Food Innovation still requires that the food tastes good.

Food innovation blends experimentation with contemporary relevance.  The outcome is a unique point of differentiation that relates directly to the targeted consumer.  I believe that differentiation does not mean different it means familiar with a twist. The grocerant niche is busting at the seams with innovative new products.

With all the talk today about posting calories, excessive salt there is one thing that we all must keep top of mind; customers eat FOOD that taste good.  For all of the pontification and legislative maneuvers to change the food you are selling to your customers beware!  If you want your customers to come back, the food had better taste good.  Food success is in the mind’s eye of the consumer and their palate. 

Better for you food means many different things to each segmented group of consumers.  Each new menu or product may have one or more new “required constraint” targeted at a specific niche few will be all things for all groups. The one universal attribute or success clue in food innovation is: it better taste good!  Looking for innovative new products or innovation in positioning?  Call us when you are ready to move past the competition.

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.

Food retailers are crafting success with ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh prepared food.

The grocerant niche is a result of the blurring of the line between restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, and drug stores all selling fresh prepared, portable convenient meal solutions.  Targeted at the time-starved consumer with ready-2-eat or heat-N-eat fresh prepared food components that are deemed “better for you”, portable and portioned for one or two.


These meal components can be bundled into a meal of the consumer’s choice. Grocerant food refers to any retail food item that is ready-2-eat or heat-N-eat / reheat sold in a Grocery store, Convenience store Restaurant or Drug Stores that is in a To-go or Take Away format.  Most retail companies goal is to create a collection of branded private label entrée and side dishes that have niche leading identity.


Around the world we are now seeing Grocerant sections in department’s stores and kiosk in malls in Europe / Asia and airports around the world.   The items can range from entrees to side items and deserts.  Some examples of items range from crab puff pastries fried chicken, mash potatoes, cream spinach, to liver and onions, pizza, hot dogs, steak, prime rib, various casseroles (hot-dish) to salads, side salads pie, cake and any single proportioned deserts.

Consumer believe that grocerant prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat foods contribute to making life just a little easier.

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Steven A. Johnson and Foodservice Solutions® Bing or Google Grocerants or visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, twitter.com/grocerant or Facebook Steven Johnson

Wonder why we see restaurant customer migration?

“My mom made two dishes: Take it or Leave it.”  Is a line made famous by comedian Stephen Wright?

Take it or leave it has come and gone. Today all food consumers are empowered with choice driven by preferences in flavor profiles, portion size, packaging and portability. Below are 5 clues on who and where the migration is occurring. Do you understand who is winning garnering customers?

1. U.S. consumers under the age of 25 spend an average of 40.9% of their food expenditures on food away from the home The Food Institute reported May 11, 2012.
2. Americans ages 23-34 spent 45.2% of food expenditures away from home the same report found.
3. Here is the kicker, those ages 75 and up spent the least at 31.8% all this and more can be found in The Food Institute’s 2012 edition of its Demographics of Consumer Spending report.
4. Restaurants in France are increasingly offering “café gourmand,” a desert dish featuring an espresso and multiple small desserts on a single plate.  Mix and Match bundling anyone!
5. Emeril Lagasse opened e2 Go a new carryout-only extension of the e2 Emeril brand.

The grocerant niche is filled with ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh and prepared meal components.  Around the world consumers are refocusing how, where and when they chose to buy food. Are you positioned within your niche to build sales? 

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.

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru Steven Johnson most requested.

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, Washington based Foodservice Solutions® shares some of the most requested articles. When success leaves clues Steven Johnson has been picking them up and sharing within the industry since 1991. 

Consumer Trends in the Food & Beverage Sector

http://foodbeverage.about.com/od/Whats_Hot/a/Its-4-Pm-Do-You-Know-What-Your-Customers-Want-To-Make-For-Dinner_2.htm

Consumers Don't Cook From Scratch... they go to Grocerants.

http://foodbeverage.about.com/od/Grocerant/g/Consumers-Don-T-Cook-From-Scratch-They-Go-To-Grocerantss.htm

Restaurant Consumer Discontinuity

http://www.foodservice.com/articles/show.cfm?contentid=4112

Foodservice visceral attractiveness equals contemporary consumer relevance.

http://www.foodservice.com/blogs/show.cfm?contentid=5248

Pop-up restaurants can create quite a buzz!

http://www.foodservice.com/blogs/show.cfm?contentid=4736

Private Label Brand Managers Making Brands of Private Label Products.

http://www.foodservice.com/blogs/show.cfm?contentid=4620

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

Amazon Fresh is driving change in the European food marketplace.

