Food Shows 2023

2022 Food for All Partnership Program: Metro Meals on Wheels

“Because You Care”

After a round of presenting different concepts, the “Because You Care” prompt became the basis for messaging that came to life in various media including billboards, flyers, social media and TV spots. It speaks directly to the caregiver audience and allows the flexibility to highlight various benefits.

Sustainable Takeout Trends to Celebrate Earth Day

With takeout being the most popular method of service for many restaurants, single-use containers aren’t going away anytime soon. Foodservice operators are looking for ways to provide dining options while also being eco-conscious. This Earth Day, we’re looking at new ideas that deliver on stellar takeout with our planet in mind. 

We talked to Kim Bartmann of the Bartmann Group, the proprietor of many Twin Cities restaurants like Bread & Pickle, Tiny Diner, and Bryant Lake Bowl.  “Our operations have leaned into using compostables whenever possible, and tried to reduce individual sauce and condiment containers.” As far as trends in sustainable eating and foodservice, she predicts that we’ll be using less plastic and increasing our utilization of more sustainable options like hemp paper products.  

Jill Holter, who works in Restaurant and Market Brand Development for the Food Building in Minneapolis, likes to see operators going compostable wherever possible, and stresses the importance of properly sorting and disposing of trash in restaurant buildings. What trends does she see in her crystal ball? “Less overall packaging, and more locally sourced ingredients.”

Kimberly Hayes, owner and operator of Alpha & Omega Pizza Farm in Princeton, Minnesota, weighs in. When her business wanted to be eco-conscious, they went from all cardboard pizza boxes to washable pie tins for dine in. As for the future, beyond the farm? “I’d like to see more reusable options in play.” 

“Take-away”, “Takeout”, “To-go Dining”, whatever you call it, we know restaurants across the country have had to learn the lingo and keep customers fed, safely. These are just a few ideas from foodservice professionals working to change the business, for the better! 

Connect with us for more foodservice tips and trends. 

Cupid, Cupcakes, and Conversation Hearts: Happy Valentine’s from IN Food

It’s valen-time to add some romance into your day-to-day, and we at IN Food are excited to celebrate this holiday our favorite way, through food (It’s our love language). We’re sharing our tips and tricks on what to add to your February 14th, and what can go the way of St. Valentine’s cranium. (Did you know he was beheaded? Yeah, they left that out of 3rd grade craft hour for us too.) 

You’ve heard the old adage “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” but we like to take a less-sexist approach: some say the surest way to show your love is through a nice meal. Our staff recommends going the carb and comfort food route. Anita loves to whip up sherry-braised short ribs, and Abby indulges her sweetie’s sweet tooth with chocolate-covered strawberries. 

It’s not just people that need some extra love on this holiday, here at IN Food, we like to show some love for the veggies that maybe aren’t the prettiest girls in school. Ciara vouches for radishes and eggplant, and Betsy defends mushrooms, while Anita is a fan of snacking on jicama. On the controversial-combination route, Alyssa can’t get enough of the combination of sweet married to salty. “Pineapple on pizza and peanut butter on burgers, if it’s done properly it’s soooooo good!” 

We’ve also been swooning over local spots we loved to visit in the past. Our staff says “ti amo” to Italian cuisine, listing Broders and Andiamo. Abby can’t wait to dine at Amore in Uptown. “I’m picturing myself there having a little Lady and the Tramp moment with Italian music in the background.” Betsy fondly recalled getting the star treatment at Urban Growler. “Once my husband called to see how busy it was and said something along the lines of ‘Great! My fiancée and I will be in shortly!’ Well, they thought we were JUST engaged, but it had been at least a year. They treated us to a white-tablecloth, candle lit VIP dinner. It was hilarious and oh-so-sweet.” 

Valentine’s can be a slog of the same-old-same-old if you aren’t careful. Maggie may make some enemies with this, but she isn’t a fan of red wine or chocolate, so she’s ready to see something new! We’ve had some serious office division over Conversation Hearts. According to Ciara, “They taste horrible. If you think otherwise you’re lying to yourself, but they’re classic and must stay.” But Abby asks a bold question: “are Conversation Hearts even good or do we just eat them to be nostalgic?” Fair question, Abby!

We feel so lucky to have clients, partners, friends and family as wonderful as all of you.

Just imagine we’ve slipped a retro Valentine into your locker. B Mine? Xoxo, IN Food. 

Fighters in Food Waste: Introducing the TC Food Justice “Rescue Squad”

You may have seen someone riding around the city in a fruit covered helmet, delivering food via bicycle. No, this isn’t a whimsical Richard Scarry-influenced hallucination, that’s just TC Food Justice. The staff and volunteers at TC Food Justice are fairy godmothers of food waste elimination, traveling around town picking up excess produce and giving to hunger-relief organizations. As our chosen 2020 Food for All partner, we worked with their team to develop refreshed brand and marketing strategies.

