Order until: Kroger announces new restaurants in store

Diving Brief:

• Mariano's, a Kroger-owned company, will open this year 28 "mini-restaurants" for barbecues at Mariano stores in the Chicago area, according to the Chicago Tribune. Pork and Mindy's belongs to Jeff Mauro, famed Chef of Food Network.
• Each Pork & Mindy's will have an area of ​​approximately 200 square feet and will feature signature dishes such as "tottys" and "sangwiches", as well as take-away meals. Mariano's has 44 establishments in the Chicago area and already has restaurants with sushi bars, wood-fire pizzas and gelato at many of its locations.
• At the same time, Rapid Fired Pizza, based in Ohio, has announced a new partnership with Kroger, aimed at bringing the chain of fresh and fresh pizzas to some Kroger markets throughout Ohio. The chain will sell custom pizzas, pastas and calzones, as well as pizza takeaways at Kroger.

Insight on diving:

Partnerships with new restaurants or popular restaurants are attracting retailers as they explore ways to keep consumers enthusiastic and engaged. The Millennials are a big driver of the grocery store expansion, especially because more than half of them go to restaurants once a week, according to Morgan Stanley data, compared with just 43% of previous generations.

Several grocery companies have entered the grocery space to align with food trends and differentiate themselves from their competitors. Whole Foods has partnered with the Next Level Burger vegan chain, which now includes several establishments across the United States. In addition to its popular Market Grille, which has 115 stores, Hy-Vee is now opening Locations. In Idaho, Albertsons' flagship store in Boise features an upscale bar including badtails, local draft beers and a wide selection of wines.

Although large retailers like Kroger have the resources to develop their own restaurant concepts, tap into an established restaurant brand or a burgeoning restaurant can generate more attention and reduce business risk. A concept. stripe. Kroger has already adopted this model with regional restaurants Eli's Barbecue and Mazunte Taqueria, which are currently operated in some Kroger stores in Ohio.

The partnership between Mariano's and Pork & Mindy's is a major extension of the barbecue business, which currently only operates six locations in Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis. His trademark and his creative touch on the barbecue are something new for Mariano, and give the banner the opportunity to attract new buyers who wish to experience fun and punchy dishes of the restaurant.

Ohio's fast-paced pizza is known to create pizzas in less than 180 seconds with one of its 35 fillings and 12 sauces. The pizza chain has 27 establishments in six states (including Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina, California and Texas) before expanding with Kroger. Confirmed popularity is expected to be a big hit, thanks to the convenient "take and cook" option added to Kroger's customers.

the grocery model is a strategic way to attract hungry and rushed consumers who can eat and shop in one place. The category of in-store prepared foods has grown by 30% over the past ten years, generating $ 10 billion in revenue in 2018 according to the NDP group.