche leader and would fit well into the Darden portfolio.  The opportunity to mix and match branded concepts while selling global regional development agreements can only be enhanced with the inclusion of P.F. Chang’s.  Most important P.F. Chang’s has CHOPSTICKS!

Steven Johnson is Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions, with extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking. Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

The frozen “Food Court” extending restaurants brand.

If success leaves clues and listening is a key to success then we all need to listen when grocery store category managers refer to the freezer aisle turning into the new restaurant "frozen food court".

Channel blurring only exists in the blind eye of Neanderthal restaurant chain brand managers. Today restaurant brand managers must understand their brand and their customers. If they do they can integrate marketing plans that complement their consumer’s food consumptions footprint while positioning the brand in multiple channels of distribution.

Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Safeway each has incorporated a "frozen food court" in the frozen food aisle. Utilizing both national and regional restaurant branded food. Boston Market, TGI Friday's, PF Chang's, California Pizza Kitchen,  Burger King are the most-thorough players with complete or nearly-complete programs at retail. But many restaurants are either looking at leveraging their brands or are jumping in feet first, including Romano's Macaroni Grill, El Pollo Loco, Captain D's, O'Charley's, while others are like Darden trying it by just dipping their toes in. The grocery store and the restaurant brand all garner additional top line revenue and bottom line profits leveraging branded products.

Repeated evidence shows that the distinction in differentiation is a value of the brand. Leveraging that value within additional retail segments is simply contemporary consumer relevance. Is your brand relevant? Restaurant consumers are dynamic not static, leveraging new channels of distribution works wonders.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant.

Darden Restaurants umbrella of growth is shining bright.

Joe Lee knew he could grow Red Lobster into a retail food success story. However what an outstanding job he did creating a culture of evolution focused on daily quality execution.  All the while building a overarching strategy of moving the business forward with the consumer.  If success leaves clues over the course of the past year Darden’s growth pattern has been established.

With a new global vision well in hand Darden is positioning to remain an industry leader not only within the United Sates but around the world. Equipped with a plethora of viable concepts under its umbrella Darden began growing via area development agreements.  With new agreements in place and new operating partners opening or running restaurants in Dubai, Mexico, Puerto Rico.  Can Asia, Europe and the rest of the Middle East is far behind?

Understanding you can’t continue to open restaurants without high quality sustainable food.  Darden is constructing the world’s first Lobster Farm in Malaysia providing products for its mainstay brand Red Lobster while empowering continued global growth.  Combine that with new opportunities with companies the ilk of Blue Ocean and Darden’s supply chain is fast becoming sustainable.  Retail food operators are adopting this new farm to fork supply chain positioning around the globe, evolving once more.

Most important to my clients and for regular readers of this blog is Darden’s growing understanding of the ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food marketplace.  Many of Darden’s concepts provide Take-Out placing the chain in the middle of the growing grocerant niche.  When they announced last week that Sam’s Club would be the exclusive seller of Darden’s new ready-2-eat retail salad dressing, mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, it was clear the $300 million invested in sustainable crustacean farming would also provide a competitive advantage within the seafood heat-N-eat retail marketplace.  

Darden’s strategy is evolving with the retail marketplace, domestic foundational ownership, global franchising and retail dominance.  Success does leave clues Darden has pick up many and is positioning for many more years of success.  Darden understands the consumer is dynamic not static and is moving in step with the global consumer of today and tomorrow. Darden’s umbrella of success is bright.  Is yours?

Outside eyes can deliver top line sales 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 A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Malaysia Grocerant Development Well Underway.

Malaysia’s Jaya Grocer currently in the Empire Shopping Gallery has focused on ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared food.  They are transforming grocery shopping; blending a dining and shopping experience. Here is how it has been describe in Malaysia.“THE next time you head for Jaya Grocer to get your fresh cut of steak or seafood, you might not land up taking it out in a bag with you. Instead, you are probably going to enjoy tucking into the steak or fish, the way you like it prepared, sitting down in the middle of the supermarket. This is Jaya Grocer’s newly introduced “grocerant “at its Empire Shopping Gallery outlet – a one-stop shopping and dining experience within a supermarket. Shoppers can walk in, choose their choices of meat or seafood from the butchery or seafood counters, head to the El Fresco cashier to pay for it and specify their choice of how they want it cooked.

El Fresco – The Italiano Café Authentic Italian cuisine is served here.  Situated right in the middle of Jaya Grocer, El Fresco is the heart beat of the dining experience offered when shoppers step in. According to its manager Azhar Khairuddin, freshness of ingredients is the strength of Italian cooking. Being in a grocery store, freshness becomes a no issue. “Diners can choose fish, meat or vegetables from the grocery and we cook it for them according to their choice.”  “We offer mid-range pricing but fine dining experience, not compromising on our presentation or quality of food,” he said. El Fresco offers a wide variety in their menu, ranging from starters to desserts with a big emphasis on pasta and pizza.”

Enough, sounds like any contemporized US Whole Foods or Central Market. The world is getting smaller people around the globe are repositioning the concept of food and traditional avenues of distribution.  If you are a food retailer and you think you can do what you have done for the past 20 years, well you can’t!  You just might end up looking like A & P who could end up being bought by Jaya Grocer of Malaysia!  Have your called Foodservice Solutions? Are you ready for a grocerant program assessment or grocerant brand positioning plan?

Steven Johnson is Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions, with extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking. Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Restaurant consumer discontinuity creates opportunity.

Here is a look at this week’s food related new and our view of the opportunity to be garnered from it. We learned that ninety-two percent of U.S. energy drinkers vist quick-service restaurants.  The research stated 81% of those consumers would be likely to buy energy drinks in a quick service restaurant. We learned that it’s time to reposition beverage to include bottle, cans and supplements.

Then we heard approximately 9% of generation X adults strongly are strongly committed to buying organic foods whenever possible, while 39% say they buy organic on occasion. Are you offering organic food, if so, is it positioned as “better for you” product?

Nearly 36% of Danish consumers are prepared to pay more in taxes in return for policies to promote consumption of healthier food.  They pay some of the highest taxes now. Opportunity “better for you” might be better for business.

Then Technomic found 58% of U.S. consumers have at least one food-related application on their mobile device.   If it is not your app wow there is an opportunity.  Banner ads are dead; mobile is in and will continue to grow.

Evolving flavor profiles create new menu opportunity.  A new study found U.S. foodies significantly more likely to choose menu items with bitter, sour and umami flavors, yet general consumer say sweet is their personal taste preference. Keep sweet up front but add a little bitter.

I think we learned that 18-34 year olds don’t understand the implication of double dipping. In one study we learned 67% of Americans restaurant patrons age 18-34 say it’s OK to double dip, while only 28% of those ages 55 and older say it is acceptable. That study came from TGI Friday’s by the way.   Am I wrong or just too old?

There just might be an opportunity in food safety education and your customers.  When 57% of Canadians have no idea what food irradiation is and 38% have not heard of it and 5% are not sure what it is.  But when informed 66% strongly favor practice one being told the definition.    Allow your food safety to guide and reassure consumers.

Steven Johnson is Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions, with extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking. Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant