DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 13 | 2018

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1. BREAKFAST GETS A KFC MAKEOVER

KFC Canada has launched a new version of its Double Down burger – the ‘Waffle Double Down’. Since its launch in 2010 in the US, 2017 in the UK; the Double Down (fried chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese filling) has become KFC’s most successful and talked about sandwich. KFC has decided to up the ante and tap into the most classic of American soul dishes – chicken and waffles. Dubbed the ‘Breakfast of Champions’, the ‘Waffle Double Down’ features two fried chicken fillets sandwiching a Belgian waffle and drizzled in Canadian maple syrup aioli. Also look out for April Fool’s launches this weekend – such as this inspired idea by Burger King >>

2. SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS - MADRID & LISBON

Following our recent travels, we thought we would share some of our food experiences in Madrid (Spain) and Lisbon (Portugal). We visited a cross section of QSR outlets, street food markets, tapas bars, delicatessens and supermarkets. Click here to see our capture of new and established players in these vibrant food destinations – Madrid and Lisbon >>

3. BE BOLD, DISRUPT OR BE DISRUPTED

This week, McDonald’s UK chief Paul Pomroy commented on the “perfect storm” facing food retailers amidst economic uncertainty and cautious consumer spending. He gave a passionate call to action, asking businesses to be bold, innovative and disruptive to survive and flourish. In the US, Walmart and Kroger have opened new Culinary & Innovation centres. Starbucks’ new 20,000-square-foot Tryer Innovation Center in Seattle tackles the pace of innovation, “the ability to learn as fast as possible with as little investment as possible and then over time, to create and transform how we innovate”. Starbucks employees can take an idea to a prototype or a digital mockup in less than 24 and up to 48 hours.

4. WHAT GOT AMERICA TALKING…

One of America’s most popular TV shows made a comeback this week after 21 years – Roseanne – with an unexpected star taking the limelight. ‘Loose meat sandwiches’ is apparently a midwestern specialty, similar to a sloppy joe without the red sauce. The recipe varies but essential components are grilled onions, crumbled ground beef, and mustard – sometimes garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Click here to understand their enthusiasm for this simple Roseanne lunchbox classic – loose meat sandwiches>>

5. APACHE GOES FOR GOLD

Next week, Apache Pizza is launching its new Premium Range of pizzas – click here to view >> These include innovative new builds such as Tokyo Apache (Miso Caramel Chicken, Peas, Wasabi Drizzle), Wing It (Buffalo Chicken, Jalapenos, Celery, Blue Cheese Dip), Nacho Volcano (Taco Mince, Nacho Cheese, Onions) and Moonshine (Bacon, BBQ Beef, Sweetcorn). The new ‘gold’ pizzas come in four sizes with prices ranging from €7.49 to €14.99.

6. SOURDOUGH ON THE RISE

In recent years, sourdough has become not only the foodie’s favourite but the UK’s fastest growing bread variety, soaring by a whopping 40% last year in Tesco (it sells around 100,000 sourdough loaves a week and has 10 different varieties available). Tapping into this trend is Burger King with its new Sourdough King range - watch the video here>> It features two quarter-pound beef patties, onions, creamy signature sauce, hickory-smoked bacon and American cheese, sandwiched between toasted, sourdough rounds. Also available on breakfast sandwiches. Meanwhile, French bacon lovers rejoice – Burger King has launched 3 new bacon burgers, each with a brioche roll topped with bacon pieces.

7. CO-OP IN TUNE WITH FESTIVAL-GOERS

The Co-op has announced it will be the first UK food retailer to have a supermarket presence at 4 major summer festivals. Its partnership with Live Nation will see 6,000ft shops at The Downloads, Latitude, Reading Festival and Leeds Festival. Open from 7am to 1am, each pop-up store will offer 200 essentials to cater for the 200,000 festival goers, including food, water, beer, wine, suncream and rain ponchos. Research from CGA shows that the range of food and drink on offer is an important consideration for 61% of festival-goers who spend on average £23 a day on food per day (9% increase on 2017) vs £27 on alcohol.

8. WOMEN’S RIGHT TO BAGELS

Bagels are a girl’s best friend? This week for Equal Pay Day in France on 26th March, Bagelstein created a special bagel for women to order across its 120 stores nationwide. Taking the form of the international female symbol, the Womenstein contains 25% more bread and filling than a classic bagel for the same price. The 25% represents the fact French women earn on average 25% less than men with equal skills and experience. Click here to see how Bagelstein takes a stand on women’s right to equal pay>>

9. NEXT GENERATION DUNKIN’

Dunkin’ Donuts has revealed its vision of the next generation, with new unit designs prioritising convenience, takeaway and digital technology. Its new Dunkin’ branding underlines its aim to compete with McDonald’s and Starbucks on beverages. For example, the 2,000-square-foot Corona, California location offers an eight-tap beverage system, so customers can view employees pouring drinks such as cold-brew coffee infused with nitrogen. It’s also embracing the touchscreen self-serve ordering systems which are rapidly taking over in other QSR chains like McDonalds, Panera. Taco Bell is also testing them now. An expanded to-go section includes beef jerky, yogurt parfaits, nutrition bars, and mints. Drive-thru digital menu boards aim to speed up transactions and improve accuracy.