The Ultimate Impulse Buy: Grab-and-go options at the counter

An additional revenue stream just waiting for you is at your counter area. It’s grab-n-go items. From retail and service industry to restaurants and grocery stores, you’ll find those quick and easy items that customers can’t resist buying when at the register to pay.

In a restaurant setting, you have the opportunity to tempt a customer to take your products to go.

Grab-and-go offerings are a great way to increase check averages and meet the convenience demand of customers. Items offered as grab and go can range from prepared menu items, signature ingredients to specialty desserts and beverages.

Logistics of Grab-and-Go

Before we dive into offerings, let’s go through the logistics. There are several operational areas to look at before you decide what to offer.

• Spacing. How much space at the register or adjacent can you plan to accommodate a designated grab-and-go area?
• Display. Will items sit on top of the counter? Some grab-and-go items may require shelving, a temperature controlled display case, refrigeration or a freezer.
• Packaging. The items must be packaged strong enough to hold the integrity of the item, sealed to ensure freshness and have proper labeling. Check all guidelines according to your health department, the CDC and the FDA.
• Portability. Is the grab-and-go item easily portable? Easy to carry and eat on the go make great grab-and-go options.
• Wayfinding. Think about the journey of the customer inside your restaurant. When and how do they interact with the grab-and-go section? Is it easy to see and entice them to purchase items? Don’t forget signage.
• Marketing. You should have a marketing plan to promote your grab-and-go.

Building a Grab-and-Go Menu

Your grab-and-go offerings need to be as thought out as your regular menu. There are so many items that can be offered grab and go, from sandwiches, salads, soups and even entrees to desserts, beverages and proprietary sauces, dressings and dough. This will require product development, a pricing strategy and testing.

First, evaluate your menu for in-demand items that would make great grab-and-go items. What can hold up to your quality standards as grab and go? Secondly, are there any new items that you could bring to your grab-and-go, carryout and delivery operation? Lastly, should you outsource grab-and-go items? This is an enticing direction, especially considering the packaging and labeling component. Maybe there is a hot bakery or deli that would be perfect to partner with for your grab and go.

Jason’s New York Style Pizza in Bangor, Maine, offers an array of grab-and-go options. The standout, operator Jonathan Fell says, are the Whoopie Pies. “So, a Whoopie Pie is a Maine thing. It is basically two cakes with filling in between—a staple at most pizza and sub shops up here,” he says. “We offer vanilla and chocolate whoopies daily, with seasonal ones throughout the year. We strategically place whoopies and desserts on the counters at all locations, making them our top-selling desserts.”

That’s not all Jason’s offers. “For grab-and-go items, we’ve found that keeping it simple is best,” he continues. “Salads and subs packaged to go sell best, along with a few sides like pasta and potato salad. Having them easily available right when you walk into our stores is key.”

Tievoli Pizza Bar and Tievoli Pizza Truck in Palatine, Illinois, go straight for the indulgent items with grab-and-go. “We sell chocolate chip cookies and Nutella brownies for grab-n-go options, both at our brick and mortar and our pizza truck. They’re displayed near point of sale and offered for every transaction,” says owner Giovanni Labbate. “For us, it’s important to package nicely so customers can see what you have and it’s appealing. Both are displayed in a basket for easy access and visibility.

Grab-and-go items may differ depending on concept type. Labbate differentiates offerings for his mobile and brick and mortar locations. “I think in a mobile unit, a dessert option is the best for grab-n-go, especially for us being a pizza truck. At our Brick-and-Mortar it’s basically the same, but we play around with new dessert options all the time such as cake pops, chocolates, new cookies and Rice Crispy treats.

Tips for a Better Grab-and-Go

As you plan your grab-and-go menu, here are a few tips for success.

• Go with your strengths when you develop grab-and-go items. Stick with items that you can knock out of the park every time.

“I’d say the biggest takeaway for grab-and-go service is quick, easy, and consistent,” Fell says. “Our feedback from customers when we started grab-and-go was to ‘please make sure you have it every day.’ Folks don’t want to come in one day for that amazing to-go sandwich and find it unavailable the next day.”

Labbate has a different approach. He suggests don’t do the same thing. “Always keep it fresh and try new items to keep customers’ interest,” he says.

• Think about customer demand. Are there items that customers have consistently asked to have packaged to go.

• Always ensure that the quality of your menu items is being maintained, especially in a grab-and-go environment. There is nothing worse than a customer excited to have the item at home later and it is stale. Check expiration dates on items. Furthermore, test that the expiration date maintains your level of freshness.

• One last thing: don’t forget to add your grab-and-go items to your online menu and on third-party menus.

DENISE GREER  is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.