The foodservice concept, developed for retail by Heraldo Blasco to offer delicious food within the supermarket setting
O
n-site dining at grocery stores – sometimes referred to as “grocerants” – have existed for years in the US, but they’re just
beginning to explode onto the scene in Central and South America. At the forefront of this growth is FCSI Associate Heraldo Blasco, founder and director of Te Fresh ID Food & Retail Consultants with associates in Latin America, South Africa and Dubai and Argentina. Blasco, a member of FCSI for 10 years and with a background in the retail and grocery space, was contracted by Soriana, one of the largest supermarket chains in Mexico with about 800 stores, to conceptualize, design and build an in-store dining concept for the flagship location in Juarez that could be expanded to other locations throughout the country. “We were tasked with developing a
food court-style concept that would be disruptive,” says Blasco. Working with Soriana vice president Gabriel Baldini and food and bakery director Rebeca Sanchez, along with culinary specialists at Rational, Blasco’s team came up with TexMex BBQ, a Texas-style barbecue concept featuring slow-cooked meats like brisket, cochinita pibil (barbecued pork) and pork ribs for enjoying simply with a variety of sides or in tacos and burritos. Te “disruptive” aspect of the concept is that all the food is prepared in just two combi ovens and a countertop multi-cooker – no huge, smokey smokers needed.
A TWIST ON TRADITIONAL METHODS
“Te core of our work was to develop a slow-cooking method within a supermarket, which if operating in normal conditions with smoke, is really hard to do,” Blasco says. “Our partners at Rational gave us a lot of support in adapting traditional slow-cooking methods using charcoal for a combi oven and working in a small area,” he says. Staff simply load up one of the combi
ovens with the meats at around 8pm and leave them to cook overnight. Te smoker attachment box can hold any type of wood desired. “In the morning, the meats are all perfectly cooked with smokey flavor,” explains Blasco. Te other combi is used to prepare
pizza, rotisserie chicken and baked goods for the adjacent coffee bar. Tough the pieces are not ventless, they still cut down on the need for heavy exhaust compared to traditional smokers. In addition to the combi ovens, the
equipment package for the space includes a Rational iVario Pro 2-S multifunctional cooker, which is used to cook sauces, salsas, beans and stews. Te piece can be used to fry fries but for the sake of volume an additional fryer was installed. At the focal point of the 65-square-
foot front counter (part of the compact, 464-square foot front-of-the-house space with the combi ovens) is a rotating warming display holding the prepared meats that can be finished on the plancha
grill to the right. Tere’s also a hot plate for hamburgers, a hot dog roller and additional hot well to the right. To the left of the warming display is another hot plate for tortillas and a refrigerated prep table for burrito and taco fillings. A 586-square-foot dining area holds 32 seats. Tere are also refrigerated merchandisers for prepared foods to-go. Coffee Point, the aforementioned coffee bar, features coffee makers, an espresso machine and additional warming cabinets for fresh baked goods. “We wanted to develop a cook system to put out delicious food but also make it easy for less skilled labor and a smaller headcount overall, says Blasco, adding that there’s space for up to eight workers. “So far the project has been very successful.”
SCOPE FOR GROWTH
In addition to the flagship Supermercado Soriana Plaza Alameda in Juarez, there are three other TexMex BBQ outposts at Soriana stores in Nuevo Laredo, Baja California and Saltillo with one in Mexico City coming soon. Blasco also been asked to adapt the concept for more coastal areas of the country where people eat less meat and more fish. “We’re able to offer a wide range of
product in an extremely small footprint with up to eight people working from 8am. to 10pm,” says Blasco, noting that the operation can feed up to as many as 2,000 people a day at its maximum.
The TexMex BBQ concept in Soriana has introduced authentic smoky flavors, achieved using combi ovens and a countertop multi-cooker
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THE AMERICAS
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