CHD Expert Adds New Data Segments, Providing Foodservice Professionals With Intelligence On Restaurants That Have Just Opened And Those With Plans To Open In The Future

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) February 27, 2014

New data segmentation now allows CHD Expert’s customers to identify restaurants that have been open for less than 30 days, and those restaurants that have yet to open their doors to guests.

CHD Expert, the Chicago-based foodservice database and analytics firm is announcing the expansion of their operator filter suite in two new and exciting areas; businesses that have just recently opened, and those who have plans to open in the near future. These two new segments will provide critical insight to companies that sell to restaurants, as they will be able to use the data to contact decision makers in the critical process of outfitting their establishments and looking to build lasting relationships with food suppliers. The two segments will be available in March 2014.

Currently, CHD Expert’s Foodservice Industry Database (FIND) offers data at an industry-leading level of accuracy on over six million global operators, providing contact information that can be segmented and filtered by various criteria. The two new segments will be joining an already robust list of available criteria that includes location, units, menu type, revenue, average check, number of employees, and many other pertinent details.

This March, CHD Expert customers in select USA markets will be able to quickly identify two types of restaurants and other foodservice kitchens not previously possible – those with recently opened doors, and those who are scheduled to open in the near future. The segments will be broken down into two specific areas: New Business and Pre-Open. These two new filter options will join all the current age-related filters, which identify restaurants that have been open for less than one year, one to two years, two to five years, and five plus years.

The New Business segment will classify operators who have opened within the past 30 days. Imagine the possibilities this information can provide to CHD Expert customers, who will now be able to identify recently opened restaurants in their selected geography. Companies who focus on selling advertising, POS systems, or other digital services will be able to use this data to target prospects that have yet to solidify these necessary relationships, or who are ready to enhance their current operations. Specialty providers can use this data to target and sell their products to restaurants that may not have an identified provider at open, or after an initial experience with one, now want to change quickly.

The Pre-Open segment will recognize operators who have plans to open in the near future. This information will be highly desirable for any foodservice distributor or manufacturer who sells to restaurants or commercial kitchens. Vendors will now be able to strategically offer their goods to restaurants that are in the process of purchasing equipment and food products to outfit their establishment.

“Foodservice distributors, equipment manufacturers, and food manufactures have been requesting pre opening data for years,” said Brad Bloom, Director of Sales at CHD Expert North America. “Being able to connect with a restaurant or foodservice establishments while they are outfitting their kitchen and looking for suppliers while menu planning is the Holy Grail for sales professionals who sell to the foodservice industry. We now have this information available for our customers, and we are excited to see how this data positively affects their sales results.”

To learn more about CHD Expert’s foodservice database, or to learn more about CHD Expert’s latest restaurant data segments, please click the button below:

2013 Canadian Restaurant Industry

2014 Foodservice Industry Trends

The foodservice industry is all about trends. Trends can have a significant impact on a foodservice business. Today’s consumers are more interested than ever in the foods they eat, where they eat, and where their food comes from. True trends, as opposed to fads, shows the need in our society and how foodservice industries meet those demands.

Here are 3  foodservice industry trends you should look out for in 2014:

Restaurants In Retail  Shops

How would you like a glass of wine as you look around for a new pair of shoes? Well, the next big thing in food could be fashion. There is a growing trend of retail stores in the US developing their own themed restaurants within their store. A perfect example of this is Tommy Bahama’s New York flagship restaurant that sells rib-eyes and fish tacos. Another great example of this is David Burke’s Burke in the Box and Forty Carrots at Bloomingdales.

So what’s the value of putting a restaurant into a store?  Restaurateurs want to keep shoppers in their stores for as long as they can and giving shoppers the ability to drink and eat can increases the time they spend in the store. The more time spent in the store; the more likely a purchase will be made.

More Restaurants Using Tablets

 Restaurants are embracing technology and the use of tablets is just another example of that. Earlier this week Applebee’s announced plans to install 100,000 tablets at every table in each of its 1,860 restaurants in the United States. These tablets will allow Applebee’s customers the ability to order food, pay their bill, and play games as they wait for their food. Back in September, Chili’s announced they would also begin installing tablets on each table of its 823 restaurants by March 2014.

While this move may seem like the beginning of the end for servers, don’t be alarmed. The restaurant business is about speed and service. Restaurants make more money when their servers are quick, and they get their customers out the door happy. The devices are for interactive purposes and convenience, targeting groups and families who wouldn’t mind paying $0.99 to play games. In fact, services could expect to see an increase in tips as the system is implemented to increase the spending per table and customers will benefit from better service as servers wont have many tasks on their plate.