When you are ready-2-eat do you think Amazon Fresh?  Well maybe I should take you one-step back then bring you two steps forward.  Amazon launched online grocery shopping in Great Britain (London) then rolled it out in Germany a couple of years ago.  Last year they began selling food in the US (Seattle) via Amazon Fresh. Amazon may have found that last mile solution with Amazon Fresh. Ok that’s one step back and one forward so let’s continue moving forward.

Amazon fresh has built a trust with consumers. While Amazon Fresh was scoffed at by analyst and critic’s, Amazon understands retail, the consumer and the last mile solution goal.  In research just released by IGD ShopperVista, “The Connected Shopper” revealed “Eight out of ten (78% of) European shoppers believe internet and mobile technology could improve their food shopping experience in the future.”

Another 69% of smartphone or tablet owners say they would like promotions sent to their devices based on items that they would like to buy. Amazon’s retail success is increasingly shaping how Europeans do their food shopping and soon that same may be true for here as well.

The successful growth of the grocerant niche is about convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization; when you combine all three you’re talking personalization.  Amazon is a retail king when it comes to personalization, promotions and deal bundling.   Food retailers its time to take notice.

Retailing food will never be the same, Amazon Fresh, Peapod, Walgreens fresh ready-2-eat food.  Who is going to be your largest competitive threat in 5 years?  Take-Away food, Drive-Thru food now E-mobile food.  When the consumer is ready-2-eat or ready for heat-N-eat will they be thinking of your brand?

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.

Wendy’s conundrum, continue copy-cat marketing and menu ideation or focus on the customer.

Does Wendy’s understand that cultivating a brand is more important that managing a brand? Brands are dynamic not static, they develop and grow with the consumer. Identifying distinctive differentiated programs, positioning and consumable’s by day part that reflect the brand, industry trends, consumer preferences  is an area that Wendy’s simply has not excelled.   Creating copy-cat menu items and positioning statements is an area that they of late have done much better.  Note: if you’re going to copy, pick programs, products and positioning that garners more than trial.

Recycling c-level marketing team members is another area Wendy’s excels.  However those that are successful generally in-addition bring in Outside Eye’s. Outside eyes can add new light and assist a company in redevelopment and deployment of new products and brand positioning. Clearly Wendy’s needs some outside help identifying distinctive differentiated food consumables, trends, and day-parts to create a point of or any differentiation. 

Understanding the unique balance between palate, price, pleasure and the consumer’s drive for qualitative distinctive differentiated new messaging places Foodservice Solutions® 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.

Success leaves clues transformational times require focus and experience with a qualitative edge. One success clue is Foodservice Solutions® 5P’s of food marketing: Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability and Price.  Consumer choice is driven today by the 5P’s of food marketing.  My tip for Wendy’s is utilize the 5 P’s when trying to identify distinctive differentiated food consumables, trends and day-parts.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant ortwitter.com/grocerant Email:grocerant@q.com

Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat Customers are your Friends.

Proactive food retailers are finding success with fresh prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food.  These grocerant niche foods can be found at Convenience stores, Grocery stores, Drug Stores, Restaurants, and Mobile trucks.  With 50% of US consumer over the age of 18 being single the opportunity in this niche is simply put HUGE.

Today consumers have been exposed to a plethora of international flavors and have not the time to master the skill of cooking each.  This growing trend is empowering the consumer to establish new customs traditions in eating better, more flavorful food.  A big part of that is buying fresh ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat meal components  from all of above mentions retail sectors, then mix and matching meal components.  The Grocerant niche is about convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization.

The National Restaurant Association found in a new study that customization is vital to “Effective Marketing and Business Growth.”   Here are some of the key findings:

1.      87 percent of consumers would go to or order from a restaurant if provided with a savings offer.

2.      95 percent of operators perceive savings offers to be an effective marketing tool.

3.  Consumers would go to or order from a restaurant if they received customized marketing messages that referenced past restaurant patronage (68 percent), allowed them to make reservations (66 percent), and identified them by name (64 percent).
4. Consumers perceive the least effective efforts to entice them to go to a restaurant include online advertisements (58 percent), social media (56 percent), and radio ads (56 percent).
5. 69 percent of consumers said an email from a daily deal provider would motivate them to go to the restaurant featured in the daily deal

Success does leave clues and in food retailing if you can personalize your message electronically with a focus on convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization you will grow your brand and top line while making a friend.

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