DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 40| 2018

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1.   PAPA JOHN’S #WEAREVENOM 

Innovation is a hot topic at Papa John’s UK, with a new Managing Director in situ (Liz Williams); a new movie association, and several new menu items. Papa John’s has partnered with Sony Picture’s autumn blockbuster  Venom, helping customers #FeedTheirHunger with the chance to win a trip to Singapore and Venom goodie bags. Meanwhile Halloween-themed menu items include Spooky Sticks, garlic cheese sticks topped with Ilchester Black Cheddar - Total Eclipse® and Toffee Apple Sticks for dessert. Other autumn menu additions include the Tandoori Spice with double tandoori chicken and raita drizzle, brought back following popular demand, as well as Spicy Chicken Burger with buffalo sauce, and BBQ Meat Feast. 

2.   SMART TAP & GO TECHNOLOGY

A ‘grab and go’ lunch has a new meaning. Cashier-less shopping is becoming more commonplace as various chains are adopting new Amazon Go-style smart shopping technologies to make the experience even more quick and convenient. M&S recently launched ‘Mobile, Pay, Go’, allowing customers to seamlessly shop and pay on the M&S app. It claims shoppers can purchase a sandwich, crisps, and a drink in under 40 seconds at six London stores ahead of Christmas. Albert Heijn in the Netherlands has gone a step further, simply “Tap To Go” with a shelf readable card - click here to watch Albert Heijn’s “Tap To Go” technology in action>

3. GO 50:50 WITH PIZZA HUT 

Taking consumer demand for personalised pizzas a step further, Pizza Hut France has launched its new pizza concept La Fifty Fifty, which invites you to combine two recipe choices on one pizza. Unlike the ‘create your own’ or ‘la Perso’ pizzas, this lets you select from the menu builds eg half Kasbah with double chicken and white kebab sauce, and half Spicy Hot One with Mexican chopped beef and jalapenos. Click here to see La Fifty Fifty>

4. BARBERS IN, BANKS OUT

Times have been turbulent for the UK high street, where almost 6,000 stores closed last year due to rising costs and changing shopping patterns. We’re still spending more in-store than online but the gap is narrowing – 2017 online sales increased by 16% to £60bn. Overall spend in retail increased by 4.6% last year – before inflation, with sales prices increasing for the first time in 5 years in August, driven out of long-term deflation by the summer heatwave (ONS). By and large, if you want to get a beauty treatment, go for a workout, drink a coffee or eat a pizza, you are spoilt for choice– click here to find out more>

5.   KFC ZINGER WAFFLE BURGER 

KFC Malaysia has launched its new Zinger Waffle Burger – its sweet and savoury take on the spicy Zinger burger. Its classic fried chicken fillet is topped with maple syrup, mayonnaise, and a chicken strip all sandwiched between two Belgian waffles. Described as indulgent and different, the Zinger Waffle Burger targets adventurous consumers who embrace bolder and more flavour-packed food experiences.  Not just a “lavish burger”, as described by KFC; maple syrup was identified as a key food trend and alternative sweetener to cane sugar in 2018. 

6.  BERLIN HOSTS STREET FOOD AWARDS

The 2018 European Street Food Awards took place in Berlin last weekend with a total of 13 countries  participating in the final cook-off. The ‘Best Snack’ went to Cimbru from Romania with their Beef Tagliata sandwich made from thinly sliced beef, parmesan, tomatoes, and oil on a toasted bun. The ‘Best of the Best Sandwich’ went to JAH JYOT Punjabi Street Food from Great Britain with its signature Crispy Masala Dosa; a traditional Indian crepe made with rice, lentils, potato, vegetables, and spices. Every year people flock to taste Europe’s best street food offerings with other categories including ‘Best Dessert’, ‘Best Burger’, and ‘Best Main Dish’. 

7. DYNAMIC DELIVEROO 

Another day, another success story in online delivery. Deliveroo global sales more than doubled to £277m in 2017. However major investments for the business means losses also increased. Deliveroo will move into its 13th market Taiwan in the coming weeks with more new markets to follow. Growing order volumes are said to be partly down to late-night deliveries available - its most popular dishes ordered in 2017 included cheeseburgers and burritos while Hawaiian poke bowls have also been a hit. At the Restaurant Conference this week, the COO mentioned they would explore dynamic pricing, enabling consumer discounts during quiet periods. There has also been growing speculation over possible takeover from Uber.

8.  DIGITAL DRIVES BY RESTAURANTS 

This week the Restaurant Show took place in the London Olympia – if you missed it, this short video may whet your appetite> Some of the key trends emerging in the industry according to MCA are digital namely mobile app payments  and ‘in app’ ordering systems which increase convenience for consumers, cutting down waiting times, while encouraging consumers to spend more, taking upsell suggestions from the app more readily than with a server. A third one highlighted was ‘virtual brands’, where in a move to maximise turnover and fully utilise site space, groups including TRG are launching virtual brands such as Burger Burger, facilitated by delivery concepts such as Deliveroo.

9.  TESTING TACOS, TRENDY TORTILLAS 

Staying with the restaurant theme, Restaurant Eats Out magazine has just featured a mini safari to some of the most talked about Mexican restaurants in London – Corazon, La Bodega Negro and Temper. Click here to see how they sample the communal contemporary Mexican food experience, sampling signature dishes such as Neil Rankin’s Cheeseburger Taco and Black Salt Margeritas >