Where Is Food To Go - Going?
Boring sandwiches, stale bread…. thankfully, the food to go scene of years ago has transformed and will continue to change due to the incredible influence of local and global companies doing pretty amazing things in this space. With homegrown brands like Greggs offering what must be the best value on the high street and dabbling into hot food (as well as their legendary mince pies), alongside Sandwich Sandwich driving crowds crazy with custom made ‘huge’ sandwiches with fresh, local ingredients, and now Jason’s Sourdough launching toasties to go; the British food to go scene is also heavily influenced by global players and we’ve taken some learnings from Food Future Insights and Gavin Rothwell’s presentation at a recent British Sandwich Association event to share with you in our latest blog.
But first, one thing that’s starting to have a major impact on British hospitality (Food To Go, restaurants, pubs etc) is the growth of GLP-1; Ozempic, Mounjaro, etc. (historically prescribed as treatments for diabetes). Recently they have exploded onto social media as weight loss treatments, but it was quite a stark realisation (courtesy of KAM Insights) that between 4% and 7% of Brits are using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, that’s between 2.1m to 3.7m and has doubled in the past year! The foodservice sector is already seeing the impact, customers looking for smaller meals, or sharing plates. Listening to Simon Stenning interpreting the trend, will we soon be seeing mini meal deals? Mini cocktails? How will consumers split between those wanting to eat and drink indulgently Vs those looking to maximise their health? Tiny bites with the option to add extra protein (for a cost)? This is an area that is rapidly developing so ‘watch this space’!
Back to the food to go landscape, looking into Europe and beyond, there are some impressive innovations that could soon be coming our way (courtesy of Food Future Insights):
Leveraging the minimal kitchen / equipment outlay with maximum food to go offering, Zabka in Poland is doing quite amazing things with different formats such as kiosks, eat in or takeaway and most of it from a high speed oven. Similarly, Noah’s in Denmark has set up a smart kitchen concept that offers a multitude of menus from a compact space using self-service kiosks for ordering, and Spar in Austria has upgraded the convenience store food option with a focus on self-serve bowls and daily specials to keep the menu interesting; the trend here seems to be choice for consumers, whether different types of food or constantly changing ingredients so you don’t have to buy that same sandwich every day! dean & david launched in Munich in 2007 and use ingredient seasonality to drive the changing menu - last week of avocados for your salad, better get in store quickly before we run out, add to this a total focus on clean eating, animal welfare and sustainability and you can see why the company is flourishing.
Technology is also driving change in the food to go market, Picadeli, a Swedish concept, has a significant focus on market leading technology to keep its food fresh and boasts the world’s safest salad bar, The Arctic, which provides a full concept solution from digital labels and planograms to smart hand units for scanning of containers. Each container with products has a QR code which makes it traceable through the intelligent food safety system—integrated farm-to-fork traceability in a continuous chain. Picadeli is also moving into hospitals and probably looking at lots of other channels that can make use of its focus on fresh with a side of technology!
Social media and apps play a huge role in many of these businesses. Ali’Antico Vinaio is rumoured to be opening in London, check out the social media of this Florence based business that boasts the largest sandwiches ever seen, making great Instagram content! Base Camp Coffee in Seattle is another fine example of social media at its best, this company is all about local communities, and in each location, they have running clubs and get involved in local businesses as well as partnering with local suppliers to use their ingredients in menus.
The food to go market is quickly evolving, healthy eating and indulgence seem to be sharing the stage but the environment and experience matter, and it’s key to get this right - all of these businesses seem to ‘stand’ for something, to be known for something they’re doing whether it’s traceable food to premium bakery at a low price or simply a huge sandwich!
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