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📣 Hot off the press: FoodStorm's State of Grocery Order Ahead 2023 Report A current trend within the grocery food service industry is that customer demand for prepared foods is growing and grocers are capitalizing. Customers are seeing their local grocer as a convenient, cost-effective and healthy option for prepared foods versus fast food or restaurant takeaway. The 2023 Supermarket News Fresh Food Trends Survey found that 65% of grocery retailer survey respondents will increase their assortment of prepared foods over the next 12 months. FoodStorm’s annual State of Catering Report has subsequently broadened its scope to go beyond just catering to accommodate this expanded definition in grocery food service. Our annual report will now include insights into all the prepared food use cases our grocery retailers are serving, including: 🍝 Everyday catering 🦃 Holiday catering 🥪 Made-to-order meals 🥩 Deli pre-orders 🎂 Custom cakes 💐 And more FoodStorm’s State of Grocery Order Ahead 2023 Report uncovered many interesting trends and findings. Key highlights include:  📲 Roughly 56% of orders being placed online, showing the ongoing importance of both online and in-store ordering channels for grocers and their customers. 🥡 A growing demand for Pickup orders versus 2022, increasing from 26% to 35% of orders, showing In-Store Fulfillment continues to gain importance. 🖥 A surprising shift from almost equal Desktop versus Mobile online orders in 2022 to 60% and 40% respectively. 👩🍳 Evidence that expanding order ahead across in-store counters is a top priority for FoodStorm’s grocery retailers with 95% and 86% utilizing Weighted Items (i.e. deli items and holiday meats) and Configurable Items (i.e. custom sandwiches and cakes) functionality, respectively. Continue reading our infographic below or click here for the entire report: https://lnkd.in/g49urskT

Maximizing Profits with High-Margin Foods on Your Food Truck Operating a food truck can be a lucrative business, especially when you focus on selling high-margin foods. High-margin items are those that offer substantial profit compared to their cost, making them ideal for boosting your food truck's revenue. In this article, we’ll discuss how to build a profitable menu, pricing strategies, and creative ideas to help you maximize success in the food truck industry. Crafting a High-Margin Food Truck Menu When creating your food truck menu, it’s important to include items that are both popular and profitable. High-margin foods, like gourmet sandwiches, tacos, and loaded fries, are excellent choices because they use inexpensive ingredients but can be sold at a premium price. By focusing on these types of dishes, you can ensure that each sale significantly contributes to your bottom line. Identifying Profitable Food Truck Items To keep your food truck business thriving, you should prioritize offering items that are in high demand. Popular food truck dishes such as gourmet burgers, artisan pizzas, and fusion street foods often allow for higher pricing, resulting in a greater profit margin. Additionally, incorporating high-margin snack foods like specialty popcorn, churros, or soft pretzels can further increase profits with minimal additional costs. Implementing an Effective Pricing Strategy Your pricing strategy plays a crucial role in maximizing the profitability of your food truck. Start by calculating the cost of ingredients for each item on your menu, then consider how much customers are willing to pay for these items. For instance, gourmet food truck options often justify higher prices due to their unique and high-quality nature. It’s also important to research your competition to understand what other food trucks in your area are charging. Position your pricing competitively, ensuring that you maintain a healthy profit margin while offering value to your customers. Don’t forget to include other costs such as labor, packaging, and overhead when setting your prices. Creative Menu Ideas for High Margins To differentiate your food truck from others, consider introducing creative menu ideas that offer high margins. Fusion dishes, which blend elements from different culinary traditions, can attract a wide range of customers and allow you to charge premium prices. Another effective strategy is to offer limited-time or seasonal items, which can create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, encouraging customers to pay more. https://lnkd.in/eaZw_76M

#FactChecking our prediction about #FastFood trends with #RealTime data!📊 A month ago we made the prediction that more chicken and plant-based options will dominate fast food menus, especially for brands like Belchicken and KFC.🍗 Curious to know if our prediction is #Accurat or if we completely missed the mark? 👇 Click the link in the comments down below to find out the results. #QSR #FastFoodTrends #RetailTrends #RetailPrediction #PlantBased #RetailInsights #ConsumerInsights #EatingHabits #RestaurantTrends

While other food segments are struggling against rising prices and channels like foodservice continue to lose dollars to at-home eating, pizza remains resilient. Learn more: https://ow.ly/lmkm50TjAvM #FoodIndustry #GroceryIndustry #FoodRetail

