Technomic: Ghirardelli can give foodservice operators a substantial boost to their image and sweeten sales - SmartBrief

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Technomic: Ghirardelli can give foodservice operators a substantial boost to their image and sweeten sales

The Ghirardelli brand has a high rate of awareness and a strong reputation for quality among consumers, and can give foodservice operators an edge in the dessert and beverage categories, according to a Technomic study completed earlier this year.

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Technomic: Ghirardelli can give foodservice operators a substantial boost to their image and sweeten sales

Ghirardelli Professional Products

This post is sponsored by Ghirardelli Professional Products.

The Ghirardelli brand has a high rate of awareness and a strong reputation for quality among consumers, and can give foodservice operators an edge in the dessert and beverage categories, according to a Technomic study completed earlier this year.

The Ghirardelli Brand Equity & Pricing Study – an online, quantitative survey of more than 2,000 foodservice consumers – found that the California-based chocolate brand ranks high in terms of top-of-mind awareness, outperforming many other premium chocolate brands.

The survey also found that:

  • When responding to the question, “If a restaurant were to begin offering items made with Ghirardelli chocolate I would…” 63% of those surveyed said they would be more likely to recommend the restaurant.
  • Seventy-seven percent of consumers saying that if a restaurant began offering items made with Ghirardelli chocolate they would think the restaurant “offers higher quality products.”
  • Seventy-three percent of consumers surveyed said they would be more likely to purchase chocolate products if a restaurant began offering items made with Ghirardelli chocolate.
Technomic Ghirardelli Brand Equity & Pricing Study

Consumers’ favorable view of Ghirardelli and its quality create an opportunity for operators to not only increase brand image and brand loyalty, but also to increase sales. On average, more than 80% of consumers surveyed said they prefer menu items made with Ghirardelli over an unbranded alternative. This was true across a broad range of menu items including desserts such as cookies, brownies, chocolate cake and hot fudge sundaes, as well as beverages including mochas, hot chocolate, frappes and milkshakes.

Foodservice operators that have recently had strong success with the Ghirardelli brand on their menus include Arby’s, which rolled out its new Ultimate Chocolate Shake made with Ghirardelli this year and drove strong sales growth by launching cookies made with Ghirardelli in 2016. In addition, doughnut chain Krispy Kreme partnered with Ghirardelli to launch mint chocolate and sea salt caramel Krispy Kreme doughnuts inspired by Ghirardelli chocolate squares as a limited time offer this spring and received a very positive response from customers. In-store bakeries are also leveraging the Ghirardelli brand to bring excitement and drive sales. Safeway in Northern California and Hy-Vee are two examples of in-store bakeries that have rolled out items made with Ghirardelli and generated a positive customer response and strong sales.

Ghirardelli Professional Products offers a range of products for use in desserts, specialty coffee drinks, milkshakes, smoothies and hot chocolate. Product offerings include chocolate chips and wafers, cocoa powders, chocolate and caramel sauces, frappe mixes, hot chocolate and hot fudge. Most recently in May, Ghirardelli released new additions to its Barista mini chip collection that now includes three varieties – Dark Chocolate, Caramel and Classic White Chips.

To find out how Ghirardelli can boost brand equity and sweeten sales at your restaurant, call Ghirardelli at 800-877-9338 or email professionalproducts@ghirardelli.com.

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