Goodbye Trans Fats

Say goodbye to margarine because artificial trans fat in food will soon be a thing of the past. Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its preliminary determination saying trans fat is not “generally recognized as safe” for food. If this preliminary determination is finalized, hydrogenated oils (a component of margarine) will become food additives that could not be used in food without approval. Any food with unapproved additive cannot legally be sold in the U.S.

If you are looking to find accurate and up-to-date data on full service restaurants, retail stores, or information on restaurants that offer a specific cuisine, CHD Expert can help you locate those businesses and get you contact information for key decision makers. If you would like more information on how to access CHD Expert’s database, please contact Catherine Kearns via email at cathy@chd-expert.com or call (312) 768-6916.

Four reasons why Direct Street Reps can benefit from access to foodservice prospects

It can be very challenging for Distributers to stay on top of the ever-changing foodservice industry. What are you doing to set yourself up for success? As a sales professional, it is important that you maximize the time you spend selling and minimize time spent doing busywork.

CHD Expert can help make your process more efficient. Our foodservice database can provide you with digital access to a constant source of new prospects. We are the leading provider of foodservice industry data, and with our tool, Easy2FIND, you can have access to over 5 million accurate foodservice operator contacts.

Our foodservice data can help you improve your sales results. Here are four reasons why Direct Street Reps (DSRs) can benefit from constant access to foodservice prospects:

1. Complete and accurate prospect lists: With Easy2FIND, DSRs can have a constant source of new prospects at their fingertips. They don’t have to worry about staying on top of frequent operator changes. With Easy2FIND, DSRs have access to a custom portal filled with operator contact information that is accurate and updated regularly.
2. Spend time selling, not researching: Easy2FIND allows DSRs to spend more time selling and less time researching. DSRs don’t have to spend their time looking for new operators to call on or creating new prospect lists.  If DSRs aren’t spending their time selling, they are not making money and with Easy2FIND, DSRs can increase their efficiency.
3. Gain an edge over your competition: With Easy2FIND DSRs are using the latest digital technology to power their prospecting process. With a unique custom portal, DSRs have the ability to pinpoint their next prospect and get the contact details they need to connect with key decision makers, making their sales team more agile and efficient than competitors who still use dated methods.
4. Expand into new segments: With Easy2FIND, DSRs can continuously add new data to their custom portal. For example, if they want to expand their sales into a new segment like the healthcare industry, or move into a new geography or zip code, this information can be easily added to their custom portal and scaling into new markets becomes a cinch.

Easy2FIND is a new generation of online sales and marketing data analysis tool that improves market research and intelligence efforts. Easy2FIND provides you unlimited access to the Foodservice Industry National Database. Updated every month with businesses openings and closings!

Contact us with any questions at cathy@chd-expert.com or call us directly at (312) 768-6900.

 

 

National Food Safety Month and It’s Impact On Foodservice

Author: Nicolas Watson

Did you know that September is National Food Safety Month? CHD Expert wants to help generate awareness for food allergies and help take a stand by preventing a reaction by taking action, as foodservice is at the core of our business.

This year’s annual National Food Safety Month (NFSM) highlights the increasing importance of food allergen awareness during the month of September. One of the main topics that is being discussed is how to keep diners safe from serious, and sometimes fatal, food allergy reactions, as food allergies have now become a daily topic in the news cycle.

It’s been said that food allergies are increasing and according to FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education ) more than 15 million Americans have food allergies. Interestingly enough, there are eight foods that make up 90% of allergies!

Check out this promotional Infographic that has been created to promote these common allergens and how to avoid cross contamination in honor of food safety month. This infographic was created by Tork, National Restaurant Association and ServSafe:

In honor of food safety month, please help us spread awareness for food allergies and the importance of educating both restaurants and diners on how to dine out safely! Plus here’s a great blog post that outlines four tips to dining out safely from Hudson Allergy, New York’s Premier Adult Allergy & Asthma Specialist.

BBQ Restaurants Trends in the US – Celebrating Labor Day!

Can you believe that it’s the last week of summer? Today, August 30th marks the beginning of Labor Day Weekend! The good news is that for most of us in the United States, we have Monday off. But the bad news is that Labor Day Weekend also signifies that last weekend of summer before we transition into fall.

