COMPANY: Regional retailer operating in-house foodservice & cafés

GOAL: Reduce costs of foodservice disposable packaging

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

COMPETITOR’S 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, 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, state primary objective of cost reduction and share the secondary benefits of the Pollock Solution

POLLOCK SOLUTION: Reduce the number of line items by a third, consolidate manufacturers to three, and replace products incorrectly used.  The customer lowered their actual disposable product cost by a significant percentage and created product consistency in every store.

By selecting better and more functional products, the customer further reduced their food costs. The company was unaware of the lack of consistency in the portions being served from location to location.  Once a consistent and accurate portion size program was implemented, food costs were further reduced.

Pollock created a catalog 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 the training tool of choice for new foodservice personnel.

As the result of these improvements, the customer asked Pollock to review their food service chemical and sanitation program. Using the Pollock Solution approach, a simplified chemical program was implemented.

The vastly improved sanitation program reduced the number of products, added portion control, and offered superior performing chemicals.   The new program also met all health department requirements, and was safer for the foodservice workers.

We found the best, most cost effective solution for this customer’s problems by listening and better understanding their desired outcome. In the end, we offered the customer the right products for the job rather than just a lower price for the incorrect products they had used all along.