“With great freshness comes great responsibility.” – Unknown
The sandwich is one of humanity’s great inventions. Take two pieces of bread, throw on some stuff, put it all together, and— bam!—you’re holding a tasty meal in your hands. No fuss, no muss, NO COOKING!
C-store customers love them, whether they’re made-to-order or grab-and-go. They’re a key part of the fresh food wave that’s swept across the industry. In fact, sandwich and wrap sales for C-stores totaled $2.5 billion in 2012. Sandwich-based promotions by savvy operators like Sunoco and Circle K help fuel the demand.
So what’s not to like?
Well, some sandwiches are downright evil. Much like the Frankenstein monster, they’re an invention that can turn against you if aren’t paying attention.
The evil sandwich lurks on your shelves, hiding among the “normal” sandwiches, until an unsuspecting customer grabs it, bites into it and finds that something just . . . isn’t . . . right. It’s not the flavor, exactly, or the texture, or an unnamable ingredient. No, something about the sandwich is utterly, irreparably wrong, like a monster clown or a fitness donut or a housing tract built on an ancient burial ground.
The sandwich has been left on the shelf too long.
For the good of mankind, the reputation of sandwiches everywhere and the survival of your Food Service program, this issue must be addressed. Fortunately, you have access to tools and commerce partners that can help. Distributors like S. Abraham & Sons, Inc. and Harbor Wholesale Foods have come to emphasize fresher offerings and some have specialists that can help you plan a strategy to maximize profitability and minimize waste on the perishable items they provide.
C-store back office solutions that keep track of inventory, manage the relationship between ingredients and recipes and track spoilage and waste to the penny are available, including reports that keep you on top of what is and isn’t moving so you can turn your perishable inventory in a timely fashion and keep losses to a minimum.
An angry mob stormed Castle Frankenstein; you don’t want to same to happen to your C-store. Cast out the evil sandwich. Partner up and get the right technology in your store before night falls and the torches are lit.
Leave A Comment