DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 36| 2020

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1. CHIPOTLE BRINGS BACK CARNE ASADA

Chipotle has brought back their fastest-selling LTO protein, the carne asada, for another limited time. The offering was first introduced last September but came off menus at the beginning of this year due to supply challenges from such high demand. The brand has now found more suppliers to provide this sous-vide fan-favourite that meet their ‘Food with Integrity’ standards. It will be available at Chipotle restaurants in the U.S. and Canada and for the first time in France. Reward members will get exclusive access for the first few days followed by digital-only orders before becoming available through all channels.  

2. ASDA ON THE MOVE

Asda plans to trial a convenience store, branded as ‘Asda On The Move’, through a trial at fuel stations owned by EG Group. This new venture follows the successful launch of Asda’s partnership with Uber Eats in July which has now been rolled out to 25 stores. The retailer’s strategy is to focus on making customer’s lives easier by bringing together complementary brands so they can complete multiple shopping goals in one location. 

3. EXPANSION STILL UNDERWAY

Expansion is still underway for some chains as they follow through with opening new sites in the UK. Papa John’s newest restaurants has opened in West Sussex at the Bunn Leisure Family Resort. The chain’s franchising strategy looks for non-traditional locations near entertainment venues in addition to traditional high street stores. Slim Chickens, the American fast-casual chicken chain, is set to open its 9th UK location in November. The new restaurant in Manchester’s Trafford Centre will be the chain’s largest yet and the first to have a dedicated drinks bar.  

4. LEON BUILDS UP RETAIL RANGE

Foodservice operator, Leon is expanding its retail presence with a new range of ready meals and sides in Sainsburys. Taking inspiration from their best-selling restaurant dishes, there will be six new gluten-free ready meals and five vegan sides. The ready meal offerings include Naked Chicken Katsu Curry, Thai Green Chicken Curry and a Coconut and Lime Jackfruit Curry, all £4 each. Side options include Mediterranean Mac ‘n’ Cheeze bites and Chimichurri Cheeze ‘n’ Herbs bites. Also hitting shelves are two new flavours of ready-to-eat marinated chicken: Sweet Pomegranate & Smokey Harissa and Coconut & Kaffir Lime Leaf.  

5. DRIVE THRU FOOD FESTIVAL

With COVID-19 restrictions putting a halt on food festivals, Resy and American Express have teamed up to give people the experience without having to get out of their cars. Held over 2 days in Los Angeles, the “Resy Drive Thru” will provide a driving tour of some of LA’s best restaurants including Chi Spacca, Jon & Vinny’s and Trap Kitchen. A personal waiter will serve guests in each car and then guide them to the next food stall. The socially distanced food festival experience will be donating part of the ticket sales to World Central Kitchen.

6. BIG MAMMA'S DELIVERY SOLUTIONS

Big Mamma is set to launch a delivery-only brand, Napoli Gang. The brand hopes to improve conditions for delivery drivers by asking UberEats to sign an ethics code and giving 1% of each order value will be shared with the driver. The pizza deliveries will be 100% homemade dishes including ten pizza options, pastas, fritti, cheese, meats and desserts. All the menu items have no preservatives, additives or colourings with most of the ingredients being imported directly from Italy. 

7. DUNNES STORES DELIVERY PLANS

Dunnes Stores is changing the dynamic amongst Irish grocers with a move into online retailing. In the run-up to Christmas, the brand plans to put about 70 home delivery trucks on the road. The new operation will be based from a “dark store”, or centrally located, dedicated fulfilment depot, as opposed to from a single store. Dunnes Stores trialled this initiative in Dublin for customers living within a 10km radius and saw 5 trucks delivering more than 100 orders a day.  

8. PRET'S NEW DINNER MENU

Pret has developed an evening menu offering a range of dishes such as a Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl, Salmon and Pickles Rice Bowl and Lasagne Macaroni Cheese and Swedish Meatball Hot Wrap. Customers can also order some of Pret’s signature soups as part of the ‘Heat Me At Home’ menu. Evening offerings are available in stores from 5pm onwards as Pret sees this as an opportunity amidst the recent surge of online delivery in the evening.

9. GREAT TASTE AWARDS WINNERS

Irish producers have won 19 three-star ratings in this year’s Great Taste International Awards. In total, the Republic of Ireland producers won 396 Great Taste awards while Northern Ireland took home 172. Aldi Ireland scooped up 52 titles including gold stars for meats from its Specially Selected Range including its West of Ireland Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic Salt Rub and its Free-Range Whole Goose.  The buying director for Aldi said these awards showcase the highest quality of produce and congratulated all their suppliers especially Dawn Meats and Skeaghanore Duck.

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