More grocers tap FoodStorm to automate catering, meal ordering operations

Eight U.S. independent grocers have adopted the FoodStorm platform to help manage their catering and prepared meals businesses.

New customers since March include DeCicco & Sons, Caraluzzi’s Markets, Fruit Center Marketplace, Village Market and Cardiff Seaside Market, FoodStorm said Monday. Three other grocers are still implementing the software, the New York-based company reported.

FoodStorm’s end-to-end solution enables retailers to automate their entire catering and prepared foods operations — from ordering and production to payment and fulfillment — and manage it centrally. The company noted that the platform covers ordering over multiple channels (including online, phone and in-store kiosk) and integrates with a wide range of third-party systems.

In addition, FoodStorm creates a retailer-branded catering website with order and production management, PCI-compliant payment processing and customer relationship management (CRM) functionality to market and grow their business. The e-commerce solution also include a reporting tool and a live business dashboard.

FoodStorm said its software takes orders via multiple channels — including in-store kiosks, phone and online — and enables retailers to centrally manage ordering, production, payment and fulfillment.

Related:PLMA annual trade show to put spotlight on foodservice

Other grocery retailers using FoodStorm include Roche Bros., Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, Mollie Stone’s Markets, Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lover’s Markets (both chains part of Albertsons Cos.), Draeger’s Market, Bi-Rite Market and Janssen’s Market.

“Since moving to FoodStorm from our other catering software, our online sales have doubled. I have the ability to manage catering for nine locations from one place. It has made my life incredibly easier,” Russell McVeigh, catering director at Farmingdale, N.Y.-based Uncle Giuseppe’s, said in a statement.

Farmingdale, N.Y.-based Uncle Giuseppe’s, has eight gourmet markets in New York and one in New Jersey, where it plans to open a second location this fall. According to McVeigh, FoodStorm’s software has streamlined catering order entry and virtually eliminated errors, allowing the grocer to focus more on customer service and expanding its offerings. The solution also lets him view top-moving items, break down sales by week and gauge upcoming order volume.

“It has allowed me to create more packages and be more innovative with what we’re doing here because it’s not as cumbersome as programming the same menu nine times. With our past software, we would have to do that,” McVeigh explained in a video. “During peak times like Thanksgiving and Christmas, FoodStorm has allowed us to take on more orders. We’ve also been able to expand the menus for the holidays because we can take in all of these online orders.”

Related:Grocers turn to e-commerce to boost prepared foods

Uncle Giuseppe’s also has deployed FoodStorm touchscreen kiosks at its stores, enabling customers to place catering and prepared food orders when shopping. “People can place orders right there in front of the bakery counter, the seafood counter or the meat counter,” McVeigh said. “This way, when they’re in the store and see a new menu that we’ve come out with, whether it’s a seafood boil or butcher box, we don’t lose them to going home or looking on their phone. They can do that order right there on the kiosk.”

Many grocery store operators still manage catering and prepared foods orders using spreadsheets, paper order forms and sticky notes, even though those items are among their most profitable offerings, according to FoodStorm. What’s more, their current e-commerce, inventory and point-of-sale platforms don’t provide granular support of catering and prepared foods operations, including managing production, ingredients, lead times and shelf life. And for large supermarket chains, the company noted, these offerings can extend across multiple stores and departments — including deli, bakery, produce and center store — and orders can come in via online, kiosk, phone and email channels.

“COVID-19 and the continued threat from Amazon and Walmart has really forced independent grocers to differentiate and provide better options in catering and fresh prepared foods,” stated Rob Hill, CEO of FoodStorm. “Our software makes it simple for these grocers to execute on this important piece of their business very efficiently and track everything from one central location. As FoodStorm rapidly expands our footprint in the U.S., we’re excited to work with these grocers all across the country.”

FoodStorm said it processes more than $1.5 billion in catering and prepared food orders for grocers, caterers and corporate dining operations at thousands of sites worldwide.