COVID-19 Opportunity: Pre-Made Meals

Now is the time to look at offering freshly prepared meals for the home.

COVID-19 changed life as we know it. In less than a week, consumers have transitioned from leisure, experience-based diners to people in need of family-style meals and ways to feed their family at home – all while grocery stores struggle to keep up with demand. This is particularly true of grocery stores pre-made meals refrigerated cases.

Pre-made meals feature refrigerated fresh ingredients and instructions for consumers to cook and/or reheat the meal at home according to their own timeline. They’re also built for the family, with multiple servings per order.

Restaurants can fill the gap for consumers by offering select pre-made meals in family style sizes. Doing so will not only make a positive difference for consumers, but also provide a new revenue stream to help sustain your operations.

Meals fall into two main categories: Prepped cook-at-home meals or pre-cooked, reheat-at-home meals. Whichever you choose, keep the following in mind:

Consumers are still seeking convenience and flexibility. Most Americans say they usually don’t know what’s for dinner two hours before mealtime. Now, you can provide them the option for them to stop by and stock up on pre-made restaurant quality food to enjoy hot and fresh in their own home when ready.

This means that you must select items for this menu that can be easily finished.

With non-essential businesses closing to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, consumers are more money conscious than ever. Now is the time for economies of scale, offering consumers a high level of value at lower prices. Take a moment to analyze your current operation and identify areas to cut cost to maximize efficiencies and eliminate food waste.

Food is no longer just fuel. Restaurants provide an experience and relaxing environment. Giving consumers the option of enjoying their favorite restaurant foods in the comfort of their own home can go a long way in building loyalty and return business as soon as we are past the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ask your Shamrock Foods Sales Representative how to quickly implement these strategies.