Dive Brief:
- The Giant Company has reduced the price of items served on its in-store hot bars by 10%, to $8.99 per pound, the supermarket chain announced Wednesday.
- The Mid-Atlantic grocer has also added more choices to the bars, which are in 188 of the nearly 200 stores it runs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The new options include cilantro lime rice, Korean BBQ chicken and creamed corn with bacon.
- The Giant Company is drawing attention to its hot bars against a backdrop of strong shopper interest in prepared foods.
Dive Insight:
As a new school year gets underway, The Giant Company hopes the pricing and assortment updates it’s made to its hot bars will resonate with busy families.
“From comfort foods to globally inspired dishes and an assortment of sides to round out any meal, we’re providing even more fresh, flavorful options at a lower price and making mealtime easier,” Rebecca Lupfer, The Giant Company’s chief merchant, said in a statement.
The Giant Company pointed to survey data released last fall by FMI — The Food Industry Association indicating that shoppers have become more likely to turn to prepared foods sold in grocery stores as replacements for restaurant meals. FMI also found that nearly a quarter of the shoppers it polled bought less food from quick service or fast casual restaurants in 2025 than the prior year, while a majority said they purchased about the same amount or more deli-prepared foods from grocery stores.
The Giant Company’s decision to make its prepared food stations less expensive follows a similar move by fellow Ahold Delhaize USA-owned chain Stop & Shop. Earlier this year, the banner cut the cost of food at its self-service counters to $9.99, a $1-per-pound reduction, and added items like black pepper steak, Thai coconut chicken thighs and white wine mushroom chicken thighs.
