food

Its been known for a long time that too many choices can have a negative impact on sales. A study done at Columbia University in 2000 showed people confronted with 24 gourmet jam jars vs 6 showed that whilst the larger selection increased the likelihood of people stopping and looking, it reduced purchasing. In that […]

New Zealanders are an innovative bunch and the new product from New Zealand Natural Ice Creams just adds more weight to that arguement.  They’ve launched Sooshi, which looks like a regular rice sushi but is made of real fruit and ice cream.  The fruit fillings are made to resemble fillings you can find in real […]

In fast food restaurants & food courts you typically see a whole range of different drink sizes but often those retailers question offering the extreme size drinks because sales of them are relatively low. However, research from Duke University has suggested that drink purchases are altered by the portfolio of options available, and operators may […]

Consumer tastes vary wildly around the world, and even within countries there can be marked differences in favoured flavours and textures.  A new study conducted for Costa Coffee by food psychologist Greg Tucker and the University of Nottingham’s Flavour Research Group investigated taste preferences in the UK as influenced by culture, geography and environment. “Just […]

Pop-up retail isn’t new by any means but its not seen that much in airports except as casual leasing in “spare” space.  What is interesting is how its being handled in a new store opening soon at Glasgow Airport.  They’ve leased a shop to Planeshop as a permanent tenant but the actual brand/retail concept featured […]

I have to admit when I first saw this concept I nearly threw up but at the same time was amused and intrigued.  I hadn’t really thought about where the line between fun & bad taste lay with themed food establishments but certainly “Modern Toilet” in Taiwan does challenge that line. My first assumption was […]

Not much smells better than freshly baked cookies and every food retailer knows, nothing stimulates purchase like something that gets the mouth salivating and the stomach gurgling.  So how terrific is this new idea from Toronto’s Sweet Flour Bake Shop!.  They let customers design their own cookies and bake them fresh in only 2 minutes. […]

Interactivity & engagement are becoming increasingly critical to retail success, particularly in airports. When you have food involved, such as a chocolate store or fine food usage, this of course involves tasting opportunities. Sometimes retailers mistakenly think you can simply put out some of the product for people to taste and certainly that is better […]

Lets face it, most airport food is boring. Unless you’re in the US or Europe on a short haul flight (so they don’t serve much in the way of food) the only reason you eat in a airport is to fill in time. So why are the offerings so darned boring! I’ve always been a […]

With the new Barcelona Airport T1 due to open in matter of days, I thought it worthwhile taking a look at what it will contain. Firstly to put some context on this, the terminal is designed to cater to 25 million passengers. To begin with, Star Alliance flights will move to the terminal, One World […]

The days of hotel minibars stocking overpriced softdrinks and miniature spirits are thankfully passing. These days you see a surprising range of things in your minibar – some which make you scratch your head, some that are a pleasant surprise. No discussion of minibars however can proceed without stating my pet hate – computerised minibars […]

OK I know this is a bit “out there” but one of the big issues for airlines (and heaps of other F&B outlets in captive areas) is rubbish. This is particularly so in relation to F&B packaging. So, that’s what makes some of this new edible food packaging ideas very interesting. Mange2 is actually an […]

Most pricing research to date in the hospitality industry has been about typography, menu layout, use of images & wording and how that influences consumer perceptions. What has been lacking in research is some solid information on how the way in which prices are presented impacts on actual purchase behaviour. Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality […]

People are eagerly awaiting the new Barcelona Airport T1 in another week or two and the retailers are busily getting ready. The commercial space at T1 is 28,612m2 of which 9,812m2 is to be occupied by a Business centre, VIP lounges and other customer services. This leaves 18,796m2 in retail & F&B, with almost 2/3rds […]

Its not news that music influences people’s mood & behavioiur. Or indeed that this in turn influences how much & how quickly they spend. The relationship is actually fairly complex and current research has looked into things like the key of the music, the tempo, genre etc. But there are some potted rules of thumb […]

Scent is turning into the latest retail tool, particularly in the middle of difficult economic times. Anecdotally we know it works but what works? We know that the smell of freshly baked bread & freshly brewed coffee works when selling homes. We know the smell of leather works when selling cars. But what else? Gueguen […]

