SugarCreek: Brandworthy Food Solutions

Dan Barton

Recent Posts

A Smart QSR Supply Chain Builds on Crossover Potential

Posted by Dan Barton

Sep 19, 2016 11:30:00 AM

Breakfast is the latest daypart buzzword in the QSR industry, but successful chains realize that expanding early morning offerings doesn't mean reinventing the wheel. While there are undoubtedly components to in-demand breakfast menu items that will be unique to your supply chain, you might be surprised to learn how much crossover you can consciously infuse into procurement. When it comes to pulling stock reliability up and driving procurement costs down, dayparts that "bleed" into one another might just be the best supply chain decision your brand can make.

Here's how you can make your supply chain — and your menu — work double duty after sunrise.

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Topics: Food Service, Supply Chain, QSR

Supply Chain Trends Every Quick-Service Restaurant Needs to Know

Posted by Dan Barton

Sep 2, 2016 11:30:00 AM

This blog was originally published on Supply Chain World magazine's editors blog.

Fast food has become the new battlefield for sales, the new frontier for customer-alluring innovations in edibles, and supply chain professionals have taken competition to new heights. Some QSR trends, in particular, are responsible for notching the proverbial bar ever-skyward, with smaller, upstart chains threatening to outpace larger, established competitors on niche offerings and supply chain agility alone. Ignoring these trends is no longer a viable operational option. No matter what your menu hinges on, there is always room to smoothly work in new creations, or tweak your supply chain for efficiency. As you fight to keep your brand on top in the QSR wars, there are three prominent trends that you need to be aware of.

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Topics: Food Service, Trends, Supply Chain, QSR

How to Build a Supply Chain That Can Tackle the Challenges of QSR Breakfast

Posted by Dan Barton

Aug 15, 2016 11:30:00 AM

This piece was originally published on Supply & Demand Chain Executive.

Breakfast is becoming a sandbox for QSR innovation in new food and new processes. Demands for fresh fare, locally sourced produce and specialty versions of classic ingredients are clamoring for their turn in the spotlight, and customers are enthusiastically partaking. These new eating trends come with logistics demands of their own, but when you factor in the call for longer "breakfast" times, it becomes even more challenging. With new products and new demand windows on the horizon, can your current sourcing and logistics keep pace with QSR industry challenges? The most in-demand item on your supply chain breakfast menu should be a heaping scoop of agility.

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Topics: Food Service, Supply Chain, QSR, Breakfast

Sustainable Sourcing Isn't "Set and Forget" for Fast Food

Posted by Dan Barton

May 30, 2016 9:00:00 AM

Cost per unit, consumer satisfaction, shelf life of ingredients: for a busy QSR chain, the idea of supply chain sustainability can easily be eclipsed by more immediate concerns. The desire to cross a nagging line off the to-do list can make the idea of a one-and-done solution understandably attractive. In all other aspects of the business, a firm price tag or goal drives the method, not the other way around. Sustainability isn't "checked off" quite so easily, however. It's much more of a moving target than a finished line to be crossed. 

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Topics: Food Service, Sustainability, Supply Chain, QSR

5 Tips for Handling Fast Food's Most Difficult Sourcing Issues

Posted by Dan Barton

Apr 15, 2016 11:30:00 AM

Climbing to the top of the QSR food chain means optimizing the supply chain that feeds its growth, unique demands and all. As customers demand more — quality, expediency, price and ethical operation — from the foods they eat, procurement teams are compelled to juggle more than ever before. Getting the best results requires a broad-spectrum approach to sourcing and smart decisions at every step of the way.

There are five important considerations that should be on every procurement professional's to-do list.

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Topics: Food Service, Supply Chain, QSR

How Your Food Supply Chain Can Benefit from Lean Manufacturing

Posted by Dan Barton

Mar 14, 2016 2:00:00 PM

To those unfamiliar with the concept of lean principles in business operations, the traditional definition of "lean" seems at odds with the food supply chain, which is itself a process dedicated to feeding the end consumer. In reality, lean manufacturing and fulfillment can help produce wider margins of profit and success. They achieve this through minimizing waste and manifesting continual improvement efforts that create an inhospitable environment for performance-robbing mistakes, poor judgment calls, food waste and other common pitfalls of the procurement team. Here's how to "get lean" in your supply chain and reap the benefits.

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Topics: Supply Chain