New innovative model for consumers who want to eat out but use the products that they would carry in their shopping cart is growing in Spain. We talk about the merchants, which as its name indicates, are a fusion between market and restaurant. This original concept of United States, with significant success in the American country, landed in the Iberian Peninsula with force last year. Little by little some of the great supermarket chains They are joining this service due to the advantages it offers to the client. Therefore, what reasons are transforming the way we live a gastronomic experience?
An innovative concept
Created and received with a good reception in American lands, the merchants they have spread to the rest of the world. The keys to its success are numerous, also depending on the country where it is implanted, since it is a concept that break with the traditional. It is neither the usual purchase that should be at home in the shortest possible time if frozen or refrigerated food has been purchased, nor is it a normal service in a restaurant.
The American formula turns an establishment into a place where you can buy first the products you want to immediately then consume them in that same place. Thus, it could be defined as a supermarket which has been transformed into a restaurant but with certain nuances. Because you neither choose from a closed menu nor are there waiters nor do you pay for what would be a complete service in a restaurant. The operation is simple: you buy the food and you they cook in front of you to enjoy a good dish.
Or there is also the possibility of choose directly ready meals already, they are exposed ready to consume. The latter is the innovative concept that he implemented Mercadona, Lidl or Carrefour in some of its Spanish supermarkets with a good reception from the public. However, merchants They are open to offer the two alternatives to the client.
Keys to the success of merchants
The reasons for this model to succeed in our country are linked to a variety of aspects such as the availability, the food philosophy or the use of time. Thus, it is worth highlighting first that access that markets have to proximity products, whose origin is in Spanish territory. Although they obviously also need and offer food imported from other countries, that feature is a plus. Because in this way, the consumer can choose from a wide range of options but, above all, raw materials seasonal, fresh and healthy.
Yes, that last adjective that diners are increasingly looking for in their diet. One of the keys to merchants is being able to choose the ingredients that you are going to eat later, something that makes it easier to follow a controlled and healthy diet. Now the <strong>success</strong> that is winning in Spain is due to the and advantages that has this concept because it is a very interesting solution for the client. Of course, the idea does not satisfy anything gastronomic sector because, obviously, it is harmed. However, its impact remains to be seen in the future.
Advantages for the consumer
The first is the speed: the pace of personal and work life leaves you with almost no time to eat, even less to cook. So, this alternative is very fast in that sense. Second, it brings a lot comfort: you buy and eat almost at the same time, so you don't have to wait for the traditional restaurant or bar ritual (arriving, sitting down, browsing the menu, ordering, receiving the dishes…). And the last benefit for the consumer has to do with the saving: both that of tiempo (linked with the other two advantages) such as that of moneyWell, it is quite a lot cheaper than to enjoy a catering service. You only pay for what you consume.
So, ultimately, you choose what to eat and how thanks to merchants, merged establishments that have come to stay. They will surely be implemented more frequently in a variety of Spanish cities because more and more clients are in favor of them. What do you think? Have you already been able to live the gastronomic experience of this take and eat?