Whilst a terminal is about far more than making money, revenue is an important part of the equation – particularly retail revenue. So what does the performance of T5 look like compared to JetBlue‘s old terminal and other US airports? The above chart from a presentation by Jim Smith of JetBlue indicates T5 Sales per […]

A recent study done by Sam K Hui (NYU), Eric T Bradlow & Peter S Fader (UPenn) indicated that whilst consumers are attracted to crowded stores and areas of stores, they are less likely to make a purchase once they arrive. They also found that the more time people spend in a store the more […]

Customers are fed up with long queues in stores and retailers are losing business because of it, according to a recent survey. The Australian Queuing Behavior Survey by MasterCard Worldwide has revealed that over two-thirds (67 per cent) of consumers abandon their purchase all together if it means standing in line, while 75 per cent […]

Here’s another reason why dieters should avoid all-you-can-eat buffets: When faced with a large variety of items, consumers tend to underestimate how much of each item is present, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. Authors Joseph P. Redden (University of Minnesota) and Stephen J. Hoch (University of Pennsylvania) investigated consumers’ […]

You’ve probably already heard of the “miracle fruit” or Synsepalum dulcificum — which alters your tastebuds and makes everything taste sweet. For about 15-30 minutes after you eat some, everything sour is sweet. Lemons lose their zing, hot sauce that usually burns your tongue tastes like honey. Apparently this fruit is all the rage too […]

Monocle Magazine have released their top 20 retail oulets in the world (reproduced in PSFK ).  Flicking through the links its hard not to agree that these are truely outstanding examples of what good retail can be: Demasié in Barcelona for beautifully packaged confectionery and great interiors. Roden Gray in Vancouver for its rough interiors […]

Most airports aren’t that kid friendly, with the possible exception of Changi. Certainly in the US they’re not know for providing children with much. JetBlue’s T5 is certainly not orientated toward kids but it does deal with the fairly well. Firstly there’s good climbing things like the grandstand seating. OK I know it wasn’t designed […]

Gourmet baby foods aren’t a new thing however now a California company is taking it one step further by introducing a tasting bar and lounge that lets babies try their foods before their parents buy. Pomme Bebe is a restaurant in Newport Beach which serves nothing but organic baby and toddler meals prepared fresh in […]

Toronto Pearson International has announced that it will open a premium lounge for all passengers – for an entry fee of $35. The $35 gets you access to wireless internet, printers, large flat-screen televisions, plus a range of food & beverages.

McDonalds launched a campaign to bring the quarter pounder to Japan which has an interesting twist – converting two of their locations in Tokyo into exclusive Quarter Pounder shops but totally without any McDonalds branding. Instead of the familar golden arches, these shops have a sleek, minimalistic black interior with Le Corbusier sofas, red and […]

No airport ever opens without a glitch, remember the great debarkle of Heathrow T5. So when JetBlue’s new JFK Terminal 5 opened, everyone wondered what would go wrong. The operational side had been tested, retested and tested again. It wouldn’t be a repeat of Heathrow. But just because Murphy likes to visit airports on their […]

Here’s a selection of some of the menu’s at T5 – you wouldn’t believe it was an airport!   AERONUOVA PRIMA COLAZIONE (breakfast) FRUTTA fresh seasonal fruit, biscotti, double cream GRANO (CHICCHI) toasted grains, greek yogurt, acacia honey PANINI pressed ciabatta sandwich, sliced speck, cantaloupe TRAMEZZINI crustless pullman sandwich, pancetta, bibb lettuce, tomato (BLT) FRITTATA […]

All the F&B at JetBlue‘s JFK Terminal 5 is operated by OTG. There are essentially 4 components to their F&B strategy. Full service restaurants/cafes showcasing some of NYC’s top chefs A gourmet food hall which enables passengers to mix & match menu items from 8 quick serve eateries A Gourmet Market which offers more than […]

JetBlue’s strategy is not news to most people – a low cost airline distinguishing itself by actually giving a damn about its customers, listening to them & talking to them. Saving money where they can but not compromising on the things which are really important to their passengers – which they know because yes, they […]