Sandwiches aren't a prerequisite for success, but that doesn’t mean they aren't important. There are two sides to this, but I believe a strong sandwich business is a great compliment to a strong bread business. These two product lines are complimentary.
The two primary uses for bread are toast and sandwiches.
If we can teach customers great ways to use our bread for sandwiches, by making them for them, then the odds are we do two things:
- We satisfy their lunch needs and
- We increase the likelihood that they also become bread buying customers.
By offering sandwiches you level out your sales cycle. Bread tends to be a product that has its ups and downs by day of the week. Lunch is an every day thing.
Cross selling is especially true for the two extreme generations in today’s work force. Baby boomers are the strongest buyers of bread, demographically. But they are more likely to make the sandwich at home than buy it in the store. If they love your whole wheat bread, lunch is a logical cross sell.
Millenials are the exact opposite. They are very adventurous in their food experiences and love new and different tastes. Fun and interesting lunch choices can make them customers for life. They are not very prone to buying bread for their home now, but they will grow into bread buyers as their lives change. Entice them with an exotic sandwich today, and you have a bread buyer tomorrow.
