Food Branding Conundrum are Brinker and Darden stuck in the middle?

What are your customers shopping for and where? One of the things that happens when a restaurant brand becomes complacent is consumers reduce the frequency of visits. What are the signs of a brand becoming sick? What role does brand protectionism play in the restaurant industry? When brand managers and C-level executives utilize justification and rationalization to explain results you know that what they did, didn’t work.

Brand Managers understand that consumers are dynamic not static. Brands must be dynamic as well. When brands play the wait and see game, the only thing they are truly waiting for is the customer to walk into the store. The problem is it just happens less and less. Focusing on price rather than product and product innovation continues to stifle many a foodservice company.

These are difficult times or so we are told. However brands that succeed are bold and truly changing the way they do business. Example: Apple (APPL) and Amazon (AMZN) both have new products both have products that are innovative and cost more than previous ilk products and both companies are booming! Apple set an all-time single-quarter sales record with its Macintosh computers Amazon can not keep up with production of it’s Kindle which “ has become the #1 bestselling item by both unit sales and dollars – not just in our electronics store but across all product categories on Amazon.com " a spokesperson said.

Brinker International (EAT), owns 1,700 restaurants, most of them Chili's Grill & Bars, has customer traffic that lags industry standards’. This has been the case for close to  five years just in case anyone missed it!  It might be time for some outside eyes or ideations! What about Darden swapping managers from company to company may not be the outside eyes needed for revised consumer relevance.

Food is not out of favor or flavor! What is out is a style of management mediocrity and compliancy. A brand is a promise that must be on-going dynamic and consumer relevant. The value of the brand is a result from interactive between contemporary relevance of the brand and the consumer. Success leaves clues simply look at Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.(CMG) posted solid increases in sales and profit.

When profit from cigarettes began to decline as a profit generator the vast majority of convenience store channel operators focused on fresh food. Now prepared fresh food is the highest margin and fastest growing sector of C-store business today. Grocerant prepared food is booming across all channels, Restaurant, Supermarket, Convenience Stores, Dollar Stores, Kiosk and Mobile Trucks. What path is your company on are you following justification or renewed consumer relevance?  Consumers will spend look at Apple and Amazon if they are not spending at your company it might be time to ask Why?

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.

Rutter's Farm Stores mix and match menu magic.

Talk about made to order food. When Rutter’s introduced its latest customer focused fresh prepared portable menu item, it empowered customer choice like few others ever have. While food personalization and customization are key to success in the grocerant niche Rutter’s just might be setting new records.

With Mac and Cheese consumers can customize each order up to 512 different ways. “Diners can choose from bacon, meatballs, hot dogs, sloppy joe, chili, steak or taco meat to add to their macaroni and cheese. In addition, any and all of Rutter's extra toppings are available to mix in, including sautéed onions, jalapeno peppers, black olives, marinara sauce and salsa.”

At Rutter’s fresh food is fast food as well.  Did you know that at Rutter’s:

·         Rutter's deli items are always made fresh in store.

·         Rutter's uses only the freshest ingredients and freshly made bread in all of our sandwiches.

·         You can customize any Rutter's deli item to your individual tastes.

·         Rutter's employees strive to "Take Four" - in other words, take 4 minutes or less to have any sandwich made your way.

"We pride ourselves on the depth of our menu offering, but we also love to give our customers lots and lots of choices," said Jerry Weiner, Rutter's vice president of foodservice. "We believe variety and the ability to make everything on our menu just the way they like it are what keeps them coming back."

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.

Corner Bakery Café Healthy Super Bowl Family Food

Corner Bakery offers quality ready-2-eat”ingredient-inspired” fresh prepared food that can be bundled into the perfect family better for you food Super Bowl Party.  From sandwiches, salads, snacks or even “Grandma-inspired” sweets you can find it all at Corner Bakery. 

The Corner Bakery is consumer focused and success driven with the core value of high quality made from scratch better for you food that can be personalized and customized for family or any situation.  The consumer interactive participatory mix and match menu options edify the brand while empowering consumer choice.

Leveraging the 5 P’s of food marketing: Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability and Price, Corner Bakery has built incremental brand and consumer value around take-out and catering.  When you’re ready-2-eat and looking for better for you options Corner Bakery is filled with fresh prepared quality grocerant niche food.

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 ortwitter.com/grocerant.

Service with a smile or you are Fried.

The price, value, service equilibrium is resetting in Grocery stores, restaurants and Convenience stores.  Each is reconfiguring ready-2-eat Grocerant niche fresh prepared food product lineup.  Each sector is looking for new products, packaging and consumer price points that will drive traffic.  All have noticed a discontinuity in consumer food shopping behavior and all are fighting for share of stomach.   Contributing to this displacement is a focus by restaurant chain leaders on short term market metrics and away from the consumer.

