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its algorithm-based product suggestions based
on browsing and purchase histories.
"Smart recommendations are part and
parcel of the digital world in which we
live," Bishop says, noting that some smart
recommendation apps have been gaining
traction with both retailers and consumers.
"You're going to see the smart recommendations
becoming more important in helping people
discover products that are in their taste and
personal preference set, that they otherwise
might not know about," he says.
Bishop says it behooves specialty food
makers, distributors, and retailers to learn
more about how smart-recommendation
engines function and try to discover ways to
make their products appear as a part of those
recommendations. "No one seems to have
figured out exactly how to do that, but those
who figure it out first are going to get some
advantage from it," he says.
Just Salad Adapts to Meet Customer Demands
New York-based Just Salad is among the restaurants that have had to adjust
to the changing operating environment. Early in the pandemic, the 40-unit
chain launched its Just Grocery division, offering items from its own supply
chain, and then at the end of November it launched Housemade, a line of
seven heat-and-eat, one-pan prepared meals. The line includes items such
as the Buffalo Chicken Bowl and Taco Tuesday Bowl, along with two kits that
are completely vegan and one that features Beyond Beef.
The "no commitment meal kits," as Andy Rooks, chief marketing officer,
describes them, are delivered within about an hour by the company's delivery
partners, with no subscription necessary. "As everyone was adjusting to
the work-from-home life, we listened to what they had to say," Rooks says,
noting that the company expects the meals to serve the dinner daypart while
its salads continue to focus on the lunchtime business.
"One of the things we've noticed is that even as things have started to
normalize, people are still looking for dinner solutions," he says.
Just Salad, known for its reusable salad bowls and seasonal, made-to-order
offerings, took pains to make the meals as sustainable as possible, with no
plastic packaging. That follows the company's rollout earlier in 2020 of a
carbon-footprint labeling program for its menu items—the first of its kind in
the country, according to Just Salad.
The company has seen a big shift toward digital ordering and has shifted to
focusing on home consumers instead of office workers, Brooks says. "We'll
be there for our guests whenever they need us," he says. "We'll continue to
adjust."
THE NEW NORMAL
