ORION TO BRING NEW BRANDED BURGERS INTO SUPERMARKETS

ROSEANNE HARPER

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Orion Food Systems here is having dinnertime success with a new burger concept that could work in supermarkets as well as convenience stores, Orion officials said.

Orion, whose Moose Bros. pizza programs and other branded concepts have seen success in supermarkets, introduced its Mean Gene's Burgers in the convenience store arena last fall and is happy with sales so far.

"Mean Gene's allows us to be stronger for dinner. We are looking to increase sales for that part of the day, and this concept is exceeding our expectations," said Tim Stenberg, executive director of new business development for Orion.

He noted that up to 40% of Mean Gene's burger sales are skewed toward the evening hours.

At this time the concept has been rolled out to 20 stores, mostly C-stores, and the company expects to put it into 20 to 25 additional stores by the end of the calendar year, Stenberg said.

"We're also talking to supermarkets. We're starting to see them go into branded products again. There's more perceived value in branded food service. Supermarkets are definitely part of our growth plan," Stenberg said.

Mean Gene's Burgers resulted from a partnership between Orion and Mean Gene Okerlund, known in the media as the "dean of professional wrestling," Stenberg said. Okerlund is a broadcast journalist and personality associated with pro-wrestling matches aired on cable television.

"We wanted to leverage the name," Stenberg said.

Why hamburgers, a first for Orion?

"Everybody likes a hamburger -- it's very portable and adapts itself to dashboard dining and drive-through service," Stenberg said.

Orion's branded food concepts include Hot Stuff Pizza, Smash Hit Subs, Cinnamon Street Bakery, Eddie Peppers Great Mexican Food, Joey Pagoda's Oriental Express, Chix the Chicken Station and MacGregor's Market, as well as Moose Bros. Pizza.