AdvancePierre Foods received an iSpot Bronze Innovation Award from the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) for its innovative Fast Fixin'® Sandwich Bar.
This new initiative enables retailers to take their foodservice offerings to the next level with hot, fresh, customizable sandwiches in a self-serve format without the requirements of a full food service operation. Utilizing patent-pending products and equipment, consumers can create their own sandwiches by choosing from fresh, hot burgers, chicken and barbecue pork and adding a variety of fresh toppings.
"This year's i-Spot innovation award contest winners are truly creating our industry's leading edge technology. We applaud each winner for their groundbreaking work developing advances that will lead our industry into the future and we congratulate them on their success," said LyNae Schleyer, NCE, CMP, NAMA senior director, OneShowSM and education.
Judging criteria was based directly on the six categories from the entry form: features, benefits, creativity, image, productivity and profitability. AdvancePierre Foods earned its recognition in the foodservice equipment category.
All Fast Fixin' Sandwich Bars come complete with everything needed to offer hot, fresh sandwiches in a compact footprint. AdvancePierre provides fully cooked sandwich meats in a proprietary moisture-lock tray pack designed specifically for the Fast Fixin' Sandwich Bar, allowing operators to heat the meats in the microwave, conventional, or convection oven, all while staying untouched and, eliminating the need for employees to handle the individual product. Sandwich meats maintain their temperature and freshness for up to four hours in the specially designed, appealing display case. AdvancePierre also offers individually wrapped sandwich buns to compliment the meats and provide a turn-key food service solution.
"The Fast Fixin' Sandwich bar is the solution that will allow any convenience food operator to easily take their sandwiches to the 'quick serve restaurant' level," said Tony Schroder, president of convenience channels at AdvancePierre Foods. "AdvancePierre realized the need for retailers to grow their food sales, so using our decades of experience in the convenience and foodservice sectors, we conducted extensive product and equipment design research, in addition to consumer field testing, to create this revolutionary meal solution that can be implemented with minimal effort by the retail staff."
