COMPANY: Regional retailer opperating in-house foodservice & cafés

Goal: Reduce costs of foodservice disposable packaging

OPPORTUNITY: Improve quality, image and consistency of products across all stores

COMPETITORS SOLUTION: Quote similar products at a lower cost

Pollock Methodology: Conduct a total review of items being used by store, compare the sizes, applications, and type of materials: paper, plastic or foils. Review the colors and the shapes of products being used.

Involve key manufacturers of disposable foodservice packaging in the surveys. Bring internal and external resources together to discuss observations and create a defined product application outline.

Consult with customer to get a better and updated understanding of problem and make sure we are on the right track, gain buy-in from customer, and earn support from customer leadership.

Present solution to customer, stating primary objective of cost reduction and sharing the secondary benefits of the Pollock Solution

Pollock Solution: Reducing the number of line items by a third, consolidating manufacturers to three, and replacing products incorrectly used. By creating consistency of product in every store, the customer was able to lower their actual cost of disposable product by a significant percentage.

As a result of better and more functional product being correctly used, a further reduction in food cost was achieved. The company had not been aware of the incorrect applications of products and the resulting inaccurately portioned serving. As a result, they could better appreciate the value of implementing a consistent and accurate portion size program.

A catalog was developed by Pollock to help demonstrate which food items were associated with each container. The catalog also became the order guide for reorders. An interesting outgrowth of this catalog is that it became tool of choice when used to train new foodservice personnel.

As the result of these improvements, the customer had Pollock review their chemical and sanitation program used in the foodservice operations. Using the Pollock Solution approach to problem solving, a simplified chemical program was developed and implemented.

By reducing the number of products used, adding portion control, and offering superior performing chemicals, a vastly improved sanitation program was implemented. Also, the new program met all health department requirements, and was safer for the foodservice workers.

The best, most cost effective solution for this customers' problems was found by gaining a better understanding of their desired outcome. The actual benefits they sought were achieved by not copying what others had done poorly on numerous previous occasions.