The consumer then turned to the grocery store Deli and hot food section filled ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh prepared food.   The problem is the grocery stores were not ready for it the influx of new consumers. 

Customer service in the prepared food section of the grocery stores was subpar at best.  In many cases a sales increase created larger problems with customers service.  Many Grocers  have simply dropped the ball on customer service.  Food quality is slipping and they do not understand customer service in the fresh prepared ready2-eat heat-N-eat grocerant niche!  The consumers will not stay long if service is not improved rapidly. 

The battle for the consumer dollar continues.  I would like to suggest and recommend Robert Fitzgerald’s  book: Smile or You’re Fried Seven Lessons for Managers of Service.  Seven lessons that can and should be utilized daily by managers in any sector.   

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.

Pueblo’s ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh prepared food is increasing frequency.

Fresh hot food well stocked and viscerally appealing Pueblo is doing many things right. Clean well stocked stores that are beaming with patrons always are solid platforms for success.  Pueblo is no exception. If your eyes are on the grocerant prepared food niche like mine are, Pueblo is one company that should be on your next visit list.

Professionally presented with clean, restaurant quality food presentation skill set, Pueblo clearly understands the positive halo affect a solid grocerant prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food program can have on the entire brand.

Time starved with diverse appetites after years of exposure to multi-cultural flavors profiles today’s consumer want prepared meal components that can be individualized not just family sized.  Pueblo’s prepared food program does just that.  With detailed attention to service, cleanliness and food quality its clear Pueblo is focused on growing within the booming grocerant niche.

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 ortwitter.com/grocerant

McDonald’s food is getting better for you.

The grocerant niche is filled with ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat fresh prepared food that is better for you.  The obvious leader is McDonald's.  McDonald’s is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,000 locations serving approximately 64 million customers in 119 countries each day. Has anyone not taken their children to McDonalds?

Here is the good news by the first of April 2012, fruit will automatically be included in every Happy Meal served in U.S. and Latin America restaurants. Today More than 95 percent of McDonald's restaurants around the world offer Happy Meals with sides of fruit, vegetables, or low-fat dairy as an option.

McDonald’s has 20+ sandwiches with less than 500 calories including, Hamburger, Cheese Burger, Premium Chicken Club, Premium Chicken Classic, Big N’ Tasty, Southern Style Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Dozens of salads under 500 calories, no one can blame McDonalds for not focusing on better for you food.

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 ortwitter.com/grocerant.

Dunkin Donuts Warmer Winter and Ice Coffee Sales Are UP!

Beverage giant Dunkin Donuts reported that after polling its iced coffee drinkers that an overwhelming majority 84 percent say they are drinking more iced coffee drinks this winter than last.

The poll was conducted Dec. 27 through Jan. 3rd by Burson-Marsteller  online and  among 500 members of the general population who are age 18 to 49, representative of the U.S. population and drink iced coffee. The representative study was to examine the opinions and habits of iced coffee drinkers, including why they warm up to iced coffee during the winter.

Here are some of the findings:

• Eighty-six percent of the respondents said they are drinking more iced coffee this winter compared to three winters ago.
• Iced coffee drinkers savor the flavor, with 90 percent of respondents going for flavor in their beverage. The most popular choices among the survey respondents are French Vanilla (30 percent), Mocha (27 percent) and Caramel (21 percent).
• Most people crave iced coffee midday. The most popular time of the day is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (41 percent), followed closely by 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (37 percent).
• More than half of respondents (55 percent) said they feel cooler and trendier by holding a cup of iced coffee. That percentage increases to 60 percent among younger iced coffee drinkers, aged 18 to 24.

John Costello, Chief Global Marketing and Innovation Officer for Dunkin Brands stated  "As the company that serves the most iced coffee in America, we've seen iced coffee consumption continue to rise steadily in winter months, with iced coffee now nearly as popular as the classic cup of Dunkin' Donuts' hot coffeeeven during the coldest time of year,"   The majority of sales are 65%+ of total sales at Dunkin Donuts are beverages.

Ready-2-eat fresh prepared food is garnering additional share for Dunkin via new day-part sandwich offerings that of course complement iced coffee. Dunkin' Donuts' new Ham & Cheese Bakery Sandwich features Black Forest ham, white cheddar cheese and Creamy Dijon sauce on a French roll, while the new Turkey, Cheddar & Bacon Bakery Sandwichfeatures turkey, white cheddar cheese, bacon and Ancho Chipotle sauce on a French roll. Guests can also enjoy Chicken Salad and Tuna Salad Bakery Sandwiches, featuring chicken salad or tuna salad on a bagel. All bakery sandwiches are served oven-toasted and made-to-order on a French roll, bagel, or croissant.

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 ortwitter.com/grocerant.