c-store - Dennis Food Service

Driving C-Store Lunch Sales

Luke Labree — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 19:24:39 +0000

C-stores are doubling down on lunch as customer demand for options grows. Popular c-store fare like chicken, pizza and roller grill items remain customer favorites, while featured specials and LTOs keep the menu fresh.

Lunch sales are strong and continuing to steadily grow at Beck Suppliers Inc.’s FriendShip Food Stores, which operates 29 locations in Ohio. The company’s “famous” chicken accounts for well over half of the midday foodservice business with pizza following close behind, reported Kirk Matthews, the chain’s vice president of foodservice and marketing.

Both core items are proprietary and made fresh in the stores, giving FriendShip an edge over many of the competitors in its market areas. The chicken is coated with a distinctive savory crust, while the pizza is made from an original recipe sauce and special blend of herbs and spices.

At lunchtime, the best seller from the chicken case is a snack pack of two-to-three tenders with jojo potatoes, a roll and a drink, he pointed out. The stores also “sell the heck out of” a two-slices-for-$5 deal on pizza.

“While most pizzas at other stores and restaurants are usually 12 inches or 14 inches, ours is 16 inches, which we cut into six slices,” Matthews explained.

One way that FriendShip stores promote the chain’s lunchtime fare is by bundling the chicken or pizza with complementary items. For a recent NFL weekend promotion, for example, the company partnered with a soft drink producer to offer a large pie with a two-liter bottle for $7.99.

With chicken and pizza doing so well as lunchtime drivers, FriendShip stores are looking to broaden their appeal as a mid-day destination by offering and promoting other options such as Philly steak and pork rib sandwiches, both of which have been well received by customers during their recent menu appearances, Matthews noted. Other LTOs are on the schedule.

Hot Dogs & Grab and Go

In response to customer requests, FriendShip is also ramping up its roller grill program.

“Roller grill is the crux of c-store foodservice,” Matthews remarked. “Customers are asking for hot dogs.”

Besides the ubiquitous hot dogs, FriendShip’s roller grill offers cheddar wurst, Polish sausage and a seasonal LTO such as a hot and spicy dog. The grills are behind the counter for full service, but visible to customers.

Cold sandwiches are grab and go. To spice up that offering, the company is planning to give customers the option to order toppings such as lettuce, tomato and onion added to their sandwiches.

“Those toppings will be added behind the counter,” he said. “We’re not comfortable with self-serve bars yet.”

Matthews pointed out that a growing number of customers are looking for “better-for-you” options at lunchtime. Every day, the stores stock fresh fruit, fruit cups and at least three different types of salads — chef, Caesar and Cobb.

FriendShip is currently working to streamline its menu.

“We’re emphasizing value meals instead of constantly adding new items,” he noted. “Instead of having a lengthy and convoluted menu board, we would have customers purchasing tenders to pick a side and a drink to create their own value package.”

Wings, Hunks & Whole Pies

Hunt Brothers Pizza accounts for about 80% of lunch foodservice sales at Bob Costello’s Cozz Corner store in Oregon, Mo. The other 20% is from chicken wings, and homestyle and Buffalo wing bites also available from Hunt Brothers.

While whole pies sell well during the 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. lunchtime hours, “hunks” (one-quarter of a pizza) sold for grab and go from hot boxes are the most popular option.

Costello offers discount pricing when customers buy a pair of hunks or a double order of chicken.

New Pizza Concept

Clark’s Pump-N-Shop does a “sizeable” lunch business at its 66 locations in Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida and Ohio, according to Jessica Russell, the chain’s food service director.

“I would safely say that lunch accounts for 30% of our foodservice sales,” she added.

Freshly breaded, fried chicken is the main mid-day attraction at Clark’s.

To expand the business during the lunch and dinner dayparts, the company recently introduced a pizza concept called Hangar 54. Hangar 54 is a franchise program that Clark’s runs with its own employees.

“We spent two years working on providing our consumers with a great pizza,” Russell explained. “It was a long process and well worth the patience.”

Clark’s puts out fresh slices for grab and go every 45 minutes, or sooner if required. Whole pizzas, available on 14-inch original and 10-inch gluten-friendly crusts, are out the door in less than 10 minutes.

Source: Marilyn Odesser-Torpey, CStore Decisions via GreatMenusStartHere.com

Easy DIY Digital Menu Boards for Restaurants & Foodservice

Luke Labree — Thu, 27 May 2021 17:09:06 +0000

Try this low-cost, do-it-yourself solution that turns any TV into a digital menu board.

