7 Popular Ready-To-Eat Foods To Stock in Your Grocery Store

Today’s customers are busier than ever, but they don’t always want to rely on restaurants or fast food joints to feed their families. 

Enter: ready-to-eat foods. These time-saving options minimize preparation and cooking time, empowering customers to enjoy a fresh, convenient meal. 

In this blog, we’ll explore why you should expand your grocery store’s selection of ready-to-eat foods, plus seven essential categories to stock. 

Unpacking the Ready-To-Eat Trend

Customers often feel like they have to choose between a quick meal and a nutritious one — but ready-to-eat foods give them the best of both worlds. 

Ready-to-eat meals, ingredients, and snacks eliminate the most time-consuming parts of food preparation. Instead of finding a recipe, making a list of must-have ingredients, chopping produce, and waiting for their protein to reach 165 degrees, customers can simply pick up a ready-made meal kit. 

Customers aren’t the only ones who benefit from the ready-to-eat trend — grocers also enjoy increased overall revenue and higher profit margins. Since ready-to-eat meals are considered premium products, shoppers are willing to pay higher prices in exchange for the time saved. 

Ready to better serve your busiest customers and increase your grocery store’s earnings? Let’s dive into the seven main ready-to-eat categories and what to stock in each department. 

1. Cooking Kits

Cooking kits like HelloFresh and Blue Apron have exploded in popularity, showing that customers love preplanned meals with preportioned ingredients. 

You can take advantage of this trend by offering the same convenient cooking kits to appeal to your shoppers. Let’s look at some examples to get you inspired: 

• Taco night: Seasoned ground beef or chicken, tortillas, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes

• Sheet pan dinner: Seasoned protein, precut vegetables, seasoning blend

• Pasta: Stuffed pasta shells, sauce, shredded Italian cheese

• Stir-fry kit: Marinated protein, precut vegetables, sauce, rice or noodles

Here are a few of our top tips for packaging and promoting your grocery store’s meal kits: 

• Print recipe cards with simple cooking instructions for each ingredient.
• Use clear packaging so customers can see fresh ingredients. 
• Create attractive signage, drawing customers’ attention to a “Quick & Easy Dinner.”
• Rotate your options so customers always have something new to try. 

Remember: You’re taking care of the prep work and offering a convenient dinner option, so you can charge a premium price for these meal kits. 

2. Proteins and Entrees

Rotisserie chickens are one of the most popular ready-to-eat foods in the grocery industry — and for good reason. This protein-packed option can be served as-is, sliced for a sandwich, and used as a base for soup later in the week. 

But rotisserie chickens aren’t the only entree option you should serve in your deli department’s hot case. Here’s what else to offer: 

• Fried chicken: Bone-in pieces, tenders, wings
• Baked pasta: Lasagna, stuffed shells, baked ziti
• BBQ entrees: Pulled pork, brisket, rubs
• Soups: Chicken noodle, beef stew, vegetable soup
• International options: Curries, stir-fries, fajita mixes

Grocers generally sell these precooked entrees by weight. Add prepared portions to feed a single shopper, couple, or large family to your display case, and allow customers to place custom orders at the deli counter. 

3. Premade Sides

A hearty entree is the star of the dinner plate, but sides complete the meal. Offering quality, prepared sides to your deli department selection can help customers save time and boost your average basket size. 

Here are some popular ready-to-eat sides: 

• Cold salads: Pasta salad, chicken salad, potato salad, coleslaw

• Starches: Macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, potato wedges

• Vegetables: Green beans, collard greens, corn, mixed seasonal vegetables

Premade sides are especially popular around the holidays, so make sure to adjust your selection before major celebrations like Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

4. Grab-and-Go Lunch Options

Is the lunch rush your grocery store’s busiest time of day? If so, your ready-to-eat food selection should accommodate busy professionals looking for a quick, fresh meal. 

The best way to capture lunchtime sales is to offer made-to-order entrees, like sandwiches, wraps, salads, and grain bowls. 

