Busy consumers continue watching their wallets, but one thing hasn’t changed. They want great tasting meals and snacks—and they want them fast. In spite of today’s economic angst, opportunities abound for providing time-crunched consumers with foods on the run. According to a survey by the National Restaurant Association (NRA), 69% of adults surveyed said purchasing [...]
C-store chain ampm is introducing a new, great tasting pizza in cheese and pepperoni varieties geared toward its hungry male demographic. The chain boasts that its new foodservice offering is “a whole lot rounder and a lot more manly.” At participating stores, the offering can be purchased for only $1.59 until April 27. And, on [...]
On March 3, ampm debuted its new personal-size pizza, adding another fresh food to its line of proprietary products. The new pizza comes in two flavors: pepperoni and four-cheese (a blend of mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and romano cheeses). The New York-style pizza will be baked fresh on-site and packaged in a box with two eye-catching [...]
THE POWER OF PIZZA $38 Billion Estimated total annual sales in pizza restaurants. 70,000 Number of pizza restaurants across the country. $19.6 Billion Total revenue accounted for by the top four pizza chains (Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, Little Caesars) Source: National Association of Pizzeria Operators To do well in 2010 with pizza, convenience store [...]
Branded Check List Retailers planning to add a branded foodservice program should consider the start up cost as well what long-term factors will influence profitability such as additional labor and rising food costs. “You have to decide what’s best for you,” said Sandy Arrasmith of J&H Family Stores. “Take a look at the brand you [...]
Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. is getting into fresh foods and prepared meals to draw “time-starved” customers to its more than 7,000 stores, Business Week reported The drugstore chain has been talking with foodmakers including Unilever NV, Nestle SA and Sara Lee Corp. about creating private-label and branded products, according to Bryan Pugh, vice president of [...]
Quick Chek, which operates more than 120 stores throughout New Jersey and southern New York, is starting the year off by enticing its customers with a number of new fresh food offerings. New for breakfast, the chain is offering an egg white turkey sausage omelet on a multigrain roll, targeting those looking for a healthy [...]
As foodservice sales make up for lost gasoline and cigarette profits, more retailers are jumping on the pizza bandwagon. It’s a wise move considering Americans love their pizza. According to Parade magazine, 94% of the U.S. population eats pizza; Pizzaware.com noted that Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza each day (350 slices per second); [...]
Inside the Numbers What do one million personal-size pan pizzas add up to? According to the folks at Hot Stuff Foods, about 550,000 pounds in all. It includes 250,000 pounds of dough, 150,000 pounds of custom blended cheese and 62,500 pounds of sauce, plus the meat toppings and vegetables. One million personal-size pan pizza boxes, [...]
Sophisticated customers are demanding foodservice programs that keep the menu fresh by rotating options and adding new products and flavors. Dan Rotherham, director of operations at Feather Petroleum Inc., which operates 18 Stop ‘n Save c-stores in Colorado, has seen firsthand how adding new products and streamlining store menus has helped business. “We strive to [...]
Mission accomplished. When John MacDougall challenged his team at Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes to come up with a company mission statement, he left pretty simple instructions. “Keep it short, keep it focused and let’s be true to ourselves,” he said. The result was a concise proclamation of the chain’s commitment to the customers it [...]
Some version of pizza has been around ever since a working man in Ancient Greece discovered that a flat round bread (plankuntos) embellished with assorted toppings made a hearty, thrifty and convenient dining experience. Little did that anonymous cook suspect that his humble meal would one day launch a major industry. According to Blumenfeld and [...]
Convenience store operators in search of faster cooking times and longer holding times are finding foodservice equipment that can help. But which pieces, at what price points, with what sort of ROIs and in what sort of configuration remain questions that must be weighed and answered. For an industry whose core competency isn’t food, and [...]
Fast Facts About Pizza • Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or about 350 slices per second. • Pizza is a $30 billion per year industry. There are approximately 69,000 pizzerias in the U.S. Approximately three billion pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year. (Source: Blumenfeld and Associates) • Pizzerias represent [...]
TOP PERFORMERS Hunt Brothers Pizza Freschetta (Schwan’s) Hot Stuff Foods HONORABLE MENTIONS Piccadilly Circus Pizza Red Baron (Schwan’s) With menus that are customizable to a broad array of tastes and budgets, pizza programs have long been a go-to solution for convenience retailers who want foodservice solutions that deliver immediately profitable models, not to mention proven [...]