Most of today’s flat-screen televisions feature the ability to play images and videos from a USB flash drive (also known as jump-drive, or thumb-drive). Simply plug a jump-drive of content into the USB port of your TV to showcase your menu, photos, or videos. Some TVs even allow your content to play on loop with a slideshow. Here are the steps:

1. You can use any TV that is equipped with a USB port capable of playing media. I’ve found Vizio Smart TVs to be a reliable and cost-effective option.
2. Buy the VESA mount you like from Amazon.
3. Make a menu design using PowerPoint.
4. Export the menu as a Jpeg and save it to a jump drive.
5. Plug the jump drive into the USB port on the TV.
6. Turn on the TV and select the USB port as the input. Browse to your menu graphic and “play” it.
  Some TVs can display multiple images as a slideshow, so it could be multiple menu pages, or a menu and pictures of food.

Here’s how to do it!

But, not all televisions are created equal.

Ever wonder why some TVs are much cheaper than others even though they are the same size? TV manufacturers can create a range of models and slash prices by removing premium features. The ability for a TV to read and display content from a jump drive often falls under that “premium feature” umbrella. If your TV has a USB port, but when you plug a jump drive in nothing happens… it most likely means that your TV’s USB port is there to provide power only.

No USB? No problem.

You don’t need a fully functional USB port as long as your TV has an HDMI port. When plugged into your HDMI port the ‘Micca Speck 1080p Full-HD Ultra Portable Digital Media Player’ provides you with a USB, and more. If you’ve got an extra TV kicking around, I highly recommend this little device. Why? Because in 2020 I helped a customer set up 3 of these on used TVs – and it worked flawlessly. The Micca Speck is a cheap, powerful media player that can display multiple images and video formats in full HD quality. The player comes with a remote control and connects to your TV via HDMI cable. It also includes some noteworthy features such as an SD memory card reader, USB port, automatic restart after a power failure, and a durable aluminum case exterior.

Menu Image Pro-Tip

Microsoft PowerPoint slides can be set to a default size of “1080p” or 1920×1080 (the same aspect ratio as our modern television displays). Often 1920×1080 is already the default PowerPoint template size, if not you can change it. Once you’ve created your menu simply “export” the slide as a jpeg image and copy it to your jump drive. Because the image is exported as 1920×1080 pixels your menu should display on your TV exactly how it appeared in PowerPoint.

Of course, you can use any application you’re comfortable with to create your digital menu artwork. And there are many more methods, services, and devices you could utilize to display your electronic signage… this one just happens to follow one of my favorite business strategies – highly effective and inexpensive.

If you’re already having your menus designed and printed by an outside company, a TV-ready digital version of your menu could be just a conversation away.

*PowerPoint stuck in 4×3 aspect ratio? Try this!

If you see black bars on the left and right of your content, it means your slides are set to a 4×3 aspect ratio.

Go to the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint.
Select “Set Up Slide Show”
Change the “Slide show resolution” from ‘Use Current Resolution’ to ‘1920×1080’

Micca Speck 1080p Full-HD Ultra Portable Digital Media Player

Episode 36 – New Products, C-Store News & Wisdom from a Toilet Paper Salesman

Luke Labree — Sat, 02 Dec 2017 19:35:55 +0000

In this week’s episode we’ve 13 new products, a report about c-store predictions for the future and sound advice from a toilet paper salesman.

For this week’s foodie fact, revealing the source of our inspiration would give the answer away… Do you think you know what popular dessert first came about as a savory dish in an 18th century France. You’ll find the answer in this episode.

LISTEN ON ITUNES LISTEN ON CASTBOX

Also in this episode, our new Dessert of the month page is mentioned. Featuring seasonally inspired items in limited quantities. To learn more about our Dessert of the Month page you can jump directly to it on our website here: www.dennisexpress.com/dessert-of-the-month

Links and product information mentioned in this episode include our website: www.DennisExpress.com. The C-Store report from King-Casey here. And the link to order a copy of Michael Mirarchi’s book “Sales Wisdom from a Toilet Paper Salesman.”

We look forward to your feedback – email us at podcast@dennisexpress.com!

Subscribe to the Podcast – Subscribe Now (Subscribe with iTunes)

Episode 32 – C-Store Foodservice, Food News and New Products!

Luke Labree — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 19:04:53 +0000

In this special unedited episode of Dennis Knows Food we’re talking about convenience foodservice and freshness to-go.

When it comes to food from “c-stores” – even with convenience foodservice sales exceeding $34 billion dollars a year – negative consumer perceptions still exist around the category. Recent research has shown that there is plenty of room for continued innovation when it comes to foodservice in c-stores, and that putting quality first in certain areas can have a positive impact on food sales.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

October 1st saw the celebration of National Pumpkin Spice Day, so naturally, our foodie fact for the week is inspired by pumpkins! The first pumpkin pies were not as we know them today. Discover their humble pie beginning in this episode!

Links and product information mentioned in this episode include our website: www.DennisExpress.com. The article about algae as a food source [LINK] and the article about wild blueberry health benefits [LINK].

We look forward to your feedback – email us at podcast@dennisexpress.com!

Subscribe to the Podcast – Subscribe Now (Subscribe with iTunes)