Hot Stuff Foods unveiled its Store of the Future at the 2008 NACS Show in Chicago this past month, a program offering an entirely new food-solutions initiative.
It’s designed to provide multiple food solutions, or “touch points,” for increased convenience and store profitability, says Neal Hollingsworth, Hot Stuff’s executive vice president of marketing.
“The six-point system maximizes retailer’s response to the customer’s impulse and convenience-buying habits with six branded touch points,” Hollingsworth said. “In addition, these touch points are designed to exceed the operator’s expectations of margins and profitability.
“Simply put, we’re placing our highest-quality made-fresh-for-you products within immediate reach of the customer to give top-of-mind awareness and ease of access right where the customer needs it.”
These products include:
Primary Foodservice Counter (Foodservice Focus Point): Has fresh-made Hot Stuff Pizza (both fresh-baked on premise for grab-and-go and new take-and-bake) and fresh made-for-you subs. The Hot Stuff branded program includes a cooking platform and fresh-made options offering the highest margins of any truly fresh-made program in the c-store industry.
Deli Case: Offers made-fresh-daily grab-and-go deli sandwiches, take-and-bake Cinnobabies, take-and-bake cookies, fresh family packs and deli bundling area (an express all-in-one stop where customers can grab a fresh-made sandwich and grab-and-go beverage and chips). The Deli Case touch point offers a branded take-and-bake extension for pre-made customer convenience, enhanced labor return, low price customer convenience and increased economies.
Frozen Food Section: Includes frozen pizza, new family packaging options such as packaged corn dogs and cheesy garlic bread. This provides 24/7 brand extension and customer convenience, especially for late-night and off-peak hours, take-home quality, zero labor and high margins.
Premium Roller Grill: Includes stadium-style brats, hot-and-spicy and corn dog premium roller grill options. This offers customers a premium product and the operator real margins and an increased profit return for the space provided.
Hot Beverage Counter: This extension of the Primary Foodservice Counter offers the customer immediate access to fresh-made products during all day-parts including Cinnobabies, Sweet Cobblerz, sandwiches and pizza. This compliments the current beverage program and provides customer daypart convenience, labor-friendly environment, impulse purchase point, branding and product real estate extension with higher margins.
Checkout Counter: Features 24-hour daypart directed items that provide impulse convenience, grab-and-go and branding extensions.
“We’ve put together the best of the best,” said Hollingsworth. “Both in quality and customer preference. Our six-point system delivers on all dayparts at the touch points where the customer is shopping, enhancing their experience and increasing the franchisee’s profitability.”
Throughout the development of the six-point system, Hot Stuff Foods conducted research across the country to examine the purchasing habits of the c-store customer in order to better provide overall consulting to their franchise partners.
