Friday, August 21, 2015

Target to swap hot dogs for salads at "test cafes"...

USA Today reports that some Target customers will soon be able to munch on "artisan style" pizza, fresh kale salads, and pressed veggie juices rather than traditional big-box staples like hot dogs and gooey nachos.

Starting in October Target will roll out a new cafe concept: fast-casual chain Freshii will go into 9 stores, while Pizza Hut will open restaurants in 3 stores featuring a limited menu of "artisan" pies, such as margherita and barbecue chicken. And 2 Minneapolis stores will get outposts of D'Amico & Sons, a local pizza chain whose founders were semifinalists for a James Beard award in 2011 and whose menu includes toppings like organic goat cheese and arugula.

About 1,700 out of Target's nearly 1,800 stores have cafes. Target decided to go in a new direction with its cafes after hearing from customers who wanted higher-quality food and more of a fast-casual atmosphere. Currently, about 40% of Target customers visit the cafe while shopping. But the test is less about boosting that figure and more about showing customers that the brand is serious about health and wellness.

Right now, most stores feature a Target-branded cafe with a menu of decadent junk food including popcorn, pizza, hot dogs, nachos and Icees. The test markets will get rid of those options.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this idea! I'm never even tempted by any of the stuff at the Cafe in my local Target, but I would definitely stop in if there were healthier/higher quality items available.

58 Cherries said...

The only thing I am ever tempted into buying at their café is the popcorn. The smell and cheap price draws me in sometimes as I'm leaving. I think the artisan pizza and salads will work in some Targets in nicer areas, but some of them are located where people lean more towards the junk food.