Betting on sales through digital channels, offering dishes at more accessible prices and carrying out promotions are some of the strategies that some casual dining restaurants that compete in the Costa Rican market seek to apply.
The spread of covid-19 severely affected the restaurant sector, especially businesses that did not sell through digital channels or did not have options to deliver their products to their homes.
Personalized food, health and well-being, sustainability, zero waste and taste and indulgence are the five macro trends that impact the food sector in this new commercial reality.
The pandemic resulting from the outbreak of covid-19 has essentially served as a driving force behind most of the trends that had been developing before the crisis, only slowing down those linked to sensory experiences, concerns about the use of plastic in packaging and preferences for imported options, since the context has stimulated the consumption of brands and alternatives of local origin, according to an analysis by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer).
The new location in which Friday's invested $150,000 is located in Los Yoses, east of the capital, and has the capacity to serve 180 people, but because of health restrictions it is only half full at the moment.
Previously, Friday's served its clients in San Jose in the La Bandera traffic circle, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, but, because its property was expropriated in 2019 due to the construction of a viaduct, the company was forced to close its operations in that location.
In Central America, it is estimated that nearly 14 million people show an interest in fast food in the digital environment. Pizza, tacos, organic food and snacks are some of the terms that have best positioned themselves in the minds of consumers with high purchasing power.
An analysis of the interests and preferences of consumers in Central America, prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, shows interesting results on the preferences and tastes of people in various foods, products, services, restaurant chains and activities.
How many people are interested in this type of food, where they are located, how old are they and what is their monthly spending level, are some of the questions that can be answered with the use of specialized geomarketing tools.
At CentralAmericaData we have developed a geomarketing tool based on interactive maps, through which it is possible to identify where people are and what characteristics they have as consumers. The map incorporates, for any country in Central America, variables such as population, income, average monthly expenditure and consumer interests. With this information, it is possible to identify potential clients and define promotional strategies accordingly, or also explore home delivery times from any point of sale.
Foods whose properties and benefits are well defined, and are produced by companies with sustainable practices, have the greatest potential to gain ground in a market that has been rapidly transformed.
Although in recent weeks’ e-commerce and analysis of how consumers buy in times of quarantine has occupied most companies, there are other trends that could define the food market, once the most critical phases of the covid-19 outbreak are over.
The TGI Friday's chain decided to close its store located in the Oxygen Human Playground shopping center, in the province of Heredia, for a 90-day period.
"As you know, the food and beverage sector has been highly impacted, which is why we have taken the measure to suspend operations at our Friday's Oxygen store," explained a statement issued on March 21 by the company.
This sector would be one of the least affected by the covid-19 crisis in Central America, which would be partly explained by the performance of bottled water sales and dairy marketing.
As a result of the crisis generated by the spread of the coronavirus, producers predict that the demand for tuna in Central America will grow by about 50%.
Representatives of the Spanish conglomerate Calvo Group, say that in Panama the inventory of tuna prepared for all of March was exhausted in three days, due to the health emergency that markets in the region are going through.
Alimentos Ideal, Alimentos del Norte and Carnes Coclé are some of the companies that have won the most important contracts to provide food products to public institutions in Central America.
A study carried out by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData analyzes the companies that were favored during 2019, with contracts to provide different types of food to the governments of Central American countries.
Costa Rican businessmen who export cassava-based snacks agree that the product is accepted in different markets worldwide and that there are still opportunities to be exploited.
According to managers of the Costa Rican Chamber of Exporters, local companies engaged in the production of such products have the competitive advantage that the country harvests high quality cassava, because the sweet taste and levels of softness differentiate them from other manufacturers.
Tony Roma's decided to close its operations in the country as of January 17, adding to the recent restaurant closures that have been reported in recent months.
According to signs placed at Tony Roma's restaurant in San Rafael de Escazu, the closure is due to a remodeling, however, according to letters given to the former workers, the reason for the dismissal is because of the closure of the business in the country.
The world market for fresh and processed organic foods is one of the most dynamic today, with coffee, vegetables and tropical fruits being some of the products with the greatest business opportunities.
According to a study prepared by the Promotora de Comercio Exterior (Procomer), Switzerland is the market where the highest expenditure on organic food per person is reported, since it is estimated that consumption amounts to $325 per capita per year.
During 2018, sales of packaged foods in the United Kingdom exceeded $84 billion, and 36% corresponded to private label products, which have quickly entered this market.
The study "Trends and requirements of private label buyers in the food sector in the United Kingdom", prepared by Procomer Costa Rica, indicates that the United Kingdom stands out as the second country in Europe with greater penetration of private label.
In the tenth month of the year, the FAO food price index rose 6% from October 2018, explained by rising prices of sugar, meat, dairy products and vegetable oils.
From FAO's monthly report:
» The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 172.7 points in October 2019, up 1.7 percent (3 points) from September and 6.0 percent higher than in the corresponding period last year. The increase in October marked the first significant month-on-month rise in the value of the Index since May 2019, as surges in the prices of sugar, cereals and, to a lesser extent, meat and vegetable oils, more than offset a small decline in the value of the dairy sub-index.
Operating Company dedicated to the manufacture of gluten-free and sugar-free products, OHNE brand. The OHNE brand has 8 product lines: square bread, sweet...
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