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FOODSERVICE – FOOD ON THE GO FROM PAGE 31 look for ways 7-Eleven can make their day easier through the food-on-the-go options available. “They’ll want healthier and sustainable choices, including low fat, plant-based, high protein, an increase in food that promotes good gut health, plus vegan friendly and vegetarian options,” she said. “They’ll want delicious and indulgent treats and snacks available when they choose. Providing easy-to-eat, on-the- go options as well as good quality, good value products in a well presented, clean store with great customer service will remain the foundation of convenience.” Ampol’s Foodary a destination for food Foodservice is at the forefront of Ampol’s Foodary shop offering. According to Ampol General Manager of Merchandising and Supply Chain Martine Cooper, the retailer offers its customers a wide-ranging selection of tasty hot food at selected sites across the country, with all locations catering for both breakfast and lunch across extended or 24-hour operating hours. “For our roadhouses and truck stops, foodservice is an additional selling point to an already strong customer offer,” she said. “At these locations, it’s important to have a well-rounded service, and our customers appreciate that they can pull into our sites to refuel and relax with a coffee and meal, then be on their way with a cold drink and snack for the journey ahead. “For our suburban sites, we’ve become a destination for breakfast and lunch, which differentiates us from competitors.” In terms of popular foods and meals, Ms Cooper notes that it’s hard to narrow down a single item, but she acknowledges that Ampol’s “golden deep-fried range” is always popular as a quick snack or meal. “The performance of our breakfast range continues to grow, and our bacon and egg roll with a hash brown is a great breakfast option for people on the go,” she said. “Our restaurants offer a fully cooked breakfast and lunch, with dinner options at select locations. Items include burgers, chicken schnitzels and steaks, with mash or chips and salad. All these items remain popular and continue to grow.” Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Cooper says Ampol’s sites have been impacted by restrictions at various locations. “At impacted restaurants, we had to enforce seating restrictions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our store teams and our customers,” she said. Despite this, Ms Cooper says the retailer has achieved “consistent strong performance” across the foodservice category since mid-2020. Ampol expects this to continue as customers get back out on the road and holiday closer to home. “With domestic and international travel restricted, people will be spending more time travelling within their state,” Ms Cooper said. “Ampol serves the needs of hungry travellers with a high-quality food offer that continues to be relevant, while at the same time catering to the other diversifying needs of our customers.” Foodservice according to NightOwl NightOwl regards foodservice as one of the key areas for focus and growth over the next five to 10 years. According to NightOwl Senior Marketing and Communications Coordinator Glenys Tristram, many discussions and studies indicate that the trend towards smaller families or people choosing to live alone will continue, leading to a growing opportunity to provide quick and easy food-to-go options. “We also know that the technology driven millennials and Gen Zs are instant-satisfaction generations who consider true convenience to be foodservice delivered directly to them, and they don’t mind paying for that convenience,” she said. When asked about specific foods or meals that may be performing particularly well, Ms Tristram says sales at all NightOwl stores are reflective of the local consumer community that they reside in. “So, where some stores have found prepared meals such as Youfoodz or My Muscle Chef sell particularly well,” she said, “others see the traditional pie and coke deals leading the category sales.” In terms of Covid-19, Ms Tristram notes that while it has caused some impact during times of hard lockdown, it hasn’t been a driver of change for NightOwl in the foodservice category. “What has made an impact is a renewed focus on making sure that we have a generous selection of products in our hot boxes and sandwich displays, and that they’re presented exceptionally well, specifically during our busy times,” she said. “Also, a number of our stores have received some very big, whole-store renovations and these stores have all shown significant growth in foodservice as a result.” Ms Tristram also notes that while NightOwl is well aware of the trend towards heathier eating and better-for- you options, such as protein enriched yoghurts, or the trend towards vegan lifestyles, the business believes that its customers are not prepared yet to give up their sausage rolls and meat pies. “We tested a meat-free pie option,” she said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t sell. So, for now, we’ve discontinued it. The buying team will continue to evaluate any better-for-you products.” Considering the future, Ms Tristram adds: “We believe that the NightOwl foodservice offering will continue to be an area of growth and we’ll continue to measure, adjust and pivot where needed to remain relevant to our customers’ needs.” 32 CONVENIENCE WORLD MAR/APR, 2021