SheeFood

Waffles are All the Rage

Boy howdy is Wendy’s ever on-trend. The same week as the NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, the chain announces its new Frosty Waffle Cones in vanilla and chocolate. While I walked the floor, I was amazed with all the waffle action. From that, I determined that waffles are the dark horse in foodservice trends. I don’t even think Nancy Kruse mentioned waffles in her menu trend workshop session.

But trend, they are. Taco Bell is said to be in early testing stages of a waffle taco—sausage and scrambled eggs in a folded waffle “taco.”

In the past year, Baskin-Robbins offered a Warm Belgian Waffle Sundae with two scoops of Pralines ‘n Cream ice cream, warm caramel praline topping, whipped cream and a cherry on top.

The take-by-storm trend could be an effort to re-popularize an American comfort food. Or maybe there’s just so much innovation that can be attached to the category.

One thing is for sure, I’m rooting for my new NRA waffle buddy Justin Samuels, managing partner of Waffle Waffle based in Carlstadt, N.Y.

His waffle story was so fascinating I tape recorded it so I wouldn’t lose it. He and his college roommate, Sam Rockwell, formed Waffle Waffle in their dorm room at the University of Wisconsin at Madison less than three years ago. Justin studied abroad in Europe his junior year where they served Belgium liege-style waffles. The venues drew long lines. Meanwhile, Sam visited ski mountains and stood in long lines himself waiting to get into waffle houses for the delicious waffles dipped in chocolate with ice cream. When they met back up at school, they both went in search of similar waffles and couldn’t find any. So they started their own waffle company.

They make retail waffles that sell in the freezer section. “We literally went store to store speaking to people talking to them to just try to get them to taste it. They would say ‘Hey, I like this, let’s speak to my manager,” and moved on up the chain.” Justin told me.

They have foodservice-size packages of the waffles, but they’ve also developed an interesting program in which operators can make their own by using Waffle Waffle’s irons and dough. The secret is in the sugar nibs they import from Europe that melt at a much higher point than the waffles are cooked at. This makes them crunchy. “You get this nice sugar pop in your mouth in every single bite,” he said. It’s sweet enough that it’s not necessary to add syrup.

And then there’s waffle cones. “You can put the dough into a waffle cone maker and make fantastic cones. Even after it’s cooled you get the hard crispy outside with the chewy inside.”

I tried the waffles. They were delicious. Sweet for sure. Their flavors are original, chocolate chip, cinnamon, red velvet, chocolate cocoa, seasonal pumpkin and egg nog.

I loved the story, and they picked the right food item at the right time. Look them up at www.mywafflewaffle.com.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

The Best of the NRA Restaurant Show

I just returned from the National Restaurant Association convention in Chicago. I walked miles among—what—2,000 booths? I confess, I didn’t study every booth. I was on the fruit and vegetable beat for The Packer newspaper. But I was impressed in many non-produce ways. So from my scope, I’ll give you the convention winners:

Best Drink: Bill’s World Famous Lemonade Shake Ups. A form of the lemonade has been around at county fairs for 60 years, but only recently did the company, Barkley Beverage LLC, revise its sugar mix to fewer calories and partner promotionally with Sunkist, using its sectionizer equipment (and of course its lemons). Those who buy in get to use the Bill’s World Famous brand name and logo and agree to use the proper equipment, supplies and recipe. It was simply the best lemonade!

Best Try: Savory Tea from Numi Organics. The vegetable tea and spice infusions tasted ghastly, but that doesn’t matter. It is such a unique idea, I’m sure someone loves them. They told me that for a 90-day exclusive, Whole Foods has been selling them since March. Maybe Whole Foodies would like the flavors: beet cabbage, spinach chive, tomato mint, broccoli cilantro, carrot curry and fennel spice. I told them the tea needs sugar. They laughed a horrified laugh.

Around Every Corner: I couldn’t get away from waffles or coffee. That should tell me what article ideas to pitch to editors. I’m talking waffle irons, waffle batter mix, waffle cones, waffle trucks and the best waffle business story involving two college guys. That’s fodder for another blog post. And coffee? That’s generic for mocha latte, caramel latte, mocha frappe, etc., mixes. Ghirardelli and others were there pushing their mixes. The frozen drinks were worth going back for. Then I came across a touchscreen machine that makes it all—FoamMaster from Franke Coffee Systems. Its greatest ability is to fill the glass with milk foam to make lattes and cappuccinos. It’s all a dream for Millennials, who probably wouldn’t touch plain old black coffee.

