Covid-19 has significantly altered shopping and eating out. Safety-conscious customers want to get in and out of stores and restaurants fast and not waste time pondering too many choices. Changing customer behavior and increased costs related to safety have led retailers and restaurants to pare down offerings. Nielsen reports that grocery store SKUs are down by 7% since March 2020. Several fast casual restaurants known for big menus — including IHOP, Denny’s, McDonald’s, and Dave & Buster’s — have cut their menus significantly.
Why Reducing Your Offerings Pays Off
A limited menu can be a winning strategy, even after the pandemic.
January 28, 2021
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Summary.
To ride out the pandemic, many retail and restaurant chains have streamlined their offerings. They are discovering something a handful of companies — including Trader Joe’s, Costco, In-N-Out, and Texas Roadhouse — had known long before: Offering a tremendous variety of items drives waste, mistakes, and training costs; reduces employee productivity; and makes it harder for employees to deliver great service.