Labor Day Weekend is usually celebrated with a good old American BBQ. So, in honor of Labor Day Weekend, we thoughts we’d share some Restaurant BBQ Trends and give a few new stats on BBQ restaurants in the US.

According to Easy2FIND, check out these counts on BBQ & Southern/Soul Food Restaurants:

1. There are over 15,000 BBQ/Southern restaurants in the US (15,794 to be exact!)
2. 89% of the BBQ and Southern/Soul food restaurants are independents
3. There are over 14,049 BBQ Restaurants ,  87% of which are independents
4. There are 1,500 Southern/Soul Food Restaurants
5. The top three states with the most BBQ and Southern/Soul food restaurants are:  Texas, California and Florida!

Interesting findings right? Would you have guessed that BBQ and Southern/Soul food restaurants are mostly independents? And how interesting is it that Florida has the 3rd most BBQ restaurants in the US.

If you are every looking for restaurant counts or restaurant data of any type, please reach out to us! We have more data than you’ll know what to do with! Plus we can break it down by over 40 different segment filters. We are the only database company that focuses solely on the foodservice industry. Please contact cathy@chd-expert.com or give us a call at (312) 768-6900.

CHD Expert Presents: The Clean Data Challenge – How Accurate is Your Organization’s CRM or Database?

CHD Expert is challenging organizations to test the accuracy of their current CRM or database. If you utilize data for sales, marketing, or business decisions, take the challenge and compare the accuracy of your data to CHD Expert’s Foodservice Industry National Database.

Chicago-based foodservice database and analytics company, CHD Expert, is rolling out the Clean Data Challenge: How Accurate, Complete, and Clean is your Organizations Database? The company is asking organizations to compare their current data to CHD FIND® (Foodservice Industry National Database), the industry’s highest standard for foodservice data.

Customers can count on CHD Expert’s database. With consolidated data from over 80 different sources, it is guaranteed the most accurate in the industry, and every record is supported with a money back guarantee. To prove this, CHD Expert is proposing that businesses take a stand against dirty data, and compare their current data records to CHD Expert’s FIND® Database. To help make this happen, CHD Expert is extending a free sample match opportunity until September 30th, 2013.

The Clean Data Challenge will provide participants with a gauge on the accuracy and completeness of their current database, as well as put them in contact with a CHD Expert data specialist to help determine the best ways the data can be used to benefit their business. This includes insight surrounding market penetration, and how many additional foodservice operators are available in the selected sample region.

To participate in the Clean Data Challenge, please identify and provide CHD Expert with 1,000-2,000 records for comparison. A CHD Expert data specialist will then walk participating organizations through a 4-step process, summarized below.

Step 1: Data Preparation: Select geography from current records that makes up approximately 1,000-2,000 records, and compile it in .xls or .csv format. Include a unique ID, business name, address, and phone#.

Step 2: Data Cleansing: CHD Expert will prepare the data as follows:

• Postal normalization
• Removal of dirty data and special characters
• Formatting of all fields
• Deduplicating repeated records

Step 3: Match and Append: CHD Expert will then match the clean data to CHD FIND’s master records, appending it with information from the CHD FIND database. This can include, data on market segment, market information, and/or contacts. Which businesses have closed will also be identified. It all adds up to a clear, defined picture of the current holes in the data.

Step 4: Delivery of Results: CHD Expert will provide participating organizations with the results from the Clean Data Challenge, and walk through the findings with selected participants. For further incentive, participating organizations will be provided with approximately 200 NEW additional sales and marketing leads in the same geography, which are currently NOT in the database.

“Rarely does a company have a database that is 50-60% accurate. Normally it is significantly worse,” states Brad T. Bloom, Director of Sales for CHD Expert North America. “What I find most interesting is people’s reaction when the challenge shows them how incomplete and/or inaccurate their data truly is. Some people are shocked, and some are not surprised at all. Regardless of their initial reaction, they are glad they participated in the challenge, and come away with a lot of insight. If your organization has data, put it up to the challenge. You will be surprised to see how it compares to the industry’s best.”

No business is too big or small to participate in CHD Expert’s Clean Data Challenge. If your organization is interested in participating, please register on CHD Expert’s Data Challenge Page and a CHD Expert representative will be in contact.

CHD Expert Identifies K-12 Schools That Participate in Free and Reduced Lunch Programs

CHD Expert identifies K-12 Schools that participate in free and reduced lunch meal programs, highlighting big opportunities for foodservice professionals in education.

Leading food service data and analytics companyCHD Expert, releases new data identifying the different schools that participate in government funded National School Lunch Programs.

