DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 5| 2020
GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS.
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1. MCDONALD’S DOUBLES UP
McDonald’s Japan is introducing an enhanced version of the ‘Bacon Double Cheeseburger’ that has thicker beef patties, thicker cheese and thicker bacon. The limited-time promotion also includes their Double Teriyaki Mac, which has two pork patties, teriyaki sauce, mayo, and lettuce on a sesame seed bun. McDonald’s is set to invest £1 billion in its UK and Irish businesses over the next three years with plans to open 60 new restaurants in 2020. Investments by the company will be focused on customer experience to update restaurant’s design and digital capabilities.
2. POPCORN CHICKEN PIZZA MEDLEY
This upcoming Valentine’s Day, KFC and Pizza Hut are coupling up to introduce the Popcorn Chicken Pizza. Featuring Pizza Hut’s classic crust, the pie is topped with KFC’s gravy sauce, corn, mozzarella cheese and KFC’s bite-size popcorn chicken. On its launch day, February 4th, 20,000 Popcorn Chicken pizzas were reportedly ordered across the UK causing brief shortages of the beloved limited time offering.
3. FOOD TO GO MARKET
Four out of every five shoppers in the UK have eaten out in the past month, according to a recent Shoppercentric report. Millennial's are leading this trend with 44% claiming to have food delivered to their home or office in the last month. The UK food-to-go market is projected to grow to £21.7 billion this year, up 2.7% from last year. Grocery retail has the largest stake in the market with forecasts expecting £6.7 billion to come from that sector in 2023. In addition, the top ten food service operators in food-to-go saw sales grow by 5.6% in 2019. Innovative new menu items, easier ordering capabilities and customisation is key to these brands’ success.
4. QSR BREAKTHROUGHS
In March, Wendy’s will reveal its new breakfast line, set to rival key players McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell to win consumer attention in this category. Wendy’s has focused on speeding up their drive-thru ordering system and being notably more active on Twitter during the early morning hours. AM menu offerings include their new Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Breakfast Baconator and Frosty-ccino. Meanwhile, Taco Bell has launched a permanent Cravings Value menu across the UK. Customers can purchase a cheesy roll-up, fries or nachos for just £1. Other low-cost items include a crispy chicken taco or £5 Chalupa Box, which includes a chalupa supreme, taco, fries, cinnamon twists and a soft drink.
5. PAPA JOHN'S TRY LUNCH
Papa John’s are keen to entice the lunch crowd by combining a sandwich and pizza in their latest Papadias menu item. The new offering is a take on the traditional piadina, an Italian folded flatbread. The varieties include Italian (Alfredo sauce, sausage, salami and cheese with banana peppers), Philly Cheesesteak (steak, onions, green peppers, cheese and a Philly sauce), Grilled BBQ Chicken and Bacon (grilled chicken, bacon, onions, cheese and barbecue sauce), along with a Meatball Pepperoni (meatballs, pepperoni, pizza sauce, cheese and Italian seasoning).
6. BOWLS OVER BURRITOS
Bowls are now the most popular menu items at Chipotle Mexican Grill. The brand started off perfecting a substantial foil-wrapped burrito but are now emphasising bowls through numerous free delivery and app promotions. Just like burritos, they can be made quickly and offer consumers the customization they want. Digital sales account for 19.6% of total sales and it was the chain's third consecutive quarter with double digit growth. Chipotle is also experimenting with a walk-up window in Chicago focusing on convenient off-premise consumption.
7. BRANDS WITH THE MOST BUZZ
Brands are finding it increasingly harder to stand out in today’s marketplace. According to YouGov Buzz rankings, discount grocer Aldi was the supermarket that created the most buzz in 2019 due to its bold advertising strategy and continued store expansion. Next best supermarkets were close rival discounter, Lidl, followed by premium retailer, M&S. The chilled/frozen brand with the most buzz last year was Quorn due to the brand’s strong NPD and advertisements and combined with the growing plant-based trend. Greggs was the most talked about fast food or pub brand thanks to its innovative vegan sausage roll and steak bake. Brands following that were Nando’s and Costa Coffee.
8. STREET FOOD BOOST
Street food and food delivery start-ups have seen a sharp rise with records showing an increase of 53% of vendor registrations in 2019 than licensed restaurants. 33% of consumers are inspired by street food to try new flavours whilst seeking unique and experiential ways to consume foods. Retailers and food service outlets are taking advantage of this trend with many starting to launch meal kits inspired by popular street food ingredients. Events such as Street Feast Festival in London and Manchester allow smaller brands to disrupt the market with their menu innovations.
9. A TYPICAL IRISH DINNER
Bord Bia have released the results of an in-depth national study into evening meal consumption habits in Ireland. The results show that health and wellness, ethical concerns and busy lifestyles are the leading factors influencing Irish evening mealtimes. Interesting findings reveal that the evening meal is no longer the main meal of the day and that the most popular adult evening meal is still the classic ‘meat and two veg’. Red meat is the most popular with 29% of all adult meals with chicken close behind at 21%. Takeaways and home deliveries account for almost 9% of evening meals with 11% found to be eaten out of home.
At Dawn Farms we offer a full product solution for cooked, dried and fermented meat ingredients across pizza, sandwich and prepared meal sectors. We are proud to be the preferred supplier to the world's leading food brands and are considered to be the industry leaders in food safety, sustainability and insight-led product innovation. We put the customer at the heart of everything we do, which is why for your convenience all our products are fully cooked and ready-to-eat.
Visit our website to discover the ingredients that set us apart.
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