This article is brought to you by Stone Gate Foods.

Consumers are changing traditional mealtimes, and the boundaries between breakfast, lunch and dinner are beginning to blur—as are the boundaries between what customers choose for a snack versus a meal.

“Retailers that offer foodservice options that span times and categories can cater to a wider variety of customers that aren’t sticking to rigid mealtime routines or foods that fit into one box,” said Mark Traaseth, national sales manager at Stone Gate Foods.

The company’s Tater Kegs, a stuffed tater with a variety of flavors, “span dayparts and can fit a consumer’s desire for either a unique snack or a filling meal,” said Traaseth. “The flavor and the ease of use are the two main reasons why Tater Kegs sell so well. They are something totally new and different, are a grab-and-go food that can be eaten as a meal or a snack, and we have flavors that appeal to everyone.”

With their 1.5-ounce size, high protein from meat and cheese and flavor stuffed on the inside, the concept is also designed to stand alone.

“We made this product so that it has enough flavor so that you don’t need to have a dipping sauce or anything with it,” said Traaseth. “It makes them pretty simple for somebody just to grab-and-go. It’s the perfect meal, and it’s also a great finger food.”

The eight flavor options emulate the taste of familiar meals and classic appetizers. “We focus on universal flavors that everyone enjoys and can work in any location,” said Jake Revak, marketing manager at Stone Gate Foods.

The bacon cheddar chive flavor, the line’s most popular, was inspired by the loaded baked potato—but one that you don’t need a fork and knife to eat. “It’s all the best parts of a baked potato in the perfect handheld pack,” said Revak.

The breakfast skillet combines egg, cheese and sausage inside a crispy hashbrown; the Buffalo chicken was inspired by Buffalo wings, one of the top-selling flavors at wing restaurants; and the Reuben started out at a limited St. Patrick’s Day flavor, but “it was such a great seller and people really loved that one,” so it’s now a staple menu item, said Traaseth.

“These span the entire day. For example, you’ve got your breakfast skillet tater in the morning, you have bacon cheddar chive at lunch, and then you can have a bacon jalapeno as an afternoon snack, and Buffalo chicken for dinner. Something like the cheese bomb works easily throughout the whole day—you can eat it by itself, add barbeque sauce at night for dinner or eat it in the morning for breakfast,” Traaseth explained.

“Stores could really use them from open to close,” Revak added.

This is the second part of a two-part series on Stone Gate Foods. Read part one here, and learn more about Stone Gate Foods here.