New York (CNN Business) Supermarkets want to convince customers to visit stores for lunch or dinner — not just for a grocery haul.

For decades, grocery stores have included hot food and salad bars, delis and sandwich stations. But in recent years, many grocers have started adding sit-down restaurants, food halls and craft beer on tap, giving rise to the term "grocerants."

"The grocerant game is something that almost every retailer with larger stores should be playing," said Diana Sheehan, vice president at marketing research firm Incontext Solutions. "Restaurants have become one of the most successful ways for retailers to stand apart."

Americans are making fewer of their meals at home as they increasingly opt to eat out or order in. The trend is a risk for grocery stores that have grown by stocking up on meat and produce. So supermarkets are trying to evolve to the changing ways customers eat to capture a growing part of the business.

Kroger KR Food service sales at grocery stores are growing at about 8% a year, according to the Food Marketing Institute . Supermarkets likeare positioning themselves to capture this market.

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