Are smaller portions an alternative as 'healthy snacking'? Are they a way to cut calories? Shrinkflation? Are consumers seeking global flavors as a way to add diversity in their culinary experience? Are restaurants just too expensive? Watching not only what customers seek but where they're coming from is key to understand what is beneath the tip of the iceberg. Because, yes, fast food is... fast. And yes, frozen meals do not leave 4 (or 7 if you're like me) pots and pans behind... but these are also immediate inexpensive meals you can get for $5. If more global flavors are a slippery slope to growing customers' spice racks at home, there is definitely benefits to these trends! https://lnkd.in/eiY4pdkR

Calculating food cost is crucial for restaurants and food establishments to understand the cost of their menu items and ensure they are pricing them appropriately to maintain profitability. Food cost is the total cost of the ingredients and raw materials used to prepare a particular dish or menu item. Here's the formula to calculate food cost: Food Cost = (Total Cost of Ingredients / Total Sales) x 100 Let's go through an example to illustrate how to calculate food cost: Example: Consider a restaurant that sells a particular dish, and here are the details: Total Cost of Ingredients used to prepare the dish: $2000 Total Sales of the dish: $8000 Step 1: Calculate the Food Cost Food Cost = (Total Cost of Ingredients / Total Sales) x 100 Food Cost = ($2000 / $8000) x 100 Food Cost = 0.25 x 100 Food Cost = 25% Step 2: Interpretation In this example, the food cost for the dish is 25%. It means that 25% of the total revenue generated from selling this dish is used to cover the cost of ingredients and raw materials required to prepare the dish. Step 3: Analysis and Decision Making A lower food cost percentage is generally desirable as it indicates better control over ingredient expenses and higher potential for profitability. However, it's important to strike a balance between the food cost and the selling price to remain competitive in the market. If the food cost is too high, the restaurant might need to take action to reduce costs. This could involve negotiating better deals with suppliers, optimizing portion sizes, finding cost-effective alternatives for certain ingredients, or adjusting the selling price of the dish. By regularly calculating and monitoring food costs for different menu items, a restaurant can make informed decisions about pricing and cost management to ensure financial success.

Breakfast and snacking were two of the biggest trends on display at the recent #IDDBA2024 show in Houston? These happen to be two of the hottest trends in Canadian foodservice as well. Read the full report from Jonna Parker, Circana's Fresh Foods Group Team Lead. Discover all the snacking trends based on: value, excitement, convenience, international flavors, and gourmet accessories. #circana #snacking #foodservice #iddba2024

Independent grocer Coborn's, Inc. and Swedish salad company Picadeli US are rolling out the first two of 15 new high-tech salad bars at a Coborn’s Grocery Store in Sauk Rapids, Minn., which has already debuted, and a Cash Wise Foods Grocery Store in Waite Park, Minn. The new salad bars are part of a pilot program in the region, which is expected to expand to other Coborn’s-owned stores later this year. Unlike traditional salad bars, Picadeli’s concept offers shoppers such elevated options as plant-based proteins, grains, seafood and seasonal specialties. Menu items are regularly rotated to provide new options, including seasonal offerings and a greater variety of choices. The units employ digital signage and touchscreens to communicate the nutritional values of all ingredients, along with temperature-controlled food compartments to ensure optimal food safety and less waste. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gEYUvh7U #retail #supermarkets #grocery #grocers #retailers #food #fresh #salad

Would you rather spend $10 on a value meal or $6 on a premium snack? I always love it when an article so clearly spells out what I've been noticing and this was the perfect example. Consumers (particularly young consumers) would rather pay for a premium snack than a full value meal. This idea is further solidified when you notice who is winning in the foodservice space: beverage and snack concepts. These operators are offering indulgences, not meals, and they market them as such. They don't claim to be here to feed you, they're here to offer you a treat and in a world that has begun to embrace self-care with fervor, it's no wonder that these are the operators who are seeing success in a time of soft traffic. Snacks can come in many forms: from pretzels to donuts, milkshakes to smoothies, coffees to lemonades, etc., etc., etc. Any QSR who doesn't have a few snackable items on their menu and some splashy, colorful beverages is missing out some serious profits. Big kudos to MTY Food Group for recognizing this trend early and leaning into it to allow their snack-forward brands lead them into the future. #snack #foodservice #foodandbeverage #snackingmenu #menuinsights #foodservicetrends #premiumsnacks