Just make sure your point of sale (POS) system is equipped with quick-service restaurant (QSR) features, like modifiers and kitchen printing. 

You can also encourage customers to purchase a full meal instead of a single entree by offering weekday meal deals. For example, they’ll get a special price if they purchase a sandwich, a single-serving bag of chips, and a cold drink. 

Related Read: 7 QSR Menu Ideas To Try in Your Grocery Store

5. Snack and Breakfast Options

Offering convenient lunch and dinner options is crucial, but don’t forget about breakfast and snacks! 

Customers with specific dietary needs and goals want something more substantial than a granola bar or a bag of chips — they’re looking for convenient and nutritious options. Here are some snack and breakfast box ideas for your healthiest customers: 

• Protein boxes: Hard-boiled eggs, cheese, nuts, deli meat

• Yogurt parfaits: Greek yogurt, granola, fresh fruit

• Breakfast boxes: Mini bagel or croissant, cream cheese, fresh fruit

• Kid-friendly snacks: Cheese cubes, crackers, dried fruit

Make sure your grab-and-go snacks are displayed prominently near your grocery store’s entrance to appeal to hungry shoppers. 

6. Produce Time-Savers

Did you know that precut produce has an average profit margin of 50% to 60%? 

This is because busy, health-conscious customers want to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables without the tedious washing and chopping. Here are some ready-to-eat produce ideas to get you inspired: 

• Single-serving fruit cups: Grapes, berries, melon, mixed fruits

• Veggie trays: Baby carrots, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, hummus, ranch

• Carb-conscious ingredients: Riced cauliflower, zucchini noodles, carrot ribbons

• Time-savers: Presliced mirepoix, diced onions, sliced mushrooms

• Salad kits: Chopped lettuce, preportioned dressing, toppings

Try displaying these convenient produce options right at the entrance to your grocery store’s produce department. This will encourage customers to consider these higher-margin items first. 

7. Baked Goods and Desserts

Customers love a sweet treat as a reward for a long grocery shopping trip, and baked goods have deliciously high profit margins. 

Let’s look at a few ready-to-eat options to add to your grocery store’s bakery display case: 

• Breakfast essentials: Muffins, bagels, scones, cinnamon rolls, donuts

• Classic desserts: Cookies, cupcakes, trifle cups, cannolis

• Party must-haves: Layered cakes, sheet cakes, pies

• Breads: Dinner rolls, sandwich bread, baguettes, hamburger buns, croissants

Your bakery should cater to all your shoppers, so be sure to offer single-serving and family-sized portions of breakfast items, breads, and desserts. 

Related Read: How To Price Baked Goods (+3 Tips for Managing an In-Store Bakery)

How To Optimize Your Grocery Store’s Ready-To-Eat Selection

When it comes to stocking ready-to-eat foods, the options are limitless. However, this can make it difficult to decide which ones are worth your budget and shelf space. 

That’s why we recommend relying on your POS system’s sales reports to learn about your customers and their shopping habits. 

For example, if customers already gravitate toward your precut and packaged produce options, you might expand your selection of ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables. If your bakery sales have slowed down, you might try to boost this department’s sales by offering more seasonal, single-serving treats. 

Over time, you can use this data to tailor your ready-to-eat foods to perfectly match your customers’ wants and needs.

Related Read: 5 Ways To Boost Sales With a Grocery POS System [+ 4 Top Providers]

Get Our Free Guide to Stocking Your Grocery Store

Looking for more inspiration to help you delight customers and drive sales? We’ve got you covered. 

Our comprehensive guide to the top products sold in grocery stores covers everything you need to know about stocking staples and trending items. It includes: 

• National grocery industry trends
• Tips for expanding into high-margin, ready-to-eat foods
• Best practices for pricing and displaying goods
• How to balance name brands with private-label products
• Seasonal stocking ideas and tips
• Must-have inventory management strategies and tools

Start reading the guide for free!