Making Green Make Green
UPDATE: A recent study in the grocery space concluded what many already know: more than one third of consumers polled remain leery of the exact meaning of a product labeled as ‘natural.’ It’s no wonder – as restaurant chains as well as other food retailers have skirted using phrases that imply health claims in favor [...]
Read moreThe Emerging Threat: Grocers & C-Stores Expand Prepared Foods
The restaurant industry prides itself on the fact that more American’s eat out today than ever before with the industry boasting a 49% share of the food dollar. This trend hasn’t gone unnoticed by retailers who are expanding offerings to compete head on, according to a recent report. Supermarkets are leading the race, owning nearly [...]
Read moreCalories Count
Between PR pressures and new legislation, restaurants are looking at a new metric: calorie counts per transaction. The rise of healthy eating means the fall of super-sizing, and fast-food chains have found themselves scrambling to introduce more items (think breakfast) and healthier options (like salads and smoothies). Of course, any change that erodes sales for [...]
Read moreMcDonald’s Smooth(ie) Moves
Buoyed by its success with coffee and intent on adding $125k per store in annual drink sales, McDonalds has pushed into the fruit smoothie market with two new offerings. Current smoothie purveyors Jamba Juice, Panera, and Starbucks have publicly offered a sanguine view of the entry with hopes that it will grow the $2.5 billion [...]
Read moreTesting at Kraft Foods
Here’s a great commentary on Shopper 360 blog, regarding the In-Market Testing for Growth team over at Kraft Foods. Kudos to Autumn and the Kraft IMTG Team!
Read moreLooking to Hire a Wacky PR Person?
You might look to hire someone from YUM Brands. Or their PR firm. Fresh on the heels of Taco Bell’s petition to the Federal Reserve for more $2 bills, KFC’s latest publicity stunt is a post-World Cup Vuvuzela Exchange Program (promoting the Doublicious, not to be confused with the Double Down). I’m not sure this is [...]
Read moreToday’s SmartBrief is Fresh
Related to the made-fresh-in-house opportunity we discussed a couple weeks ago, 3 of the first 4 articles in today’s Restaurant SmartBrief tackle various angles on sustainability and freshness (and the associated marketing!): Chains Cast Nets in Search of Sustainable Seafood (featuring McDonald’s, Darden – The Wall Street Journal) Wendy’s New Salad Line Signals a Fresh Start [...]
Read moreWhen Will the Breakfast Bubble Burst?
When too much investment chases a market without enough demand, what happens? Well, at first there’s a lot of excitement in the industry and in the media. More and more players chase the market. Then, the reality sets in. Prices drop. Losers shake out. Ask you real estate agent or mortgage broker. In the end, [...]
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