Last night I turned to my longtime wife, Carol, and said, “I’ve noticed some very interesting correlations between certain convenience-store target audiences and individuals who exercise.” Without even looking my direction, she got up and left the room, uttering in monotone, “Wow, am I a lucky girl.”
Noticing the powerful effect this topic had on my beloved, I think it’s only right to share these same insights with you.
C-store retailers want to make investments that position them for continued foodservice growth, and much of that comes down to meeting the needs of specific segments. Millennials are strong c-store visitors, and boomers are a group c-stores would love to see more frequently, right? From the fitness industry’s perspective, millennials are also a large customer base. Also, many boomers are considering and engaging in exercise, especially as research continues to reveal benefi ts such as better brain activity in regular exercisers vs. less active folks.
I have the benefit of being exposed to both industries. Not only have I spent more than 20 years in foodservice—including c-store foodservice—but I am also a certified personal trainer who helps individuals make sensible food and beverage choices to support their exercise lifestyles. It’s from this vantage point that I made the correlations that wowed my wife so much.
Learning to Speak Fitness
Over the past several months, I’ve paid special attention to what I call Fitness Conversation Topics (FCTs). FCTs are the trends and techniques for a healthier lifestyle these demographics are being exposed to and influenced by. The result? I’ve identified 40 FCTs customers would love to see translated into foods and beverages offered in your stores.
Communicate the benefits of your offering to support their nutritional exercise demands.
I’m not going to translate all 40 FCTs to the c-store channel in this column. However, let me get your profit glands salivating by examining three of them today. Then, during 2016, I will delve into additional FCT translations relevant to specific times of the year.
FCT: Balanced basics-driven diet. Think preindustrial eating. This appeals to millennial and boomer fitness enthusiasts. They are committing to fitness, and they want to make sure the foods and beverages fueling their workouts and recovery afterward don’t compromise these efforts. Providing meals and snacks with characteristics such as whole foods, minimal processing, freshness and only “ingredients that matter” will play very nicely. Consider ancient grains to boost hand-held breads, pastas and both hot and cold breakfast cereals.
Check out: Brooklyn’s Pazzi Pasta menu, which features pasta using ancient and whole grains.
FCT: Attack “unwanteds.” This is especially important for boomers, who are watching friends from their generation fall prey to ailments that hamper quality of life. In response, they seek defense for their muscles, mind and cardio systems through exercise. Now they want to put things in their body that defend against health ailments or medical concerns. Providing foodservice solutions in areas such as antioxidants, inflammation reduction, heart-disease prevention and things that boost brainpower are all right on the mark. In the area of inflammation, the heat in chiles, delivered by capsaicin, can add great flavor to a variety of tortilla-harnessed breakfast sandwiches while helping reduce inflammation.
Check out: True Food Kitchen, an upscale casual restaurant chain with a menu that closely follows the anti-in ammatory principles of Andrew Weil’s Anti-In ammatory Food Pyramid.
FCT: Maximizing the mental. Many millennials seek foods and beverages promoting calmness, alertness and creativity. Ever heard of “bulletproof coffee”? It’s part of a lifestyle philosophy called biohacking: do-it-yourself biology with the quest to find a better quality of life. Ingredients include grass-fed butter, coconut oil and low-toxin coffee beans. Many millennials love this coffee-based beverage because of its perceived ability to boost daily creativity and performance.
Check out: New York’s Hu Kitchen o ffers its own interpretation of this beverage, called Organic Crack Co ffee.
Look to restaurants, specialty packaged goods and alternative markets for ideas you can adapt to your own concept positioning. Communicate to targeted exercise enthusiasts the benefits of the items you offer to support their nutritional exercise demands. Frame the message in an FCT context. Go to your local fitness centers and let them know about your efforts. Take samples for the trainers. Let them help be your local word of mouth. Trust me: You can be a solution for these demographics.
Kevin Higar is a 20-year foodservice veteran and a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer, and is Level 1 certified by Precision Nutrition. Reach him at kevin.michael.higar@gmail.com.
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