The Top Five Foodservice Articles of 2017

The Top Five Foodservice Articles of 2017
Building Block Associates

Another year draws to a close for independent and chain foodservice operators alike. However, 2018 will not be any different as fast food operators seek to widen the gap between themselves, fast-casual operators and everyone else.

"Low prices will be the name of the game in 2018. Operators who cannot compete in a price war with the fast food chains should consider adding more value with menu and restaurant tech innovations," said Building Block Associates CEO/Founder, Dwayne Reno. "Fast food chains will continue to use deals/discounts and digital innovations to lure foot traffic away from competitors. Independents must differentiate themselves and increase marketing volumes to remain competitive in the months ahead," he also added.

The votes are in for this year's best foodservice articles of 2017. This list is comprised of the top five articles from our newsletter and blog posts that had you all clicking throughout 2017. We also added a few honorable mentions that came up shy of the top five rankings this year.

Once again, thank you all for your continued support; we have a lot more coming in 2018, so please subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so, enjoy.

The Top Five

5. Fast Food Operators Selling Alcohol: Would you like a Beer with that!?
The pairing of alcohol and food is nothing new for full service restaurants (FSR), many even offer extensive wine menus and food pairings via in-house wine sommeliers. However, what is new to the industry is the growing trend of fast food operators or quick service restaurants (QSR) adding alcohol to their menus in these highly competitive times. While uncommon in Canada, the bandwagon has been picking up steam in some parts of the U.S. for some years now, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anything soon, HERE.

4. C-stores the new Foodservice Challenger!?
First it was grocery retailers, now foodservice operators are about to welcome a not so new challenger into the mix. This challenger has been around for some time now and is a local hangout for customers young and old. The challenger is also well known to customers for being a convenient stop for a snack, something to drink and more recently freshly prepared foods, HERE.

3. Fast Food & Beverage Brands Are Using Data to Grow Profits
In the age of information having the right data can help almost anyone grow their business into a major success story and many fast food brands already know this. With competition on the rise many fast food chains and beverage companies have started to use data to help them increase profits, HERE.

2. Minimum Wage Increase, Again!
It’s been two years since the last wage increase pushed Ontario’s minimum wage to $11.40. Well, Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the minimum wage will increase two more times to $14 in 2018 and $15 in 2019. OK, I’ll let you catch your breath… now that you have recovered there’s more, she also mentioned new reforms to the rules that govern Ontario workplaces as well. These reforms will accompany the new wage increases as part of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act. Ok, let’s get right into it., HERE.

1. Is Mobile Order and Pay the Fast Food Gateway Technology of Choice?
It’s no secret that profits have slowed for foodservice operators. In a time when grocery store discounts are encouraging more and more Canadians to cook at home the foodservice industry needs new ways to grow shrinking profits. One route food operators have begun to travel down is automation, HERE.

Honorable Mentions

Everything Foodservice Operators Need to Know About Generational Groups
Nowadays a typical foodservice customer can be young, old, gluten free, vegan or carnivore. They also fall into generational groups which include millennials, Gen Xers, Baby Boomer and Generation Z. Each of these groups make buying decisions based off very different wants and needs; many like to keep things simple while others like to ride the yearly wave of food trends, HERE.

Fast Food Chains are Obsessed with Viral Marketing
As fast food chains try to close the gap between them and their fast-causal competitors the battle plays out across all major media platforms including Cable TV, Magazines, Newspapers, Internet and yes, social media. Fast food operators have since been seeing online growing consumer engagement with very creative ad campaigns, HERE.

Until next time your customers want to know why they should spend money at your restaurant, bar or cafe. So give them the goods!