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Retail Plate: Foodservice at Retail Intelligence
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The food retail store — whether it's a supermarket, convenience store, club store, mass merchandiser, or specialty retailer — is becoming America's most competitive restaurant. Most operators still aren't treating it that way.
Retail Plate is the only B2B media resource dedicated exclusively to foodservice at retail. It's co-published by Korry Stagnito and Phil Lempert as a joint venture between Retail & Hospitality Hub and SupermarketGuru.com, with research and insights from Grocery Doppio/Incisiv. We've spent decades at the center of food retail, and built this platform because the executives running these programs — VPs of Foodservice, Fresh Merchandising directors, Deli category managers and others — need a dedicated information resource to call their own. U.S. retail foodservice is a $130+ billion market — including $52 billion at grocery alone — and it's still growing. The hot bar, the sushi counter, the chef-driven deli, the ghost kitchen behind the bakery aren't convenience features anymore. They're destination businesses. They're margin opportunities. Six decades of combined retail and CPG relationships, built into a platform for the executives shaping what comes next. |
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Retail Foodservice Trends
- Why Shoppers Are Ditching Cooking for the Prepared Food Aisle
TODAY / August 14, 2026
Demand for quick and easy meals is growing, with shoppers citing cost and convenience. Now major grocery chains including Whole Foods, Walmart, Sprouts and more, are beefing up their ready-to-eat food options.
→ Read it - The Buzziest New Restaurant Is the Grocery Store
Yahoo Finance / June 22, 2026
A McKinsey report named prepared foods as one of the top themes reshaping grocery right now — right alongside e-commerce, retail media, and AI. One quarter of all consumers now buy grocery prepared foods as a restaurant substitute, most often replacing quick-service and fast-casual occasions. Among shoppers 18–29, it's nearly one third.
→ Read it - The Prepared Food Land Grab
Inc. Magazine / August 5, 2026
The price gap between restaurant lunches and convenience store lunches has collapsed in the mind of the average American worker. Written from the c-store perspective, this piece by the CEO of National Retail Solutions is required reading for any grocery operator who thinks prepared food competition only comes from restaurants. The numbers are striking: foodservice now accounts for 38.9% of gross profit at U.S. convenience stores — a direct play for the same meal occasions grocery is chasing.
→ Read it - Best Supermarket Prepared Foods of 2026 — Readers' Choice
Reviewed.com / August 2026
A consumer publication — not a trade journal — is now running annual awards for supermarket prepared foods. Nominees include Market District, Meijer, Erewhon, Fresh Thyme, and Bashas'. When a mainstream consumer review site dedicates an awards franchise to your category, you've arrived. Grocery operators should read this for the consumer lens on what's working — and what's winning loyalty.
→ Read it - The State of Grocery North America 2026
McKinsey & Company / June 2026
Traditional center-store categories remain important, but it is fresh, prepared, and immediate-consumption occasions that differentiate retailers and influence where customers choose to shop. McKinsey's annual grocery report puts retail foodservice at the center of the competitive story — with data showing convenience (74%) and time savings (68%) as the top drivers of prepared food purchases, not just price.
→ Read it - 75% of Consumers Are Financially Stressed — And That's an Opportunity
InsideRadio / Datassential / May 2026
According to Datassential, 75% of consumers say they are either "just getting by or falling behind financially," while consumers are trading down on beverages and add-ons while prioritizing convenience, value, and familiar menu items. For retail foodservice operators, this is the macro tailwind hiding in plain sight: when restaurant prices feel out of reach, the grocery hot bar becomes not just convenient but aspirational. The operators framing their programs around value — not just quality — are capturing the most ground.
→ Read it
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