Happy Holidays – From The Foodservice Marketing and Analytics Team At CHD Expert

With 2012 coming to an end, and 2013 just around the corner, we wanted to make sure to tell our customers, friends, and foodservice colleagues, Happy Holidays! We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year from the Foodservice Marketing and Analytics Team at CHD Expert.

To celebrate another great year of work together, we wanted to do something small and special for our team and to say “Thank You” for making CHD Expert North America a great place to work. So, this year we had an office party full of food, fun and the holiday spirit!

Here are a few pictures from the office party:

Say cheese everyone!

Let’s eat!

Hi Cathy!

Happy Holidays all! We can’t wait to connect with you in the New Year!

2012 Canadian Commercial Restaurant Food Service Market Overview: How it differs from the United States

CHD Expert breaks down the 2012 Canadian foodservice market landscape, providing data on different restaurant segments and menu types, with comparisons to the United States.

Chicago-based food service database, marketing, and analytics firm, CHD Expert provides a unique 2012 overview of the Canadian food service market landscape, specifically focusing on full service and limited service restaurants.

The economic environment is stabilizing in the U.S. and in Canada, which brings confidence for 2013. The foodservice industry is expected to steadily grow throughout the year in North America.

The Canadian restaurant industry roughly represents a tenth of the size of the U.S. industry and the market landscape looks increasingly similar across the border. The number of U.S. restaurant chains entering the Canadian market has been significantly growing during 2012.

The first noticeable difference between the U.S. and Canada is the number of limited service restaurants compared to full service restaurants. LSRs represent 40.8 percent of the restaurant industry in Canada, whereas LSRs account for 48.5 percent of the U.S. industry. Consumers tend to look for quicker and cheaper eating options, which explains why the LSR segment has been performing better than FSRs for the past few years. The LSR segment in Canada is expected to gain market share over FSR in the years to come.

When evaluating full and limited service restaurants by menu type, the following types of establishments hold the largest amount of market share in Canada and US:

While the Canadian food service market is substantially smaller than the U.S. market, the top three types of eating establishments are the same in both countries. However there is one noticeable difference between the two countries operator counts by simplified menu type, and it occurs between the fourth most popular menu types. In Canada Beverages rank at the fourth position, as opposed to Mexican in the U.S.

As Mexican food continues to increase in popularity in the U.S. this could become a trend that will soon reach Canada. Therefore it might behoove Canadian establishments to consider this growing menu type as they forecast into the future and attempt to project what consumers will be eating.

The other Asians menu type ranks at the fifth position in Canada, whereas in the U.S. hamburgers occupy that position. One of the explanations is that the Thai menu type has emerged as a favored ethnic cuisine in Canada during 2012. It is not surprising to see hamburgers ranked at the fifth position in the U.S. since it is America’s quintessential comfort food. “Establishments with varied menus hold the most market share,” stated Catherine Kearns, General Manager of CHD Expert. “This data shows that food service establishments who offer diverse menus attract more consumers as they appeal to wider populations and meet consumer preferences. For instance, TGI Fridays has seen an opportunity arise in Canada and entered the market during 2012. As we move into the New Year, existing and aspiring food service operators throughout Canada can consider adding new and varied dishes to their menus in order to meet diverse consumer preferences.”

To learn more about these and other resources, contact Nicolas Watson by email: nwatson@chd-expert.com or call 312-768-6913.

 

3 Ways Foodservice Businesses Can Use Foodservice Industry Data To Improve Their Sales

Since we are in the business of collecting, segmenting, managing and analyzing data, one of the questions we regularly get asked from prospective clients is,  How can CHD Expert’s data can help me improve sales?

To answer this question, we’ve identified three ways foodservice businesses can use foodservice industry data to improve their sales (see below).

In addition to being focused solely on data, one of the other services we provide is foodservice consulting, providing insight on how the use of targeted data can help improve sales for foodservice companies.

1. Increase your booth traffic at a trade show. If you are looking to let more people know about your attendance at a trade show, something we could do is create a list of operators (potential clients) with a 25 mile radius of the trade show informing them about your attendance at the show and asking them to come visit your booth for a free consultation. This is one strategy you could use to increase leads and sales.
2. Visualize the foodservice landscape. If you are looking to expand your products or services into different markets, one of our data capabilities includes outlining the foot print of what operators exist in a particular area, in addition to the food and beverage marketing potential in that same area.  For example, if you make a type of soft drink and you want to know what operators in a particular state, city or zip code sell canned soft drinks, or what the propensity for operators to buy in that area is, we can give you that data so that you can work with your sales and marketing team to reach out to new and relevant opportunities and increase sales.
3. Target more qualified leads. The foodservice industry is constantly changing, with new openings and closings happening daily. Most organizations don’t have the capabilities to keep on top of this changes to the data, which means that the sales and marketing teams might be sending communications or direct mail to addresses or contacts that no longer exist. One of the things that makes us unique, is that we are the only company for focuses solely on foodservice data. As a result, our data is 99% accurate, and we guarantee it.  Don’t waste money or your sales and marketing teams time reaching out to unqualified or out of date leads. By using our data, we’ll help you target more qualified leads by utilizing high quality and accurate data to improve the number of leads and sales your organization can generate.

If you have any questions, or want to ask us about other possible scenarios where foodservice data can help you improve your sales, fill out the form to talk to one of our experts. Or email Nico directly at nwatson@chd-expert.com. We are happy to share our expertise with you or provide any other foodservice consulting services. Feel free to stop by to check out our website. Visit www.chd-expert.com.

2013 State of the Pizza Insustry Report

We are excited to announce that we’ve collaborated with PQM Magazine, and a few other key industry players like Technomic, Mintel, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and IBISWorldwide to put together the 2013 Pizza Industry Report. Additionally, PQM also included some information about international pizza growth, thanks to Euromonitor International and the editors at Food- Service Europe & Middle East.

In summary, the report suggests that the pizza industry did well in the last year, and key indicators project another strong year coming up. Particularly promising is the forecast that independent operators will continue to prosper and hold their own against the big chains. Innovations have also been seen popping up throughout different regions, another positive sign for a healthy industry.

Across the United States, pizzeria owners continue to stick to cherished traditions of pizza making while embracing new ideas and technologies. And, best of all, the consumer’s love for pizza endures from generation to generation, ensuring that one of the world’s most popular foods will remain popular for a very long time.

When was the last time you had pizza? What’s your favorite slice or pie? We’d love to know. Participate in our poll below to see if others favor your favorite slice too!

To read the full report, click here. And, if you have any questions or want to get more data about the Pizza Industry, we’d be happy to provide you with a quote. Just email us at nwatson@chd-expert.com. Enjoy!