Weekly Roundup – Week of 11.28.2022

December 2, 2022

Today’s roundup highlights food and beverage-related news stories covering the past two weeks – all curated by our team of strategists and food enthusiasts:

Pretzels’ Tasty Comeback

Pretzel innovation lacked luster until a small North Dakota company introduced the brand Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels to the snack food category. Bold flavor was the primary reason for Dot’s success with 80% of people saying it was the factor that brought them to the brand, according to a recent study. Furthermore, data from IRI shows that Dot’s moved into second place (behind Synder’s of Hanover) among branded [snack] items with $274 million in sales during the 52 weeks ending August 7, a jump of nearly 60%. Confection goliath, Hershey’s, wanted to take a bite of this once sluggish category and purchased Dot’s and its Midwest co-manufacturer Pretzels Inc. for $1.2 billion last November. “We just didn’t see it, as an industry, as a very big category until all of a sudden flavored pretzels blew up on the scene,” said Randy Johnson, president of Dot’s. Flavor and shape innovation is expected to drive continued growth in this category as smaller regional and private-label brands make their way into the mix. Learn More.

Elevating The Hotel Dining Experience

The new and only hotel-centric technology platform, CAMO Eats, is transforming overall hotel dining experiences. According to the Foodbeast article, hospitality industry veteran, Kevin Rohani, built CAMO Eats with the consumers’ and hotels’ interests at the forefront, realizing that we no longer should be subjected to hotel food that’s pricey, limited in choices, and of poor quality. “We want to provide better quality food, more freedom of choice, faster delivery, and lower cost,” shared Rohani. This new platform promises to offer hotels with “the brands, technology and off-premise demand needed to elevate a property’s visibility, reach and cash flows.” CAMO Eats’ culinary concepts give hotels the ability to efficiently enhance the quality of room service and onsite dining with fresh-prepared foods delivered fast and fresh. Read More.

Chipotlanes Drive Continued Growth

Offering only inside ordering service, Chipotle set out to provide its loyal fans with more convenient ordering options and even quicker service by adding a mobile ordering pick-up window to its restaurants, called Chipotlanes. Tabassum Zalotrawala, Chipotle’s chief development officer, told Restaurant Dive that they wanted to become more visible, relevant, and convenient while driving digital growth. The chain utilized its app and online ordering platform to “let customers order their food without waiting in line behind another car or giving their order to a speaker box,” Zalotrawala said. This investment paid off for Chipotle as units with Chipotlanes realized higher sales margins and returns above non-Chipotlane locations. The chain has over 500 Chipotlanes and plans to add 255 to 285 restaurants in 2023 with 80% of them featuring Chipotlanes. See The Full Article.

Grocers See Gains In Foodservice and Prepared Foods

Based on recent findings from NielsenIQ, grocers’ foodservice and prepared foods have rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels with sales that hit $31.3 billion in the 52 weeks ending Aug. 27, up 9.3% from the year-ago period, and deli sales reached $47.9 billion in the same time period, up 12.3% from a year ago. Data acknowledged that discounts and healthier offerings give grocers a competitive advantage in value and options over restaurants. FMI’s new report complemented this data citing that, “The focus on healthy foodservice has taken a big jump in 2022 and shoppers have increased interest in nutritious/healthful options when buying deli-prepared foods from a grocery store. Two-thirds of shoppers now emphasize this aspect.” Meal bundles, limited-time, and seasonal offerings along with daily features – think taco Tuesdays – can boost grocers’ competitive edge even more. Read On.

Say What?

We’ve heard of mood rings and straws that change color based on mood or beverage temperatures. Coors Light has introduced Chill Polish in partnership with Le Chat. Nail aficionados and Coors Light fans can watch their nails, painted with Chill Polish, turn from gray to blue – just like the brand’s mountains – while holding an ice cold Coors Light in a pint glass. “We’ve brought our cold-activated technology to nail polish to ensure your pint of beer is just the right temp for drinking,” said Marcelo Pascoa, Vice President of Marketing for the Coors Family of Brands.

On a more lucrative note, a man found a $4.8 million check made out to Haribo, the gummy bear giant. While traveling through Frankfurt to visit his mother, Anouar G. discovered the check floating atop a train platform. He reported the missing check to Haribo thinking his good Samaritan ways might mean a little cash in his pocket, too. Unfortunately for him, the company requested he destroy the check and as a reward, sent him six bags of gummies. Yum.

Stop back every Friday for more of our curated favorites!