How to bag the big bucks

With bagged snacks being one of the fastest-growing food sectors, pubs can cash in with 'quality and serve'.

Meeting the needs of quality-conscious pub customers may be a tall order, but not for licensees looking to boost profits from bagged snacks.

That's the clear "quality and serve" message from Golden Wonder's licensed trade manager Gary White.

"Snacking is one of the fastest-growing areas of the food market and this presents pubs with a major profit opportunity," he said.

"But it's vital that outlets get both product quality and presentation right in relation to all the food they serve, including bagged snacks."

Gary and his team are working closely with their customers to improve the contribution bagged snacks make to pub profits. One such customer is Massive Ltd, which is forging ahead with a successful chain of pubs, bars and restaurants.

Among them is the Kings Head in Teddington, Middlesex, where licensee Bart Turnbull-Gent and his staff recognise the importance of bagged snacks.

"Quality is our watchword and this also applies to how we stock and serve crisps, snacks and nuts," said Bart. "You can guarantee that if a customer receives a crumpled packet of crisps, or a bag which is close to its best-before-date, they won't be in a hurry to order again."

Product visibility goes hand in hand with quality and serve. An easy-to-install clip strip, located behind the bar at the Kings Head, enables customers to see what's on offer. It also helps to display the products at their best. When the clip strip was temporarily removed, sales were noticeably down.

When you consider that well over half of all bagged snacks are bought on impulse, customers must be able to see them. "It also makes life easier for barstaff and this is particularly important when pubs are busy," Bart added.

Profiting from quality​

You can increase your bagged snacks sales with Golden Wonder's quality and serve guidelines, as follows:

• Store bagged snacks in dry, cool conditions and avoid bright direct sunlight or strong odours which can taint the product.
• Remember to rotate stock and observe best-before-dates. A short-dated product won't harm anyone, but it won't encourage repeat purchase. Bagged snacks are fresh products - the sooner they're eaten, the better they will taste.
• Crisps and snacks are fragile and should be sold at their very best. Do not stack heavier lines on top and don't accept products that appear to be damaged. Crushed and broken crisps are very unappealing to the eye.

So once the product has made it through the delivery and storage stage, what can be done to improve the serve?

Let your potential consumer see products by displaying them on or above the back-bar. There are a number of ways to do this which will be covered in subsequent editions of Category Management.

Generally speaking, snacks are normally part of the "round" and should complement the overall experience and occasion.

You might serve the best pint, glass of wine or soft drink, but maybe the worst packet of crisps. If that's the case, what do you think your customers will remember?

Serving the right snack:​

Snacks account for 25 per cent of all pub food servings (source: Foodservice Industry Population File). Ask people in a pub, club or bar why they are eating snacks you will typically hear "feeling peckish", "I really fancied it", "it goes well with a drink" (added Value Research Group).

So ensure your range and branding complements not only your outlet type but also your consumer type. More of this in subsequent editions.

You could also consider moving your snack offering into premium brands such as the new Quite Strong or Quite Hot range of crisps. These are ideal for the on trade as they offer traditional and ethnic flavours, in a premium pack and bag size which goes down a treat with a pint.

As you can see, there's more to crisps, snacks and nuts than "spuds in a bag". A few subtle changes and a slight re-think could improve sales and provide a valuable revenue stream.

Call the hotline​

For more information on how Golden Wonder can help to increase your bagged snacks sales, call Gary White and his licensed trade team on 01858 414319