Hot Dog Roller Grills Are Not Just for Hot Dogs

[Posted to smallbizio.com]

Providing great suggestions for alternatives to standard issue hot dogs, smallbio's Matthew offers ideas such as kebabs and spring rolls. Just remember to check with your foodservice distributor to make sure any items you use on your roller grill are designed for cooking and holding on a roller grill–they have different coatings than items you can pick up at the grocery store for regular cooking.

Ethnic foods are now commonly be placed on roller grills throughout the country.   We are seeing foods such as hot Mexican tortillas, egg rolls, spring rolls, pizza rolls, cheese sticks, and a whole assortment of specially made roller foods. These items are similar to hot pockets in that you really can make anything you like. For example, you could fill a roll with shrimp and noodles to make a shrimp Alfredo roll. You could expand your product line and your food selection dramatically without having to buy any new cooking devices.

Read more at smallbizio.com

Growing Roller Grill Sales

[Posted by Howard Riell to Convenience Store Decisions]

From hot dogs and sausages to ethnic foods like taquitos and egg rolls, roller grills continue to prosper at convenience stores.

Riell makes the case for why roller grills are a smart, easy way to increase sales with minimal effort; the key, he points to, is both proper marketing and differentiating the product with proper flavor appeal.

“Let me give you an analogy,” said H. G. Parsa, chairman of the Department of Foodservice and Lodging Management at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla. “Every dining room table has salt and pepper. They’re not exciting, but everybody has them. Roller grills are the workhorses of convenience stores, and they make money.”

If you currently offer roller grill products, but haven't updated your selection in a while, talk to your foodservice distributor to find out what's trending and see if you can refresh your product offerings with the current best sellers.

To increase the overall visual appeal of your grill, consider updated graphics or a more attractive sneeze guard, such as the Food Concepts Canopy Sneeze Guard.

Read more at CStoreDecisions.com

Competing with QSRs (Not So Hard, Really)

[Posted by Maureen Azzato to NACS Online]

Making the case for why convenience stores are better at serving their customers, this article points to an all-dayparts, multiple category advantage that c-stores have over quick-service restaurants–something that operators shouldn't forget about as they strategize how to stay competitive against QSR pricing promotions.

While it takes a lot of discipline for convenience stores not to chase every QSR price promotion, Higgins said it is critical to remain focused on your strategy and to remember —and remind your customers —what makes convenience stores unique. "C-stores take care of people’s needs 24/7 in every daypart," he said. "In fact, in the morning a customer can buy breakfast, but can also buy their lunch for later in the day or groceries for dinner, not to mention fuel, lottery, cigarettes...QSRs can’t do that. We have to better leverage the aspects of our business that differentiate us."

Read more at NACSOnline.com

Roller Grill Reverence and Grocery Woes

Image source: CSPDailyNews.com

[Posted by Abbie Westra to CSP Magazine]

The roller grill is still an incredibly important category for c-store foodservice; the key is to elevate it. 

What about all the buzz around the decline in traditional c-store foods? “That stuff gets overblown,” said Hanson. “When we talk about elevating c-store foodservice, the consumer is saying we’ve got to make it more interesting.” That means more unique and higher-end items within core categories. Plied with cupcakes and popcorn, attendees delved into topics ranging from roller grills to cage-free eggs and everything in between. 

Read more at CSPDailyNews.com

Roller Grill a Lot to Relish

[Posted to McClaneCo.com]

Things to consider while beefing up your roller grill offerings.

Square One isn’t alone when it comes to determining the perfect roller grill recipe. Many convenience retailers believe that grill items are must-have offerings but are perplexed when it comes to making their own program a customer destination. … Hot dogs have long been a convenience store staple. … For c-stores, a roller grill has a small footprint, is easy to operate and doesn’t require a huge financial investment.
Roller grills are also important to overall foodservice sales. According to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), convenience store food items prepared on-site are one of the largest contributors to in-store convenience sales. This category included some of the most popular convenience store food items such as sandwiches, pizza, chicken and hot dogs.

Read more at McClaneCo.com

How to Promote Roller Grill & Pizza

Buoyed by a constant stream of new products and equipment upgrades as well as focus on time-tested procedures, roller grill and pizza continue to appeal to convenience store customers.

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

“Roller grill remains one of the top foodservice categories in convenience stores,” said Brad Duesler, president and CEO of Middleton, Wis.-based Food Concepts Inc., a retail merchandising solutions provider. “The number of grills that are put into stores increases by more than 5% annually.”

Read more at CstoreDecisions.com

Roller Grills Keep Rolling Along

[Posted to Convenience Store Decisions]

This CSD staff written article pulls some interesting data from some Mintel International research regarding consumer views of foodservice at convenience stores, pointing to customization–and individually wrapped hot dog buns (for better sense of sanitation)–as a great way to improve customer perception of the roller grill area. 

At Cenex Zip Trip, a condiment bar, with fresh toppings ranging from salsa to sauerkraut, also amps up the quality perception. Introducing new items to the mix is another way Cenex Zip Trip lets customers know it is always focusing on ways to enhance its roller grill. 

Read more as CstoreDecisions.com

Dishing About Dogs on National Hot Dog Day

Tyson Convenience offers insights and tips for the roller grill.

[Posted by Angela Hanson to Convenience Store News]

July 14th was National Hot Dog Day in the United States, in honor of the day, Tyson Convenience's Rob Ramsey talked to CSNews, providing awesome insights that included some research Tyson had conducted and concluded that "more than 80 perfect of the best convenience store foodservice customers purchased a roller-rill hot dog or sausage in the past month."

Is the hot dog in jeopardy as convenience stores get more advanced in foodservice? 
In a word, no. This is a cornerstone category. However, it must continue to adapt and evolve to maintain its share of purchases. This is why customization is so vital because it truly enhances the consumer experience and has the potential to drive sales. Consumers want choices and options, even if it is just the top five toppings and condiments for hot dogs that they can mix and match. 

Read more at CSNews.com