Halloween celebrations and festivities have made a comeback, and now’s the time to make a plan to meet demand. Customers will be looking for help to plan fun, safe Halloween celebrations, and a big part of that will be with festive foods. Provide options for different scenarios: Shoppers looking to feed a crowd of kids, making a quick dinner to get the kids out the door for trick or treating, or throwing a Halloween party for adults. Offering classic fall dishes, as well as healthier picks (such as vegetarian options) makes it easy for your customers to stock up on a variety of goodies for some Halloween-themed fun.
Good planning can have a significant impact on your store’s prepared foods department. It’s all about the opportunity. Food has become an event, and you should expect Halloween this year to have its own iconic “food moments.” For kids going back to school, Halloween is the time of the year when they are allowed to go a little crazy on candy and chocolates, show off their costumes and run around the neighborhood a bit. But Halloween doesn’t have to be all about the candy. Why not make Halloween more about food? When it comes to promoting foods at Halloween, think of how you can introduce new dishes and put a twist on old favorites that will make sure your customers have a wonderful and spooky holiday.
This year, go beyond mini meatballs, cocktail wienies and cupcakes for customers who are planning to stay in for Halloween. Plan to ramp up your menu to include more festive products than previously offered to grab those impulse sales.
Check out these ideas we’ve put together from a variety of resources to develop some fun, seasonal products that will be a hit in your grab and go. And don’t forget that parents love treats, too. You’ll find some seasonal recipes below that will make great additions to your fall menu. You can also find a downloadable PDF with these ideas here. All you need to do now is start planning. Happy Halloween!
Meals
Halloween School Lunch Snack Pack
Peanut Butter and Jelly Spiders
Pumpkin Shaped Take and Bake Pizza
Stuffed Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns
Sweets
Mini Monster Chocolate Whoopee Pie
New Traditions
New concepts can help shoppers celebrate Halloween safely, ensuring kids can enjoy the holiday safe and sound.
- Create a party pack kit for two to six children that can be pre-ordered; fill it with juice boxes, sandwiches, veggie snacks and cheese sticks, plus a fun little dessert.
- Offer a make-at-home pizza kit with instructions on how to create a “pumpkin” pizza.
- Halloween cutout cookie decorating kits are always a big hit and let kids get creative.
Offering suggestions for healthier treats that your customers can purchase throughout the store is a great service to shoppers. Here are some ideas:
- Individual cereal boxes
- Individually packaged baked pretzels and baked cheddar snack crackers
- Individually packaged cheese sticks
- Bagged trail mix
- Beef or turkey jerky
- Individual juice drinks with 100% juice
- Pudding or gelatin cups
- Applesauce cups
- Fruit snacks made with 100% fruit juice
- Low-calorie snack packs and granola bars
- Boxes of animal crackers
- Hot chocolate or hot cider packets