Best Kid Entertainment: Wikki Stix. They probably aren’t new, but I was drawn to them, and if that’s the case, kids who would otherwise be screaming through the restaurant are bound to sit still and work on their art project. It’s a package of colorful twistable plastic sticks that also stick to paper, so kids can form 3-D art, or stick them to a connect-the-dot picture.

Something I didn’t try: Mini herb and flower crystals. After everything else I ate on the show floor, I just wasn’t in the mood for flower crystals. But I brought some home: Fresh basil; fresh mint; fennel flower; and rose petals. They’re for the rim of the glass, but surely there must be other delicious applications. That’s something for the company to explore and promote.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Pass Me Another Donut, Please

I’m still sweet on donuts. Please indulge me. Last time I pondered and puzzled over Dunkin Donut’s conflicted marketing plan—where the thinking appears to be, “First, let’s fatten them up, then let’s offer egg whites and an exercise plan so we look like a responsible corporate citizen.”

This time I’m looking at Krispy Kreme. It has a robust marketing plan too, and it’s much more comfortable. I just hope the company doesn’t get weird on us and switch to a better-for-you strategy.

Last week (the week of April 22), the company announced two lovely promotions that have nothing to do with dieting.

The first promotion centers on summer vacation, beginning with two new seasonal donuts—Key Lime Cake and Key Lime Cheesecake—and then a Krispy Kreme Key Lime Staycation Prize Pack Sweepstakes. The prize involves donuts, beverages, beach balls, towels, etc.  

The second promotion was a buy-one-dozen-get-one-dozen-free offer, good for one day only. Sorry, it’s over. The title of the promotion was A Dozen Ways To Honor Your Everyday Superheroes. The idea was… buy a dozen for yourself, and then get a second dozen free to give to “unheralded heroes who live in our communities and serve the public as police officers, fire fighters, military, teachers, doctors, volunteers and many more.”

Now, isn’t that sweet? The company encouraged random acts of kindness. It fostered good will. Of course some people would get the free second dozen and eat it themselves, but if they are going to feel guilty for something, let them feel guilty for that and not for eating a donut and failing to run a 10K to make up for it.

I think that companies offering indulgence should celebrate it. Consumers don’t feel as guilty as media attention to obesity would suggest.

I wrote Mintel’s Dining Out: A 2013 Look Ahead, January 2013 report, and according to the consumer survey conducted for the report, 79% of consumers typically order what they crave when they go out to a restaurant, indicating that they desire indulgence.

So I guess I would encourage Dunkin Donut’s to take a lesson from Krispy Kreme. Don’t be ashamed to sell donuts.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Let's Talk Over Donuts and Coffee

Who does not love a donut? My first job was pushing donuts at Mister Donut, and my greatest memory was being able to bring home as many donuts each day as I wanted. And I did—without gaining an ounce.

These days, I, like others, can’t look at a donut without gaining 2 pounds. I close my eyes when I drive by a donut joint.

So I’m a bit conflicted over Dunkin’ Donuts’ new healthy push. The chain is dreaming up lighter fare—items with fewer than 400 calories, like its new Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich. And, bless its heart, it is partnering with  Runner’s World to develop 5K and 10K training programs. Thank you. Because without a running plan, Dunkin’ Donuts fans could end up in a pine box unseemly early. So, yes, the lower-calorie meals and running plan are great.

But on the other hand, the chain has incredibly efficient gift cards you can load online, including mobily, for yourself or to give as a gift. (Let’s make paying for our sins as easy as possible.)

And then, have a look at its latest promotion. Earlier this month, Dunkin’ Donuts announced its Spring Pastel Donuts. Yum. Here’s the description from its press release: The Spring Showers Donut features a yeast shell, filled with apple raspberry jelly, and topped with strawberry and pastel green icing drizzle over white dipping icing. The Spring Fling Donut is a yeast ring donut, frosted with strawberry icing and topped with pastel green and pastel yellow drizzle. Both Spring Pastel Donuts are available at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide through May.

But of course, don’t eat them. Be DDSmart and opt for the Egg White Veggie Flatbread. You see what I mean about being conflicted? It’s like sending an alcoholic into a liquor store for bottled water. It’s just probably not going to happen.

Maybe the healthy options are to eliminate the veto factor. Let’s imagine that for a second.

“Mom, I want three jelly-filled donuts for breakfast.”

