Guide to Foodservice: Optimizing The Dinner Daypart
NATIONAL REPORT — The dinner daypart has long been tricky for the convenience channel. Although numerous retailers are now as well-known for their food as they are for their traditional c-store offerings, it's rare to find an operator who feels they have truly maximized their potential at dinnertime.
"It is important to note that dayparts have blurred post COVID. For example, the traditional 6 p.m. dinner is no longer popular and has instead been replaced with early happy hour (4 p.m.) or later dinner (8 p.m.)," pointed out Liza Salaria, senior vice president, merchandising and foodservice practice lead at Lexington, Ky.-based Impact 21. "The dinner occasion is typically associated with a hot meal more likely to be consumed with family."
[Read more: A Retailer's Guide to Future-Proofing Foodservice]
C-stores that offer fried chicken, pizza or Mexican cuisine are well positioned to make inroads in the evening. Conversely, c-stores that focus on roller grill or cold subs may find it a better use of their efforts to concentrate on dayparts better aligned with their menu.
Salaria recommends investing in promotional efforts such as discounted meal deal bundles and other special offers designed specifically for dinnertime products. She cautions, though, that operators should not necessarily expect to see an immediate swing in sales.
"The important thing to remember [is that] building new habits takes time and retailers need to stay committed for the long haul," she said.
[Read more: Kwik Trip Launches Fried Chicken Giveaway]
Dinner daypart success also may be tied into the broader goal of connecting a c-store chain's brand to a particular type of food. At the 2024 NACS Show, Lori Stillman, vice president of research and education at Alexandria, Va.-based NACS, pointed out that consumers can see logos from 10 of the top quick-service restaurant brands — including Taco Bell, Starbucks, Subway and Chipotle — and immediately visualize their signature menu item. Only a few of the top c-store chains can say the same.
According to Stillman, there are three "BIG" rules for winning more of the dinner daypart: be known for something; interrupt the routine; and grow with existing shoppers.
La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip Inc. followed these rules when it launched the "No Ordinary Chicken" campaign for its fried chicken program. Part of the campaign's success was providing a retail coworker kit of decorations that stores could use, including stickers, danglers, paper hats and in-store posters featuring "coworker faves." To generate excitement, some of the company's leaders even donned chicken costumes.
Succeeding with a signature product must be a companywide effort, said Carrie Wiggins, director of foodservice at Kwik Trip.
"You can't come up with a great concept and not get your buying department in charge of it as well. Or if you are working with a supplier, getting them involved to know that you're really going to be pushing chicken," she said.
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