Convenience-store food is no longer limited to the roller grill. In fact, a majority of retailers view it as imperative moving forward: According to Era of Disruption: Is Your Business Built for Growth, a collaborative study from CSP and its sister research firm, Technomic Inc., 85% of c-store operators said foodservice is a strategic priority for their company and will be important in driving future growth.
But with added foodservice options and more comprehensive programs comes the labor needed to propel and maintain them—and those costs aren’t insignificant. For retailers, easing the cost burden of expanding their foodservice programs can seem like an impossible task. How can they offer more but spend less? And where will the money for the additional labor come from? But by using ready-to-bake products such as Stouffer’s Ready-to-Eat Chicken Pot Pie, retailers can offer the comfort food favorites customers love without worrying about the additional labor spend.
Answering the call for better-quality convenience foods
According to Technomic’s 2019 Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report, 96% of consumers say value is important when they choose where to dine. And taste/flavor and quality are consumers’ top two picks for menu attributes that they say create value. For c-stores, offering great-tasting foods made with high-quality ingredients is an easy way to appeal to these value-seeking consumers. Look for products that feature real ingredients, such as chicken, and no artificial additives.
Consumers, in addition to being intrigued by getting a good value, are increasingly looking for high-quality foods when they visit foodservice locations. According to Technomic’s report, 62% say they are seeking out higher-quality menu items now versus two years ago.
For retailers, this trend of consumers looking for better-quality foods can be intimidating. But with ready-to-eat options such as Stouffer’s Ready-to-Eat Chicken Pot Pie, stores can offer the comfort food classics customers love without taking on the burden of making them from scratch.
Offering customer convenience without adding labor crunch
Labor costs have been top of mind for retailers for at least the past few years. With increases in wages and an ever-present labor shortage, it can be difficult for retailers to maintain their current operations, much less add to them. However, foodservice is no longer something that’s optional to offer. As consumers’ choices grow, competition for their dining dollars is increasing, with retailers working hard to offer the next big thing.
For retailers already feeling the crunch, offering prepared, ready-to-heat foods such as chicken pot pie means being able to offer hot, homemade-tasting food options without needing to hire additional staff to prepare food and cook on-site. With prepared foods from Stouffer’s, staff need only put the individually packaged products in a grab-and-go container, cold case or hot case.
With foods that offer great taste but require no preparation beyond heating, retailers can offer consumers the high-quality, great-tasting foods that they want—foods that taste like they are prepared on-premise—without having to spend on staff training or hiring dedicated foodservice workers. For convenience-store customers and retailers, it’s a win-win.
Learn more about Stouffer’s labor-saving offerings for c-stores, including Ready-to-Eat Chicken Pot Pies—made with tender white-meat chicken and savory vegetables in a creamy gravy, all in a flaky crust—visit nestleprofessional.us/stouffers.
This post is sponsored by STOUFFER’S®