College hoops are driving office conversations once again, family debates, and friendships. So, you know that Krystal, is the home of the original slider.  Now Krystalis heating up March brackets by launching its Side Chik Mania. Starting March 28, (in two days), TikTok will be heating up with a debate on the ultimate Side Chik. Joining in on the debate will be Victor Cruz, who will crown his Ultimate Side Chik through his TikTok bracket. In case you did not know, the bracket starts with four Side Chiks; Spicy Chik, Donut-Glazed Sweet Chik Biscuit, Donut-Glazed Spicy Chik Biscuit ..read more

  Looking a customer ahead is what good companies do.  It is one of the successes that Steven Johnson our Grocerant Guru® regularly discuses on this blog.  7-Eleventhe world’s largest convenience store chain has picked up and shared more success clues than almost any other retail food chain.    Now 7‑Eleven Inc. is getting into the electric vehicle (EV) charging arena with its proprietary 7Charge network that is a big step-up in customer focus and a clue that they are looking a customer ahead.  While gasoline is not going away any time soon.  There wi ..read more

  It is at the intersection of meals and convenience that consumers continue to migrate looking for grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. While fresh prepared meals and meal components for takeout, takeaway food, and drive-thru’s have garnered attention from the restaurant sector, convenience store sector, and more and more grocery stores Johnson believes that the undercurrent driving customer adoption is consumers desire for a ‘larger variety of ethnic flavored fresh food, a ..read more

At the intersection of What’s for Dinner and Food Sales is the United States Department of Agriculture SNAP Program.  So just what is SNAP: SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency. Focus o Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, stated, “all food retailers need to understand how the SNAP program can or could help them drive top-line sales and bottom-line profits. That includes Restaurants, Convenience Stores, Grocery Stores, Dollar Stores, and ..read more

  In the continuing battle for share of stomach the consumer continues to migrate with the food price, value, service equilibrium according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. The formula for the price, value, service equilibrium continues to evolve success was: Price + Quality + Service + Portability = Value.  That formula has evolved with Gen Z and Millennials today.  Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® has once again retooled, reevaluated, calculated then evolved the formula and here is the new formula:   ..read more

Understanding what customers want is key to driving top-line growth and bottom-line profits according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Serving restaurant quality fresh food fast has served Rutter’s well. Rutter'scontinues to listen to consumers, and has heard the cries for fresher faster, so they have elected to add more technology to the mix this time in the way of online ordering.  They are starting by, rolling out the online ordering service to Rutter's VIP Rewards members. Why Go Anywhere Else?!?" the convenience store retailer&nbs ..read more

  It is at the intersection of hand held marketing, mobile devise ordering, and payments that time starved consumers of all ages have become familiar with, accepting, and adopting digital restaurant and foodservice payments. If you are not looking a customer ahead, you are losing ground. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®’ retail foodservice operations including Chain Restaurants, Independent Restaurants, Convenience stores and Bodegas all if they are not offering digital payments today, start doing so.   Here is the case for addi ..read more

  At the intersection of food sales, technology, and consumers is the focal spot that most retailers are working hard to please consumers according to Steven JohnsonGrocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Johnsonstated, consumers are dynamic not static when the consumer moves you must move with them or risk losing customers to another grocery store or another avenue of fresh food distribution entirely. Today research show that grocery retailers continued to shift their customers toward store pick-up and away from grocery-delivery in 2022 as they seek to unlock the po ..read more

  Consumers want grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food with full flavor, fresh, and fast according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Johnson stated, “In every sector of retail foodservice it is grocerant Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat that consumers are migrating too according to Nielsenand the team at Foodservice Solutions®. Most regular readers of this blog know that a chain does not grow without picking up success clues along the way.  So, when Kwik Trip Inc. marked a milestone with the opening of the chain's ..read more

  Do you have junior high school children or high school kids?  If not, you may not know what ChatGPT is.  According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, ChatGPT is a ChatGPT is a “natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations and much more with a chatbot. The language model can answer questions, and assist you with tasks such as composing emails, essays, and code.” Simply put your kids can ask it a question using their own voice and it gives them the answer. While junior high ..read more