“You do? I kind of feel like oatmeal. They have great oatmeal at Dunkin’ Donuts. Go jump in the car, kids.”

Or the other way around. Mom wants to feed her kids nutritiously, so she hauls the fam to Dunkin’ Donuts to get them egg whites while she scarfs down a Boston Kreme filled glazed yeast donut.  “Keep your mitts off my donut and hurry up with that egg white, Susie.”

Well, I was going to finish up by talking about coffee here, but I got carried away with donuts. However, I did write an article for the April issue of The National Culinary Review about spiked coffee drinks. You can find that on the right under “The Bigger Buzz.”

Tell me what you think.

Jody

It's a Wrap

I think wraps are divine. Both from a consumer and business standpoint. They are better than sandwiches, because if they are done right—with ingredients swaddled snuggly in a tortilla—there’s nowhere they can’t go, and nothing they can’t hold.

McDonald’s is onboard now with entrée (vs. snack) wraps, and so I figure we can expect fast invention now, because when McDonald’s sneezes, everyone gets a cold. Although, with this, they might be a little behind.

In summary, the Golden Arches is going national with Premium McWraps in three flavors and including fresh produce: Sweet Chili Chicken; Chicken & Bacon; and Chicken & Ranch.

Burger King dabbles in wraps, with a current LTO Chipotle Chicken Wrap.

But now, let’s get a little adventurous. Remember, wraps are good at confining unwieldy ingredients. Any chain could wrap and roll with its signature ingredients. Sonic, what about your tater tots? The Cheesecake Factory, couldn’t you cram a little keylime cheesecake in a tortilla? Applebee’s has come close with a Q1 2013 menu addition, “creamy cheesecake and caramel apples wrapped in a  flour tortilla and lightly fried, rolled in cinnamon sugar and placed on a bed of roasted apples, served with ice cream and topped with caramel sauce.” Well, that’s not portable, but what’s poured on the outside could be crammed inside and made to go.

People like the portability of wraps, and tortillas are a dime a dozen. In fact, chains could get tortillas made just for them with designs on them, or their name branded on them. There’s a custom-tortilla business out there with someone’s name on it. Maybe I’ll look for that at the National Restaurant Association show in May.

Let’s watch what happens with wraps over the next year. Tell me if you’ve seen any interesting ones out there lately. It’s an ideal theme for food trucks.

What do you think?

Jody

Take a Swig of Vegetables

Baby Boomers, remember with me the first time fruit/vegetable drinks became popular. It was in the 1960s, early 70s. They were enjoyed in the context of mini dresses, go-go boots, loud colors with swirly patterns, The Beatles, Woodstock, lava lamps, black lights, incense, pop-top chains, tree huggers… Oh, where do I stop?

Tree huggers. Those were the folks most likely to drink fruit and vegetable drinks. Back then, they juiced carrots, turnips, spinach and who knows what else because the drinks were natural. Natural became the fabric of the culture. Back then, nature was your mother, father, brother and sister. Can’t you just hear it… “Peace, love and flower power!”

Sorry if you’re not a Baby Boomer and you don’t understand a word of this.

Today, we have fruit and vegetable drinks, but in a different context. We’re fighting obesity and just trying to live healthier lives on the run. We have a New York City mayor who is vocally concerned about what we’ve become accustomed to drinking.

In the olden days, the fruit and vegetable drinks were relegated to home juicing and health food stores with bells above the doors.

Today, just check out the juice sections of any grocery store, including the shelf-stable juice aisle, the frozen juice section and the fresh refrigerated juices in the produce department.

And restaurants? Fruit drinks have long been popular, obviously for their sweet flavor, but what about those vegetables in an era far removed from tree hugging? It’s not such a scary business proposition when the likes of Coca Cola with its Odwalla brand and PepsiCo with its Naked Juice label have safely and successfully acclimated consumers to the idea of drinking their vegetables.

• Tropical Smoothie Café just introduced the Island Green Smoothie made with fresh spinach, kale, mango, pineapple and banana; and the Caribbean Carrot Smoothie with carrots, mango, banana, goji and orange juice.  

• Jamba Juice has an interesting ingredient list on its Tropical Harvest Smoothie. Imagine the combination of mangos, peaches, yellow vegetable juice (sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash) and passion mango juice.

Okay, granted, these outlets are along the healthy highway. We still have a long ways to go. How about Denny’s or The Cheesecake Factory offering fruit and vegetable blended drinks? Maybe we’re not that far along, and that’s why I say there’s growth opportunity. These drinks can command a higher price.

