DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 43| 2019

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1. FOOD TO GO IN LYON

Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France, birthplace of the legendary chef Paul Bocuse, twice named ‘Chef of the Century’ by the Culinary Institute of America.  It is home to more than 4,000 eating out venues, from traditional ‘bouchons’ serving local, hearty comfort food to bistros, restaurants, indoor and outdoor markets. On this occasion, our Insights & Innovation team’s mission was food-to-go. We visited a selection of new and established chains to get a sense of the changing food landscape not just in Lyon, but in France overall. Click here to see some of our FTG highlights from Lyon>  

2. DIY DELIVEROO  

Deliveroo has launched a new ‘Pickup’ service for over 700+ eateries across 13 UK cities, with brands such as Pizza Hut, Byron, Pizza Express, TGI Friday’s, Chiquito, Coast to Coast and Giraffe already taking part. By using this new ‘click & collect’ service, customers will now be able to access the same wide choice of restaurants from one hub while avoiding the delivery fee. Deliveroo expects 10,000 more UK restaurants to sign up to its latest B2B service in the next six months, and has plans to launch ‘Pickup’ in Hong Kong, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain this year

3. HEAVYWEIGHT FRIED CHICKEN

Gourmet burger chain, Honest Burgers is collaborating with one of our favourite Venezuelan street food concepts, Petare, to create a one-off special, the Masa Fried Chicken Burger, available at all locations from Oct 29th to Nov 25th. Featuring buttermilk fried chicken, bacon, cheese, guava glaze, charred corn slaw, habanero mayo, lettuce and pickles, this burger is packed with flavour and attitude. Honest Burgers started up in 2011 in Brighton and now has 31 restaurants and its own butchery. It offers local specials, for example the current Brighton special is Cajun-rubbed beef burger with bacon, Mayfield Smoked cheese, The Duke beer- braised onions, Korean burger sauce, rocket and pickles.

4. FESTIVE HALLOUMI SNACKS

Fresh from its success in international burgers, the very much on-trend halloumi is being celebrated as part of Aldi’s Christmas range. Apparently Halloumi fries were such a popular hit with Aldi customers when launched last year, that Aldi had to implement a 2-pack limit per customer.  This year bacon-wrapped halloumi bites are on the menu – pigs in blankets for a new generation perhaps?  We also like the sound of Aldi’s new Hog Roast Sandwich with roasted pulled pork and pork, sage and onion stuffing, fried onions, mayonnaise and apple sauce. Watch a collection of UK retailers’ Christmas adverts here>

5. CHIPOTLE CHEERS CARNE ASADA 

Mexican fast casual chain Chipotle credits its premium Carne Asada (marinated beef with lime, coriander and spices) launch with an uplift in US sales and a new kerb appeal with customers. Amidst warnings of shortages due to popularity, Chipotle has announced it will be extending the LTO right through to Q1 2020. Carne asada is a tender cut of steak that sells for 50 cents more than Chipotle’s original steak. New items like carne asada and its Lifestyle Bowls (Jan 2019), which featured paleo and Whole 30-approved options were ‘digital-first’ initiatives, helping to drive traffic to the company’s digital ordering platforms. Beyond carne asada, the company is testing quesadillas, Queso Blanco and salads.

6. SUBWAY NAMES NEW CEO

‘Tis the season…for management shake ups. Gap, Nike, Under Armour, and McDonald's all announced in the last few weeks that their CEOs would be departing their posts. Papa John’s is restructuring its management team. Subway has named its new CEO, John Chidsey, previously chairman and CEO at Burger King Holdings, Inc. Last month former Yum! and PepsiCo executive Carrie Walsh was named Subway chief marketing officer. Both join Subway in the midst of its brand refreshment program along with other industry veterans such as Aidan Hay (Jollibee, Yum!) and Bill McKane (Burger King, Tim Hortons). Key initiatives underway include a major remodel, revamped loyalty program, and menu innovation from King’s Hawaiian Bread sandwiches, Sliders, to Beyond Meatball sandwiches and Halo Top milkshakes. 

7. SEASONAL BURGER INDULGENCE 

Two core ingredients in a successful burger – cheese and bacon – are being celebrated by Burger King, Quick and KFC France this autumn. The cheesiest burger goes to Quick’s ‘Intense Mega Cheese Burger’. This includes a crispy cheese topped bun, two beef patties, layers of cheese and Emmental cheese sauce running through it. In KFC, Kentucky Fries are among those available with bacon and cheese.  Burger King France has released the ‘Triple Cheese’ Burger (3 beef patties, 3 slices of cheese, with ketchup, mustard and pickles). In a unique move, BK France has also just launched an outdoor campaign promoting delivery via Deliveroo in locations where it has no stores.  

8. SNACK INNOVATORS

We’re seeing some interesting snacking innovation on the shelves this autumn; from McDonald’s France embracing wraps – its ‘Let’s Wrap The World’ campaign features a Winter Break Crispy Raclette Bacon Winter McWrap to Speed Rabbit Pizza’s new Speed Buns in Beef Burger and Chicken Curry variants. Meanwhile, in the UK, check out microwavable snacks from Goodfella’s (Pepperoni Pizza Pockets) or Jake & Nayns’ new Burritos range, expanding its Indian-inspired snacks portfolio. This week we also spotted Eat Gracious Veggie Bites in Boots, wheat & soy-based Southern Fried Chicken flavoured chicken-style snacks.

9. UK BURRITO WARS

Some interesting insights to UK ‘burrito wars’ - click here to read in full> In the early 2010s there were 8 Burrito chains competing with similar product propositions, which coined the term ‘Burrito Wars. Today Tortilla is the largest with 41 locations, with nearest rival Barburrito having 22 stores. (Global brand Taco Bell might dispute this as it has around 30 stores in the UK). Tortilla’s menu is strongly influenced by Mexican food served in California, with burritos accounting for 80% of orders. Naked Burritos (minus wrap) come second, with tacos, quesadillas and nachos in minority. Some 15-20% of Tortilla’s revenue comes via Deliveroo which led to “baby” Tortillas launching to cater for deliveries. 

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