A big change is coming to Woolworths, with the supermarket giant confirming a whole new “dine in” section has been added to 100 stores.
The new range is being trialled across NSW and Victoria, with the packaged meals designed to offer shoppers an easy restaurant-style experience from the comfort of home.
Some of the offerings include a 1.6kg whole roast chicken dinner with herb roasted potatoes, corn cobs, carrot and pumpkin wedges for $25, or $6.25 per serve, a 1.2kg meat lovers pasta bake for $20, or $5 a serve, a 1.2kg Spanish paella and a 1.6kg chicken parmigiana with mash potato and vegetables.
All of the options were made to cook within 35 minutes and air-fryer friendly, the company said on Tuesday.
Woolworths merchandise manager for chilled meals Matt Harbich said the meals were packaged to give customers the feeling of a Friday night at the local pub or Italian restaurant at an affordable price.
“Our Dine In range is intended to cater to busy and budget-conscious customers who are looking for quick and easy meals for their families that both kids and their parents will love,” he said.
“Convenience meals are not new; however, we’ve come very far from the bland microwave dinners of the past.
“Pre-made meals are getting tastier and better and we have the benefit of our Woolworths Food Company team and supplier partners being able to create a range of tasty and hearty options for us to bring to market to test and learn based on current food trends.
“This allows us to continue to evolve the range based on what our customers want.”
The new offering comes as Australia’s rolling cost-of-living squeeze alters eating habits.
Woolworths customer research shows 40 per cent of customers are cutting back on eating out or not eating out at all to help save money.
And since July 2023, Woolworths states there has been double-digit growth in prepared meals.
The range is available at selected stores across NSW and Victoria, though it is expected Woolworths will roll out the section into more stores if it receives positive customer feedback to the trial.
Customer feedback would also influence the product range, the company said.