Dannon Away From Home News

Recent research among hotel foodservice consumers indicates that guests are looking for more ways to obtain snacks and beverages.  Savvy operations are realizing the incremental benefit of offering more grab ‘n’ go fare.  About one-third of hotel properties report seeing opportunities in grab ‘n’ go prepackaged meals, and a similar number indicate that grab ‘n’ go business is on the rise.

As hotel properties evaluate opportunities with grab ‘n’ go items and initiatives, several factors should be considered:

• Pricing: Consumers generally have a set price they’re willing to pay for grab ‘n’ go items, but they’ve also said this price is relative to the situation or mood.
• Daypart:  Most grab ‘n’ go items are sold in the morning.  However, the snack daypart tends to be mid-morning and mis-afternoon.
• Location: The lobby is an obvious place to build grab ‘n’ go business, but we’ve also seen opportunities such as placing refrigerated display cases outside hotel restaurants, offering ready-to-eat items for the harried and hurried traveler.
• Impulse: Most snack/ grab ‘n’ go occasions are unplanned, and consumers are looking for a quick solution.

According to a group of award-winning restaurant operators at this year’s Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference, reasoned growth is the recession’s lasting lesson.  Winning panelist Ron Shaich, executive Chairman of Panera Bread, advised, “Growth is what seems to be the end for so many people, but growth is a biproduct.  It’s the byproduct of having something of quality, an individual store that actual works.  And if you stay focused on that, the growth will come as the outcome.”  Phil Hickey, chairman of O’Charley’s urged operators not to let early success and popularity fuel expansion plans too quickly.  Furthermore, members of the CEO panel cautioned that coming health-care-reform requirements might put a brake on growth plans.  When asked where the restaurant industry will be in five to ten years, CEO panelists highlighted that the long-term survivors will be those who can develop and dominate in a niche segment.

http://nrn.com/article/golden-chain-winning-ceos-address-growth?ad=mufso&utm_source=MagnetMail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=kristen.minnis@thefoodgroup.com&utm_content=NRN-News-NRNam%20Weekly%20Wrap-10-28-11&utm_campaign=October%2028,%202011%20-%20Weekly%20Wrap

Hundreds of Hospital Food Service Managers, Nutritionists, Dieticians, Public Health Professionals, Authors, Suppliers, and Growers gathered to share information and learn new strategies to develop sustainable hospital food services procurement and operations at FoodMed 2011, the nation’s most important conference on sustainable food in health care.  Participants learned to incorporate sustainable and nutritious food purchasing at their facilities, and heard about cost effective strategies that emphasize health concerns that meet the unique needs of healthcare and facilitate the development of healthy communities.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/25/4005811/hundreds-gather-in-seattle-for.html

According to the results from a new Ogilvy-ChatThreads study of restaurant consumers, individuals exposed to social content are more likely to increase their spending and consumption than those who aren’t exposed.  Sales impact is most pervasive when social content is combined with other types of media such as PR, out-of-home and TV and is linked with 2-7x higher likelihood of consumption and actual spend increases.  Social content exposure alone is associated with the largest shift in week-to-week brand perception.

For more information on the study, please visit http://www.restaurantnews.com/new-study-social-media-has-outsized-impact-on-sales-and-brand-perception/