Grocerant Guru

Grocerant Guru's articles

  1. Data & Insights

Grocerant Guru’s Full-Flavored Forecast: 2024’s Flavorful Trends

  Get ready to tantalize your taste buds with a peek at what’s hot in the culinary world! Once again Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® and his team,  are seeing some new signals of our ever-evolving consumer focused adoption of fresh food with functionality; including botanical infusions, and even a […]
3 min read
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  1. Department & Category

Handheld Happiness: The Battle for the Burger Bite

  According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, handheld food for immediate consumption is driving consumer migration when eating out.   Foodservice Solutions® recently conducted grocerant scorecards reveled that 81.6 percent of consumers prefer entrees that can be consumed by hand when not eating at home.  That said it is a […]
3 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

The Grocerant Guru: Why Foxtrot and Dom’s Couldn’t Outfox the Market

  Urban darlings Foxtrot and Dom’s, known for their unique grocery-restaurant hybrid concept, recently shuttered their doors. This surprise move comes just months after their merger into Outfox Hospitality. As the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® let’s dissect six reasons why this innovative concept may not have survived the test of time. […]
2 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

Why California Restaurants Can Rest Easy: The Enduring Appeal of Dining Out

  The restaurant industry has been obsessing with the rise of the minimum wage in California.  Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® continues to insist that there are many more reasons the long-term outlook for the California restaurant sector is bright. So, here we go.   In California, approximately 49.3% of households consist […]
4 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Does Wienerschnitzel Have a Second Chance at Success?

  Hot Dogs are hot and Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® wondered out loud if Wienerschnitzel the iconic hot dog retailer could compete with the ilk of  Portillo’s or in fact they even had second chance at success?  There is no doubt that Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog chain, […]
3 min read
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  1. Department & Category

How and Where Consumers Buy Fast Meals is Evolving

  It’s at the intersection of yesterday fast-food restaurant and playground and time starved consumers that today’s consumers is opting for fresh food fast and simple according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  The drive-thru has been a fast-food staple for decades, but the way we get our burgers and […]
3 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

Restaurants vs. Grocery Stores: The Battle for the Plate

  Regular readers of this blog know that for decades, grocery stores reigned supreme as the go-to for meal preparation and home meal replacement. However, the evolving consumer has been migrating.  Recent trends show a shift in consumer behavior, with restaurants steadily chipping away at the grocery sector’s market share. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant […]
4 min read
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  1. Department: Food

Convenience Stores Elevated Fresh Foods Sales Success Crushing Blow for Grocery Deli’s

  At the intersection of growth fresh food sales specifically Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat prepared food the convenience store sector is simply trouncing the grocery store sector.  In fact, Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® stated, grocery stores should be embarrassed by the way the convenience store sector and garnered share of […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Once Again Fresh Food Focus Pays Off as Busy Consumers Embrace C-Store Eats

  Time-starved consumers are increasingly turning to convenience stores for their prepared food needs, according to new research I’ve been digging into. This is a major win for the c-store industry, which has invested heavily in recent years to develop high-quality, fresh food offerings. The 2024 Convenience Store News Realities of the Aisle Study, surveying […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Red Lobster’s Short-Term Gain from lease-buybacks Results in Long-Term Pain

  Hedge fund Heaven, take the money and run! While making a presentation the other day Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® was asked if he knew what “Hedge fund Heaven was”, he answered from my mind-eye its, take the money and run. Johnson noted consumers want meals, meal components, fresh, […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

The Grocerant Guru: Unveiling the Efficiency Engine of the Future – The Rise of Grocerants

  Steven Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  He has spent years dissecting the ever-evolving food industry landscape. Today, he wants to delve into a niche that’s not only thriving but fundamentally transforming how we source, prepare, and consume food: the grocerant niche. For the uninitiated, grocerants are establishments including […]
3 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Portillo’s Building Restaurants and a Brand with Lifelong Customers

  At the intersection of building new restaurants and expanding your brands reach there are few chain restaurants that are doing a better job than Portillo’s according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Johnson says, “Building a restaurant brand that can last a lifetime, requires a building a brand message […]
4 min read
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