As we reviewed all the applications we received, we were immediately intrigued by their all-volunteer crew who travel by bike in rain or shine so that no food goes to waste. We were fascinated by this model and as part of our work we branded this team of loyal helpers the “Rescue Squad.” The IN Food team created a logo design with clean and crisp lines to communicate this unique aspect of these food heroes, along with the slogan, “Moving food forward, connecting community.” Our pro-bono work also included brand guidelines, content direction and suggestions to the tone and consistency of their social media. 

Kelzee Tibbits, the organization’s sustainability coordinator, spoke about the impact of the Food For All partnership. “The IN Food team brought us back to the beginning to take a serious look at the items we had created piecemeal over the years. I feel confident in the marketing foundation they have built for us and taught us how to use.”  You can add TC Food Justice to your list of the many reasons to love the generosity and care of Minnesotans. We asked Tibbits what three words she would use to describe the new look we’ve helped create: “Consistent, Unique and Customizable.” Sounds good to us! We’re now entering into our third year of Food for All, part of our larger 5% Give Back Campaign, in which up to $10,000 of our profits go to local hunger-relief organizations in the Twin Cities. Stay tuned for an announcement of our new partner for this year’s collaboration.

2020 Women In Business: Anita Nelson

Earlier this month, our agency president, Anita Nelson,  was honored with a 2020 Women in Business Award by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. We’re beyond proud of Anita for the example she sets for our office each and every day. Learn more about her recognition in this article: 2020 Women in Business Awards: Anita Nelson, IN Food Marketing & Design.

5 ways to stretch your foodservice marketing budget

Like most foodservice marketers, you’re looking for ways to connect with operators and offer solutions to get them get through these unprecedented times. The challenge? Finding creative ways to reach them if your marketing budget has been impacted by COVID-19 related cuts. Here are a few low-cost tactics to reach operators while keeping an eye on your bottom line:

1. Sharable presentations and content

With far fewer face-to-face meetings, your sales team and brokers will appreciate any Zoom-friendly presentations you can offer. This is also a great time to create simple one-sheeters with recipes and ideas of how to use your products for takeout-friendly menu items.

2. Programmatic advertising

If you’re not familiar with programmatic media, it’s a way to purchase media on hundreds of well-known websites through real time bidding. While there are several tactics, the most well-known is retargeting (think of those ads that follow you around after you’ve looked at something online). This type of media buying is surprisingly affordable and can be a great way to meet your customers where they’re at online 24/7.

3. Case inserts

What better way to reach your current customers than with inserts right in the case of product? From information and a trial offer rebate on new products, to usage ideas and recipes, this is an easy and inexpensive way to engage with your top operators. (Just be sure to print on food-safe paper if the insert comes in contact with the product).

4. Paid social

A lot of foodservice manufacturers have begun to see the power in connecting with operators via social media, but many are still relying on organic posts and seeing only sporadic engagement for their efforts. For a minimal investment, you can boost posts to significantly increase the visibility of your posts. Better yet, invest in a paid social campaign to increase your followers so that future posts gain more traction.

5. Digital media

Gone are the days when you need to spend thousands on a print ad. Foodservice media partners continue to expand their digital capabilities, and many options are quite affordable, and through A/B testing, allow you the opportunity to see what messaging resonates with operators.

Looking for ideas on how you can stretch your marketing budget? Anita Nelson would be happy to strategize with you.

Brand-demic pivots that resonated

As the entire world is adjusting to this year of social distancing, brands have had to entirely reevaluate their strategies. The tone they go market right now is more important than ever and will likely affect consumer perception of them for years to come. Time is absolutely of the essence when it comes pivoting in response to the pandemic—and some brands have shined brighter than the rest in their response to this new normal.

Hotels.com, a company entirely based around travel and hotel stays, quickly pivoted their campaign focused on motivating people to get away and travel instead of being jealous of others’ travel to a very simple ad acknowledging and recognizing the current situation and emphasizing that people should just be staying home right now. The company is notorious for rewarding travelers for staying at hotels and chose to prioritize the health and safety of their customers over their own corporate goals.

Guinness, a beer brand often associated with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, ran an ad this spring emphasizing that people can absolutely still celebrate the holiday from home, despite how different this year feels. The ad showcases the history of Guinness and points out that while we don’t have parades this year and we cannot be cheers-ing at a pub, as long as you’re home with friends or family, you’ve already won.

Calm App, the leading app for meditation and sleep, was already a brand of significant importance in 2020 and the challenges people face, but took their brand a step further during the pandemic by developing Calm Together focused around minimizing the feeling of isolation and disruptions, and allowing people to connect with others or improve their own mental health. The app prioritizes caring for one’s mind and acts as a simple reminder for how people can best care for themselves and others right now.

Du Nord Craft Spirits team loading hand sanitizer.

