Like Hubble, home-meal replacement must refocus and set sights on new cosmic plan

Thomas J. Haas is the president of Amelia Island, Fla. -based Thomas J. Haas & Associates Ltd.

The Hubble telescope represented an investment of many hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars. We all know that mammoth scientific undertaking was most significant, because if it worked, it would unlock the answers to the origin of the universe.

But despite all the talent involved in the project, it was an astronaut who had to fly into space to make an adjustment in one of the lenses in order to get this magnificent work of science and engineering into focus.

How often do we in the food industry lose our focus despite the talent, energy and monies spent to develop or evolve concepts.

Let's start with a definition of the much-ballyhooed home-meal-replacement business. From Forbes to Fortune to The Wall Street Journal to The New York Times to Advertising Age to the trade press, this so-called new market suddenly emerged as the new dawn of a maturing industry.

What is home-meal replacement? Any food product consumed outside, or inside the home, but not prepared at home. That definition can be simplified further by defining it as the foodservice segment of the food industry. Foodservice is home-meal replacement and always has been. What was so revolutionary about Boston Chicken, or what it became, Boston Market? How often did you utilize the restaurant on premises, and how often did you take its product home?

How many square feet did Boston Chicken/Market have? What percent of its business was sit-down vs. takeout? The beauty of KFC was that you went in one door and out the other, and 70 percent or more of its business was takeout, or home-meal replacement.

Boston Market stores were too big. They overpaid for their real estate and never instituted a true restaurant operations mentality owing to their belief that they were different; they were home-meal replacement, the heroes of Blockbuster.

What about altering the concept from Boston Chicken to Boston Market? Sounds great on paper; now we can replace home cooking with turkey, ham and a full variety of goodies.

Unfortunately, it was a tough sell in much the same way it's tough to start out with fish and chips and try to sell hamburgers, or a light/healthful concept, and present pancakes to a confused consumer or convince the public that at one time you were a muffin joint and now you are a full-service restaurant.

Again, the bottom line is the need to use all our senses - eyes, ears and historical data - to determine what it is you think you are, want to be and what truly the consumer/customer tells you in reality you are.

Focus is so critical in determining whether Hubble would unlock the answers to the origin of life.

Focus is also the key to foodservice success, and it must be followed by a dedication and passion to provide the customer with a price/value/convenience benefit that warrants the expenditure for the experience, whatever it is that you want to sell.

Home-meal replacement is a very viable concept, as long as it provides products and services to take advantage of the need and makes a profit doing so. In fact, the home-meal-replacement market is worth $350 billion plus in total foodservice sales and will continue to double as long as the marketing and financial interests take a lesson from Hubble and polish or change their lens when their vision clouds the focus on the customer. Remember: "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.

COPYRIGHT 1998 Lebhar-Friedman, Inc.
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