I would expect Subway or McDonald’s to dive in to fruit and vegetable drinks next to fit with their expanding health image initiative. It would be easy. Simply bring in a line of Odwalla or Naked Juice. Consumers may be about ready to make these drinks a part of their lifestyle.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Where is that Restaurant’s Website?

Don’t you hate it when a restaurant you try to Google doesn’t have a website? I do. It makes me talk to my computer. Here’s how my one-sided conversation usually goes: “What!? I can’t believe there’s no website! How am I supposed to find out what kind of food they serve? Or what the chef’s name is? Or how to contact them? Well, forget them.”

My personal rants are typically in the context of looking for exemplary restaurants and chefs to feature in magazine articles. I cross the potential source off my list after one of these episodes.

And I’m just a writer. What about potential customers who have the same conversation with their computer after not finding a restaurant website? It’s a big enough issue that I asked to write an article about restaurants that don’t have websites for The National Culinary Review magazine. (You’ll find it to the right under “my articles.” It’s called “Win with the Web.”)

In my research, I found that:

• Some 48.7% of independent restaurants don’t have a website.
• Only 4.2% of independent restaurants have a mobile website.
• Only 39.5% of independents that do have a website display their menu on their website.

The restaurant stats come from a survey of 2,600 independent restaurants. The researching company called each restaurant that admitted to not having a website to find out why. The answers are in the article.

But here’s what I have to say to all the independent restaurants that don’t have a website, and I won’t be snarky.

“I know you have your reasons, but if you will put up a simple website, you will increase your business and sales, which will more than offset the minor cost of putting up and maintaining a website. There are individuals out there who can help you. Do a food trade-out with them. You will be amazed when you are able to see how many people visit your website, what page they look at most, and how long they spend on your website. It will help you understand your guests and potential guests more. By all means, get a website!”

For those who already have websites, my research also led to some common errors and some website best practices. I’ll share three of them here, because they are so important.

• Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. Why? Because 25%-30% of all restaurant searches are on mobile devices, and you don’t want would-be guests throwing their cell phones out their car windows in frustration trying to get information from your website.
• Flash photography is beautiful, but save it for a slide presentation. It slows down the website search and doesn’t work on mobile devices.
• When posting your menu (and please do post your menu), include a text version and not just a pdf. Google does not read pdf text. You want guests to be able to find your menu on a Google search.

I’m hoping that independent chefs everywhere will read this and add “put up a website” to their priority list.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Slotting Fee Figures at Last!

I recently learned a secret that I have wanted to know for 20 years. When I was associate editor for Produce Merchandising (now Produce Retailing) magazine, I often heard suppliers bemoan the harsh reality of slotting fees. Many could not get their products onto store shelves because of these unconscionable levies. But for me to write an article on the topic was impossible. No grocery store retailer would agree to an interview on the topic. (What? Confess that gouging suppliers was a common and accepted business practice?) No supplier was willing to talk about it either, because if they badmouthed retailers, they might never get their product on the shelf.

So, a few months ago, I was working on an article for The National Culinary Review about how chefs can bottle their salad dressings or package their spice rubs, etc. and sell them at retail for an additional income stream. And there in the middle of one of my routine interviews, a restaurateur brought up slotting fees and attached an amount to it, and I was shocked.

I was talking to Steve Sazama, owner of Milwaukee-based Saz’s Hospitality Group with its Saz’s State House restaurant and other culinary empires. He described how he has gotten many of his products on Wisconsin store shelves, including three Saz’s BBQ sauces; BBQ baby back ribs; BBQ pork meat, and much more.

But he wasn’t very encouraging to other chefs who might want to do the same thing. He said, “With slotting fees, it’s prohibitive unless you have deep pockets.” He said that in Wisconsin, slotting fee amounts vary—from $5,000 to $10,000. For frozen product, it’s higher, starting at around $16,000!

How does it work? You pay it once to get your product in, and if store muckety-mucks decide after four to six months that they don’t want to carry it any more, your product is out of there. No refund. That fee gets you a product number and into their database. Then you fill the shelves the first time with free product.

That’s criminal.

In my article (Restaurant to Retail, which you can read off to the right) I only spent two sentences talking about slotting fees, since it wasn’t my main point. But I wonder what others have experienced. Maybe someday I will get to write an investigative piece about this highly sensitive and secret topic. Let me know what you think or have experienced.

