Pizza, Roller Grill Satisfy Profits (CStoreDecisions.com)

Posted to Convenience Store Decisions by Marilyn Odesser-Torpey

While more restaurant-like foods might help diversify a convenience store's portfolio of offerings and help draw customers in, the roller grill still continues to be a key fixture!

"Despite the rise and popularity of made-to-order hot and cold sandwiches on c-store menus, hot dogs, corn dogs, taquitos and other roller grill items are still carried by 71% of convenience stores and are among the top five sellers in the overall foodservice category, said Tim Powell, vice president and senior analyst at Q1 Consulting LLC, a Chicago-based business research, strategy, planning and management firm."

How Far Do Roller-Grill Hot Dogs Travel? (Atlas Obscura)

Posted to Atlas Obscura by Cara Giaimo

One writer's account of just how far a hot dog might travel–if it wasn't limited to a roller grill.

"Taking the official Hot Dog Distance Calculation, with MRT standing for maximum roller time:

(hot dog circumference) * (roller speed) * (MRT) = distance traveled

And plugging in the relevant data:

7.9 cm / rot * 7.53 rot / min * 202 min = 12016.37 cm = .074 miles

The longest-traveled hot dog yet recorded in Massachusetts has gone .074 miles. If it were moving down a track rather than in place, its lifespan would have taken it from the starting line to a little past the first curve."

4 Ways to Diversity Roller-Grill Options (CSP)

Posted to CSP Daily News

"According to Technomic’s 2016 Generational Consumer Trend Report, powered by Ignite, Gen Z represents about 15% of the population and is composed of people aged 23 and under—a significant portion of people who patronize c-stores. Older Gen Zers rely heavily on foodservice, so it’s important for c-stores to feature items that Gen Zers crave.
"According to the Technomic report, 32% of Gen Zers say they would like to eat food cooked at home more often, but they just don’t have the time to do so. For these consumers, it’s important that they have a variety of healthy, satisfying options to choose from when they’re on the go."

Oscar Mayer Has Ditched Some Controversial Ingredients From Its Hot Dogs (Fortune.com)

Posted to Fortune.com by John Kell

… [The] food manufacturer has reformulated Oscar Mayer's popular hot dogs by removing artificial preservatives and ditching added nitrates and nitrites. Kraft Heinz has proclaimed it is the first national hot dog maker to make the switch.
"We are making radical changes to every single one of our dogs," Greg Guidotti, head of marketing at Oscar Mayer, told Fortune in an interview. "We are going to get better dogs into your hands."

Read more at Fortune

NFL Food Facts (foodpros.com)

[Posted to foodpros by Jenna Duesler]

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, “consumers spent more than $2.5 billion on hot dogs” in supermarkets throughout the United States in 2015. That’s nearly 28 times as much as that hypothetical $89.5 million of hot dog sales at football stadiums! Don’t count yourself out of the game just because you aren’t charging league pricing on your hot dogs–you’ll still get those sales.

Keep reading at foodpros.com

CSP Kitchen: Haute Dogs (CSPDailyNews.com)

How c-stores can revamp the roller grill

[Posted to CSP Daily News by Amelia Levin]

The roller grill has long been c-store territory, but as new and established restaurant concepts elevate encased meats with unique proteins, breads and toppings, convenience retailers have new opportunities to boost sales with expanded offerings. Even simple changes, such as introducing a toppings bar, can improve value perceptions and even day-part sales.

Keep reading at CSPDailyNews.com

How to Make Your Roller Grill Shine

[Posted to Convenience Store Decisions by Marilyn Odesser-Torpey]

Keeping your convenience store roller grill clean and well stocked shows customers you are committed to foodservice success.  

While offering some insights on keeping the grill cleaned and stocked, Odesser-Torpey also reports that Think Marketing, a consulting with heavy on foodservice tells them:

All operators should value their roller grill customers because they generally spend more, visit more often, rate convenience stores higher, are more loyal and are more concerned about the quality, visual appeal and temperature of the food than average customers…

Read more at cstoredecisions.com.

Healthy Fare Drives Roller Grill Flair

[Posted to cstoredecisions.com by Howard Riell]

 

To keep up with the ever-changing tastes of a wide-variety of palates the roller grill is becoming more important than ever for driving sales.

When it comes to foodservice, convenience store operators often find themselves wedged unfairly between a rock and a hard place. Consumers want to indulge in food items, but they also want it healthy, affordable and quick. The margin for error is
virtually nil.

This is as true on the roller grill as in any other part of a retailer’s food offering.

Read more at cstoredecisions.com.