On a local level, a Twin Cities brand that swiftly adjusted not only their philosophy, but their actual production line is Du Nord Craft Spirits. The craft distillery was forced to close its Cocktail Room mid-March. Rather than dwelling on that closure and its potential financial impact, Du Nord promptly adjusted their production line to produce hand sanitizer. Not only was staff able to be brought back to work for hand sanitizer production and sales, they have also donated the much-need product over the past few months to organizations and groups in need.

While not all brands have acted as quickly or adjusted as successfully as others, these are just a few of the many that have stepped up not only their marketing, but also their production and community presence during this complicated time. When brands truly put their people and community first, great things can happen – even when most of the world is shutting its doors.

As foodservice marketers, how can you pivot your message to demonstrate operator empathy? If you need ideas, feel free to get in touch with Anita Nelson at 612-353-3410 or anita@infoodmktg.com.

The power of sampling in foodservice

Ok, honest question: when was the last time you went to the grocery store on a big sampling day and didn’t try something? Did you get the cheese with the toothpick? Did you try a sip of that on-sale wine?

Bite-sized, big results

Sampling is a valuable tool used heavily in retail settings to drive awareness and purchase. However, it’s underutilized by foodservice manufacturers, and they’re in for a big opportunity by getting on board. When used properly, sampling can be a very powerful way to convert operators and create long-lasting sales.

According to a report on In-Store Sampling Effectiveness, sampled items in multiple categories showed an average of +475% cumulative sales lift on the day of the event. In addition, the data reveals significant potential for repeat purchases.

Send in the samples

Time and time again, we hear the same thing from operators: they’ll always try a product if it’s given to them. These folks are often hands-on, creative chefs themselves. If the product is right in front of them, they can use their imaginations and get a first-hand look at the potential it holds.

In fact, one operator we worked with loved his sauce sample so much, he switched distributors at a future restaurant just to be able to purchase it!

Go ahead, give it a try

If you’re a foodservice manufacturer and aren’t leveraging samples for your new products, here are a few tips to get you started:

• Limit your samples: Control costs and drive urgency by making only a certain number available if promoting via paid media or email.
• Give ‘em enough: If a sample’s too small, an operator may not get the full picture— make there’s plenty of product for them to work with.
• Maximize leads: Ensure you’re capturing operator leads so you can follow up with a sales call or additional offers.
• Priority mail: If budgets allows, force ship samples to a select group of high-potential operators and follow up with an email or phone call to get their feedback. Consider providing a full case so operators can also see the packaging, case size and storage.
• Ready for launch: With new product launches, ensure you’re allocating a portion of your budget for broker samples. And if the product is refrigerated or frozen, provide them with a branded cooler bag for operator sales calls.

Speaking of samples: want a taste of how we can help you drive trial with a new product launch? Contact Anita Nelson at anita@infoodmktg.com to get started!

Reminiscing a Cheesy Victory

Good news: April is National Grilled Cheese Month. And it gives us another reason to boast about one of our talented designers, Alyssa. Why, you might ask? Beyond being an incredibly skillful designer, she makes a MEAN grilled cheese. We’re talking about a “won the 2014 Best in Show at the Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown presented by the Grilled Cheese Academy” kind of good grilled cheese.

So, we (virtually) sat down with Alyssa to recap this victory—and once the office opens up, you can bet we’ll be enjoying some Limburger Leaps, the name of her winning sandwich, together.

Creating the Limburger Leap

One thing we’ve learned about Alyssa is that she thrives under pressure. She can have five projects due in an hour and you could not detect an ounce of stress. This seemed fitting when we learned about her process creating the Limburger Leap.

Alyssa said, “I knew about the contest for several weeks before entering. I was doubtful of my chances to win and put off entering until the last day. My entry was so last minute that I actually only did one trial run, then and adjusted the original draft of the recipe without testing it again before submission.”

The Inspiration Behind the Cheese

Considering the contest originated in Wisconsin—and that she’s a die-hard Packers fan—Alyssa wanted to create a game day-themed sandwich.

“You have to play the judges, right?”

She worked with her co-creator and twin sister to name the Limburger Leap after the iconic Lambeau Leap. “Once Limburger was in place, we knew that the other recipe ingredients needed to add complexity and balance out the pungent cheese,” she continued.

The Grill of Victory

After about two months of waiting, Alyssa arrived to work one morning in July to find the email in her inbox.

“I read it several times and still couldn’t believe it. Really, BEST OF SHOW?!?!”

Overjoyed she immediately called her sister to share the news. “I don’t really remember much else besides a blur of excitement that day. Our recipe had just won $10,000 in a national recipe contest!”

In the end, Alyssa and her sister used their winnings to take a trip to London and Paris the following summer and to help pay off the rest of their student loans.

If you’re looking to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month (because who doesn’t love a reason to eat grilled cheese?) and would like to try the Limburger Leap for yourself, here’s the recipe.