Foodservice | Deli
How to Grow
YOUR DELI PROGRAM Proprietary delis can be the heart of successful foodservice programs if retailers take key considerations into account. Marilyn Odesser-Torpey • Associate Editor
C-stores are succeeding with deli programs with careful attention to customer demands in each market area as they work to attract customers away from the competition. In May, six out of the 11 full-service delis at Clifford Fuel Co.’s Cliff’s Local Market stores in New York broke their all-time sales records, reported Derek Thurston, the chain’s director of foodservice operations. Cliff’s made-to-order operation, which accounts for 40% of the company’s foodservice sales, is an assembly-line set-up where customers point out what ingredients they want on their sandwiches and assemblers behind the counter put them together. Sourdough, Italian herb and cheese and other breads are baked fresh on-site for subs and melts. The menu also includes tomato basil, white, honey wheat, spinach and jalapeño cheddar wraps. The deli is always the center of foodservice activity with staffers preparing foods for the graband-go cases when they are not building made-to-order sandwiches, Thurston noted. “We make a ton of grab-and-go products at the deli,” he elaborated. Thurston pointed out that retailers thinking about adding a deli to existing locations should be aware of the challenge of changing customers’ food purchasing and eating habits. He explained that probably the hardest habits to break are at breakfast. 46
CSTORE DECISIONS •
July 2022
cstoredecisions.com
