Restaurants’ Secret Weapon in the Battle of the ‘Grocerant’

Declining restaurant sales have been making more than a few headlines of late. Reasons vary, but the growth in alternative options for meal service is often cited as a contributing factor. And, no, it’s not meal kit services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh that constitute the greatest threat. Believe it or not, grocery stores are responsible for the majority of these poached sales.

A new term “grocerants” has even been coined to define this trend of grocery chains implementing restaurant footprints either inside or adjacent to their stores. Generally, the term is restricted to the idea of a fully-embedded restaurant-style experience (i.e. an in-house Starbucks), but many grocery stores are also expanding and enhancing their prepared food sections as well.

The ThreatAs restaurants prepare to counter the rise of the grocerant, convenience, cost, and quality are all major factors to consider. The one-stop-shop appeal of the grocerant is undeniable because what’s not to like about…