Jody

Snack Trend Changes Everything

What do McDonald’s Dollar Menu, KFC’s Popcorn Chicken and convenience store roller dogs have in common? Anyone who grasps the answer has the key to unlock the door to sales success in 2013 and beyond. The answer has less to do with price than it does with a change in America’s eating pattern.

The U.S. is increasingly a snacking nation, starting with Millennials, who are aged 19-36 in 2013.

• When they dine out, 44% of consumers look for food that is easy to eat on the go, but it’s 55% of Millennial men and 58% of Millennial women, according to consumer research conducted for Mintel’s soon-to-be-released Dining Out: A 2013 Look Ahead—U.S., January 2013 report.
• Half of college students say they tend to snack throughout the day rather than eat three meals a day, and it’s 56% of women, according to Mintel’s University Foodservice—U.S., February 2013 report, which will be released in February.

There are plenty of other studies out there that prove snacking is on the rise. And so we’re back to McDonald’s, KFC and c-stores.

I just read that 7-Eleven plans to earn 20% of its sales from fresh foods by 2015. It wants to attract health-conscious consumers and better compete with Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks. I think they can reach that 20% if they tweak the focus away from health (I know that’s not PC, but let’s get real) and put/keep their focus on snackable fresh items—some of which can be healthful. That means rethink salads, and maybe even sandwiches, and go with dipable chicken pieces, fresh cookies, yogurt and granola, smoothies… that kind of thing.

I also read that KFC was surprised when its popcorn chicken was so successful (raking in $20 million in a 6-week promotion and representing more than $1 billion in yearly international sales). That should not surprise anyone. Everyone, pay attention. Just offer bite-size anything and it will do well—it’s a snack or a meal! How could it go wrong, unless the taste is horrible?

Here’s another surprise that shouldn’t have been a surprise. McDonald’s U.S. same-store sales in November jumped 2.4% driven by the chains increased efforts to market its Dollar Menu. Analysts were shocked. They shouldn’t have been. Besides saying “cheap,” a dollar says “snack.” The two go together well.

And that may be the success of the future. Combine small portions, convenience, and cheap, and you have snacks. Success will follow. This works for any channel that has a convenience factor, as in quick-serve restaurants, convenience stores, food trucks, grocery store check-out lines, etc.

Let’s watch and see who “gets it” in 2013.  

Tell me what you think.

Jody

Darden’s Reaction to Obamacare Hurts the Company

Since the dust has settled from the re-election of Obama, the restaurant industry is grappling with the fact that the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) is going to stand. There will be no repealing.

What that means to foodservice was put rather succinctly in a press release from the National Restaurant Association in June. “Employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees must offer ‘affordable’ health insurance of minimum value to full-time employees and their dependents or pay penalties. The cost of such coverage or the penalties could threaten the very slim profit margin on which most restaurants operate.”

Some chains, like Darden with its Olive Garden and Red Lobster brands, to name a few, said during election season that it would solve the problem by bringing its full-time employees down to part-time and new hires would be part-time.

Coming from big restaurant brands, it was a powerful statement against Obamacare. But it turned on them. They forgot that they serve intelligent human beings, not robots, in their restaurants.

Darden actually went as far as to experiment with hiring part-time rather than full-time employees in a few markets. They wanted to measure/compare costs.

The result? Those intelligent human beings, turns out, voted with their wallets. They stayed away from Darden, and the chain began to struggle. In its fiscal Q2, same-store sales fell 2.7%. Its stock fell 10% this week. Outwardly, the company is blaming it on other things. But also this week, Darden said it wouldn’t cut workers hours to avoid paying for health care.

This week I was writing the Mintel report to be released in January, “Dining Out: A 2013 Look Ahead,” and I was intrigued with a consumer-survey statistic that relates to all this and that every restaurant brand should know. Consumers were asked to what extent certain factors influence their restaurant choices. Some 40% said “The foodservice establishment actively supports charities, community organizations or causes that I also support.” The number is higher for Millennials (48% for men and 43% for women).

Let me translate: “Oh, you’re planning to rip off your employees? Well, I’m not eating at your restaurants.”

Consumers voting on restaurants by giving/withholding business is going to continue and grow. They feel increasingly empowered. Restaurants being ethically responsible is as expected as their being environmentally responsible in the minds of the new generation.

Still, restaurants will have to figure out a way to handle the increased healthcare costs, and there could be stalled restaurant growth because of the added expense. But restaurant brands will have to work on diplomacy. Darden taught everyone that lesson.

Now tell me what you think.

Jody