What goes around comes around. How true it is, especially in distribution and retail circles. There never has been a retail/distribution that hasn't been redone and or recast in a different concept. As we grow older, we often yearn for the days of our youth. It has been said that it takes twenty years for something to become nostalgic.
Being a boomer, there are many things I look back at fondly. I have fond memories of trips with my mother to the fish market, bakery and butcher where you knew everyone and everyone knew you. Mega supermarkets weren't even on the retail horizon. There was a personal connection, long before "engagement" became a marketing term du jour. The butcher knew how you liked your cut of meat. They cut and sliced it the way you wanted and didn't hide it along with waste in plastic wrapped containers. You knew and paid only for what you wanted. A trip to the butcher shop was a good experience. The prepackaged meat from a supermarket today just doesn't compare.
Couple the nostalgia for the butcher experience with the less than quality supermarket butcher experience and opportunity is created in this unfulfilled niche. Just recently, The Meat House opened here in Avon. The place has been hopping. Being marketing and advertising curious, I checked the market out. It works on so many different levels - from the customer experience to the product itself. Foodies and novices are equally welcomed by a zealous staff that aims to please - refreshing in today's "tip me" world.
The Meat House offers customers a diverse line of premium meats as well as proprietary marinades, cheeses, fresh produce, artisan breads, prepared side dishes, wines, beer and specialty foods. All are delivered with a pledge of "Unparalleled hospitality in a ten-minute shopping experience." What a great create dissatisfaction strategy against the mega-store food shopping experience where it might take you ten minutes just to park the car and navigate the trek into the store itself.
Tapping into the fundamental shift of people dining at home more often and the desire to eat locally sustainable foods, The Meat House's proposition of gourmet level foods and services in a convenient format is aligned for tremendous growth. This vision of the market is what motivated the startup of The Meat House by two partners, Justin Rosberg and Jason Parent, back in 2004. The growth has been explosive - 11 company-owned stores and seven franchise locations with another 20 being opened this year. They have territory agreements in place for more than 125 stores in 11 states. To say that the market is pent up for good, fresh butcher quality meat is the classic understatement. People are willing to pay for really good meat, especially for a particular occasion. The brand's revenue is testimony - $18 million, with a forecast of over $100 million with the expansion plans.
The mega supermarkets can't do everything well. Much like their meat, their bakeries are uniformly mediocre as well. It's a disappointment to pay top dollar for Boar's Head cold cuts and then put them on a tasteless roll from the supermarket. Panera Bread has tapped into this niche by fulfilling on the promise of a good bread experience. An entire generation has grown up not knowing bakery style breads, cakes, and cookies. The difference is immeasurable in taste and food experience satisfaction. It is no coincidence that there are now three bakeries in the town where I live and all are thriving as well.
It's an example of the death of the big-box/mega store concept. Being all things to all people means you do nothing extraordinarily well. Panera Bread understands this premise with a mission statement of "With the single goal of making great bread broadly available to consumers across America." This single-minded passion has been credited with driving the nationwide trend for specialty bread.
The Meat House is bringing back the butcher and also trying to tap into the community as well. They want you to have fun shopping - another novel concept. Shopping at The Meat House is an experience to look forward to almost as much as the entertaining and family event. In some ways, it emulates shopping in Europe, albeit in a very different setting.
Will The Meat House make a dent in the mega supermarket business? Yes, but will they care? It further points out the fact that there is white space in every category if you look hard enough for it. Not too long ago - butcher shops, bakeries and cheese shops were a dying breed. What happened is the retail replacement didn't replicate the experience, thus creating the opportunity for nostalgia marketing in a new concept. The butcher is back as is the baker. Candles anyone? What's old is new again.
Good story, Bill. How are the prices? It seems like every time someone tries to bring us back to the way it used to be, it ends up costing us. A couple of guys tried the butcher thing here in Glastonbury. The meat and service were exceptional but the prices made me choke.
On a side note, there's got to be a better name. "The Meat House"? Yeesh.
We went to the Meat House during their grand opening celebration and were totally surprised, and pleased, by the experience. It certainly was a refreshing change from the mega grocery store experience.
I haven't purchased anything yet from them by way of their meats or marinades, (we did get sandwiches for lunch which were AMAZING) but on our visit we sampled their marinaded beef tips along with various other items and everything was delicious.
I'm looking forward to making my first "real butcher" purchase from them!
The Meat House is here in Cary, NC. It is a sensation. Packed every day including Sunday. When I look at the price I am spending for a good piece of meat and it is toally worth it. We have grilled the marinated meats and brought them to neighborhood get togethers, and we end up being the talk of the night for the taste of this meat.