PICADILLY CAFETERIA IS TESTING CHILLED MEAL ITEMS IN STORES

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Picadilly Cafeteria, based here, has followed its entry into supermarket food service with a test of chilled meal items in some stores.

added a handful of chilled and frozen Picadilly-branded items.

At present, the stores are testing refrigerated whole roast chickens, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw and frozen crawfish ettouffe. Sales in the test markets so far have encouraged Picadilly officials to develop more home-meal replacement products soon for future rollout, the company said.

The branded items will be available to retailers as they take on Picadilly Express units.

Wholesaler-distributor Associated Grocers, also based here, entered an agreement with Picadilly Cafeterias early this year that grants its 230 retailer-members in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi exclusive rights to link up with the cafeteria chain for limited-menu in-store food-service programs. The food-service units offer about 10 entrees and 10 side dishes daily.

Picadilly operates 130 company-owned cafeterias in 13 states.