Is Boston Market Lost in a World of Grocerant Growth

Boston Market clearly appears dismayed, dismantled, and disingenuous to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson.  Boston Market looks dismayed because the units lack an expression of customer relevant brand invitation. The recent LTO’s have no grocerant niche focus. They lack the undercurrents of consumer fresh food purchase preferences.

Boston Market looks dismantled because they have fewer stores today that they did 2.5 years ago, fewer than 3.5 years ago, fewer than 4.5 years ago. They look disingenuous because in an era of transparency the color of the holiday season at Boston Market appears to be Orange / Yellow the food coloring in their Mac N Cheese.

George Michel, Boston Market CEO has been there since Lane Cardwell left and has had time to reprise, repair, and reposition Boston Market, we might add from its core foundation Boston Market’s core was the grocerant niche.  Clearly that has not been displaced, disassembled, disregarded.

All I can say is George Michel is no Scott Beck.  Beck had his misgivings but he had his pulse on the foodservice consumer and positioned Boston Market squarely in the center of the grocerant niche which continues to lead all sectors foodservice growth for the eighth connective year.

While they call Michel the ‘Big Chicken’ we wonder out loud why when the grocerant niche is booming that Boston Market continues to implement what can only to customers and outsiders look like yesterday’s restaurant strategy in a grocerant world?  We can only speculate that they are in search of results thru yesterday’s windows.  We wonder aloud if the grocerant sector is to bold a growth vehicle for the ‘Big Chicken’.  We ask is your brand comfortable in the past, positioned for the present, or looking to the future?  

Once again looking backwards Boston Market is now lowering its prices during December another tactic rather than a grocerant niche growth strategy. However we hope it is tactical step in the grocerant playbook rather than a ploy to recoup customer counts in the second busiest month of the year for grocerant niche retailers.

So here is the new LTO, “Boston Market is rolling back the prices of its most popular menu options. For just $7.99 now through December 31, guests can order a Half Chicken Individual Meal or Whole Rotisserie Chicken online or at any of the company's restaurants across the country, no coupon required.” Clearly you can see our point.  Does your brand look more like yesterday than today or tomorrow? Are you growing top line sales and bottom line profits while garnering incremental customer counts?  

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant