Deli Design Down The Line
In the first of a three-part Deli Insights series, experts weigh in with their views of "the deli of the future" that will revolutionize retailers' interactions with customers.
Although the American supermarket industry has no official so-called "futurist" like the snappily named Faith Popcorn, several leading store designers and consultants stepped up when called on by Progressive Grocer to share their visions of the deli design of the future.
Perhaps the most salient feature of the next-generation in-store deli is that the visual appearance of the increasingly trafficked and profitable department will certainly continue to change, shift and evolve over time.
"At first glance, I don't really expect the deli of the near future to look jaw-droppingly different from a traditional deli," says Tim McCall, design manager at Eugene, Ore.-based King Retail Solutions (KRS). "The differences will be there, but nuanced. Delis will be working technology and digital signage into their design, but not at the expense of the clean, fresh look and feel that consumers have come to expect."
Instead, McCall continues: "The technology will be integrated into the design in a way that streamlines processes and communicates important information with the consumer, without taking away from the overall aesthetic. Another nuanced difference we've already seen, and expect to see more of, is a move toward regional flavor, both in the design and offerings of a given deli. Design, style and deliverables will pick up the flavor of the community they're serving."
Hy-Vee's Grand Buffet concept reflects its region and community. Kitchen Manager Jay Herlein of the Springfield, Mo., store, who transferred from Hy-Vee's Madison, Wis., location, says: "Up there, it's more Midwestern casseroles. And down here, barbecue is so huge."
The look of tomorrow's deli will be more cheesy — literally — affirm two other prognosticators queried by PG.
"If we are talking about the traditional deli, the big shift has been the increased cheese offering, offsetting the deli meat selection," says Glen Kerr, EVP of creative services at Toronto-based Watt International Inc., who expects to see this change continue with the appearance of future retail delis.
Richard Kochersperger, a long-time food industry professor and today an industry consultant, concurs that cheese will factor heavily into the look of the future supermarket deli. "The specialty cheese department will be merged into foodservice," he says. "All activities and functions will report to a fresh foodservice manager, who will operate the area and its products like a restaurant that is capable of sit-down and takeout servings."
Location, Location, Location
An important element in store design is the positioning of the various departments. With this in mind, can a case be made for moving the deli from its traditional perimeter location?
"Absolutely," McCall of KRS says. "Logistically, it's a challenge. Processes like moving product and labor into and out of the deli in a way that doesn't interrupt the consumer's experience are much simpler, for apparent reasons, when the deli is along the perimeter with easy access through the back to storage, etc. It's just easier to hide the unsavory stuff' when the deli's along the perimeter."
However, adds McCall, once those technical complications are dealt with, "a central deli area provides the retailer an opportunity to create a center of activity within the environment and create an entry zone into a larger power aisle within the store."
KRS recently completed a design for a small-format grocery store with an interior deli located centrally within the space, incorporating digital menu boards as well as grab-and-go options, McCall notes.
Watt International's Kerr agrees with McCall's take on moving the deli, particularly if prepared meals are included. Indeed, Kerr feels that having the deli front and center will engage and entice the customer with the animation of the preparation of the food and what he calls "the wonderful smells from the cooking." The traditional deli, he continues, is more of a challenge to pull from the perimeter, and labor costs will likely be increased without really achieving the revenue to justify the relocation.
Steve Mehmert, president of Sussex, Wis.-based Mehmert Store Services, says there's a wellspring of creativity bubbling to the surface in the deli domain. "We are seeing very innovative design efforts related to deli departments, and we are seeing them moved from the perimeter to a center-island approach," he notes.
At Your Service
The future design of the deli can improve service levels, too, enabled by technology.
McCall says ergonomic and well-thought-out design can improve overall processes, making the experience more pleasant and streamlined for the shopper, and at the same time reducing the need for staff, which he calls a win-win for the retailer. "An example of this," he says, "might be as simple as having deli work stations face the consumer, versus facing away as many do today, or reducing the number of steps required of an employee to get from a work station to the product, scale or register."
Simple tweaks like these can greatly improve the level of interaction between the deli employee and the consumer, McCall says, while at the same time speeding up and improving the level of service delivery. "The best designs force staff onto the floor, into the shopper's space, encouraging interaction," he adds.
Properly done, technology can complement this kind of service level even further. McCall says that offerings like online ordering, kiosk ordering and mobile app integration provide consumers a greater level of convenience and control. "Even basic technologies, like smarter queuing solutions, can serve to greatly improve the overall deli experience," he says.
"Ultimately, it's a blend of all these considerations; you can't divorce design from delivery, and at the end of the day, it's really about the retailer making a conscious decision to create a service-focused environment, supported by service-focused staff."
Moreover, adds Kochersperger: "No one wants to wait in line, no matter how many staff members are working. Waiting queues have to be eliminated. The automated ordering systems work as long as the order is executed before I get to the deli area. A specific 'pickup' zone has to be identified," while orders can also be taken via e-commerce, m-commerce and, increasingly, Facebook, or f-commerce, he adds.
Meanwhile, Mehmert believes the ongoing evolutionary changes are finding deli service levels "certainly on the rise," attributable in part to more sophisticated ordering systems, as well as more customization with traditional fare, such as increased numbers of retailers embracing sliced-to-order programs that allow for customer involvement in the process, along with a conveyance of higher levels of freshness. And it's all good to Mehmert, who says that more interaction between associates and customers inherently increases contact and lets the customers see that the items are being made fresh in the store.
Well Done
Future deli design can also bring more and better health and nutritional information to shoppers, enabled, of course, by technology.
"More and more, laws are mandating foodservice providers to disclose health and nutritional information at the point of sale," McCall points out. "With deli offerings varying seasonally, monthly and even daily, it only stands to reason that digital technology such as informative kiosks and digital signage will play a big role in getting this information into the hands of the consumer in a way that's quick, reliable and economically manageable for the retailer."
The key challenge, McCall continues, is integrating the technology in a way that's user-friendly for the consumer and feels natural within the environment, instead of looking and feeling like "a tacked-on overwhelming data dump."
Kochersperger adds: "Nutritional product evaluation systems are great if the customer can understand the rating system. Consumers need to know what ingredients are in the product, the amount of salt, calories and so on." He says that evaluating deli products is difficult and that if stores don't provide this information, consumers will simply use mobile apps to support their buying decisions through smartphones.
Mehmert also envisions electronic message boards playing a more vibrant role for retail deli, including imparting nutrition information, as well as social media connections through which shoppers can quickly discuss their favorite products and serving suggestions with the masses.
While competition will continue to intensify for supermarket delis competing with a wide range of formats, including quick-service restaurants, traditional restaurants offering carryout, c-stores and even pharmacies, foodservice will certainly impact the deli design of the future.
"Savvy deli operators will be integrating a wide spectrum of food offerings to appeal to consumers who are seeking a fresh product, but may not be shopping for raw ingredients," says McCall. "Designing space for products such as semi-prepared foods, hot and cold salad bars, sushi bars and the like will allow delis to compete in the grab-and-go market by offering the appeal of fresh fare to these shoppers. Whether or not these items are prepared on-site is up to the retailer."
In Kochersperger's view, fresh meal programs should require as little store preparation as possible, particularly in light of the growing adoption of products that incorporate nanotechnology, which will instantaneously report temperature and microbial problems. "Through these systems," he says, "proper shelf life from farm to fork will be firmly established."
One Big Thing
So, what will be the most significant design aspect of the deli of the future?
"I believe it will continue to be the evolution of a full-meal center that displays fully plated meals — mannequins of food — suggesting a full-meal preparation to shoppers who continue to be busier and busier, less knowledgeable about preparing food, but more aware of a need to eat healthy," Mehmert says.
Watt International's Kerr, meanwhile believes that "customer engagement will be key. That means a strategic layout that will lead customers through a logical and efficient path, which will expose them to a full offering and at the same time entice them to make the deli of the future successful." Customer-centric product offerings, he adds, are also essential to retailers needing to make sure the products align with their key target customers.
For McCall, it all comes down to one word: localization. "Consumers today want to know the food's story," he says. "From a design perspective, this means that form will marry function in telling the story of the products offered in a given deli. A Cajun-themed deli in Lafayette, La., incorporating Cajun French signage and carrying jambalaya, gumbo and locally raised barbecued chicken is going to appeal to the local shoppers in a way a that a traditional all-American' deli offering standard fried chicken would not."
Kochersperger offers a radical perspective: "The department is eliminated and blended into foodservice solutions, with more self-service and/ or packaged products. There will be improved foodservice merchandising and different products with improved nutritional value."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Coming next in our three-part Deli Insights exclusive series, Part 2 in the March 2012 issue will look at the next frontier of supermarket deli concepts and products, including merchandising and menu trends.
"Delis will be working technology and digital signage into their design, but not at the expense of the clean, fresh look and feel that consumers have come to expect."
—Tim McCall, King Retail Solutions
"The big shift has been the increased cheese offering, offsetting the deli meat selection."
—Glen Kerr, Watt International
Tips for Would-be Chefs of the Future
With fresh-meal programs poised to play an even greater role in both the deli design of the future and the deli itself, supermarket foodservice professionals will be in increased demand. With this the case, "Culinary Careers for Dummies" offers 10 tips supermarket retailers can present to aspiring kitchen honchos:
1 Start at the bottom. Your first job may not be what you want, but it will give you a chance to prove your skill and dedication. Remind yourself that while you're "only" washing dishes and prepping salads now, in a year or so, you'll be moving up the ranks, so take this opportunity to observe, to hone your skills and interests, and to learn as much as you can.
2 Take courses related to your interests. Even if you don't want to go the whole way to a degree or certification, taking classes can sharpen skills and keep you abreast of industry trends and advances — plus they're great on a resume because they'll show potential employers that you're serious about your career. And don't just limit yourself to food-related courses: An English course might lead to a food-writing career, or a chemistry course could help you become a food scientist.
3 Find a mentor in your field. There's no substitute for experience, so if you meet someone more advanced in your field who shows a willingness to befriend and help you, take advantage of this tremendous resource.
4 Work well with others. Especially when you're first starting out, you'll probably be in someone else's kitchen making an established chef's recipes and sharing tools with your co-workers. Don't underestimate the value of interacting efficiently and respectfully with others, because an inability to work as part of a team can stop your career dead in its tracks. Also keep in mind that while you may think you know what you're doing, you need to remain open to constructive criticism, Gordon Ramsay to the contrary.
5 Make time to read. The culinary industry is constantly changing. To remain cutting-edge and competitive, it's important to stay abreast of current and rising trends.
6 Choose a specialization. Many culinary professionals highly recommend choosing a specialization; otherwise, you might drift from job to job with no clear goal in mind. This can be as simple as deciding whether you want to work specifically with Italian food, or that you want to work with traditionally prepared foods as opposed to experimenting with hypermodern trends.
7 Manage time wisely. Time management is especially important in the food industry since food can easily lose texture, temperature or taste. Before starting on any task, make a mental or actual list of everything you need to do, and jot down how much time you think each component will take. If you have more work than time, call for reinforcements.
8 Open yourself up to new ideas. Consider all new ideas that come your way, because if you refuse to consider new options, you'll soon lose the respect of your colleagues and be stuck in the past. Think carefully about which advances and innovations will keep you competitive and game-ready.
9 Stay fit. You'll probably be on your feet for 40 to 60 hours a week and doing a lot of lifting, chopping, stirring, washing and all the other requisite physical stuff. Stay in good shape and don't forget to drink plenty of water.
10 Broaden your horizons. Even if you specialize, stay alert for even better jobs by keeping your eyes and ears open and continuing to learn new skills. The more you can do, the more marketable you become. A company might love to hire somebody who's also a computer whiz to help design food-purchasing software.
"We are seeing very innovative design efforts related to deli departments, and we are seeing them moved from the perimeter to a center-island approach."
—Steve Mehmert, Mehmert Design Services