June 21st marked the first day of summer, and while many children look forward to their summer break, being out of school poses a challenge for millions of children who live in food insecure households.

In 1946 President Truman introduced a federal assisted meal program to provide nutritionally balanced lunches at a free or reduced cost to children while in school. Currently this program is overseen by the US Department of Agriculture and there are more than 31 million children who receive free or reduced school lunches each day (Source:Food and Nutrition Service).

With the School Nutrition Association’s 2013 Annual National Conference taking place in Kansas City later this month, CHD Expert provides the latest numbers on Free and Reduced Lunch Meal counts for the entire United States.

According to CHD Expert’s FIND database, there are 63,406 K -12 Schools that offer Free and Reduced Lunch Meals in the United States. In addition, CHD Expert also reports that there are 4,367 school districts in the United States with more than 500 students on free and reduced lunch meals. In total, CHD Expert’s Education Database contains 123,140 K-12 Schools and 13,405 School Districts across the nation. This does not include CHD Expert’s Database for Colleges and Universities.

CHD Expert also breaks down and compares different regions within the United States. In the Pacific Region1 there are 661 school districts with more than 500 students on free and reduced lunch meals. The Midwest region2 by comparison has 1,025 such school districts. (Pacific States Include: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Midwest States Include: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.)

Other filters CHD Expert has available to dissect the data include: Ownership (Public, Private, and Religious); Enrollment, Number of Meals Served Per Day; Number of Schools in the District. There is also contact information available for each school and school district, which could include the titles of Principal, Superintendent, and Foodservice Directors.

“This is highly coveted information for foodservice providers who cater their products or services to schools and school districts,” stated Brad T. Bloom, Director of Sales for CHD Expert North America. “By understanding which schools obtain federal assistance, providers can better focus their sales efforts and position themselves to receive awarded bids from these schools. During times when school budgets are tight, being able to pinpoint who is getting a little extra help from the federal government can help your organization get more sales.”

To obtain more information about CHD Expert’s findings, or with general questions about education foodservice data, please contact Nicolas Watson.

Just in Time for The 2013 National Restaurant Association Show, CHD Expert Launches New Menu Type Segmentation For Their Foodservice Data, Web-Based Query Tool, Easy2Find

Leading food service data and analytics company CHD Expert, releases a new menu type filter allowing for more granular segmentation of restaurants by specific menu type.

Author: Nicolas Watson

Just in time for the 2013 National Restaurant Association Show, Chicago-based foodservice database, and analytics firm, CHD Expert, expands their available menu filters allowing for foodservice businesses to more narrowly target unique restaurants with their sales efforts.

As American food culture grows in popularity, themed and diverse restaurants are now opening on a regular basis. Ten years ago, few would have ever imagined dining at a Japanese Moroccan fusion restaurant or a restaurant specializing in meatballs, but now diverse ethnic menus are all the rage. While a diverse restaurant scene has been a treat for Americans’ taste buds, this presents a challenge for foodservice industry professionals, who are constantly trying to identify and pin point these relentlessly growing menu segments.

CHD Expert’s web-based query tool, Easy2FIND, provides a solution for foodservice industry professionals who need to sell and market to the ever changing restaurant landscape, and this new set of filters allows for deeper insight into a wide-range of less common menu types.

With Easy2FIND, more granular filters are now available for many emerging Asian and African menu types, including but not limited to: Malaysian, Cambodian, Pakistani, Tunisian, Lebanese, Russian, and many more. This is in addition to the already available “standard” menu types like Chinese, Barbecue, Vegetarian, Kosher, etc. Furthermore, this new segmentation capability also allows for standard menu types to be further dissected. For example, the common ‘Italian’ segment can be filtered to identify ‘pizzerias’ within the Italian segment.

“The restaurant industry is extremely competitive and complex,” said Nicolas Watson, Marketing Manager at CHD Expert. “As consumer pallets continue to evolve, restaurateurs, chefs and entrepreneurs tenaciously push the envelope to introduce exotic, unique menus. And while consumers reap the benefits, this becomes incredibly challenging and cumbersome for someone who is selling a product like Asian Chili Oil. With these new Easy2FIND filters, foodservice manufacturers and distributors now have a much deeper level of insight on their target markets, making their sales and marketing process much more efficient. We have already received some excellent feedback from our beta testing, and are very excited to roll out this tool in time for the National Restaurant Association Show.”

To schedule a demo of the Easy2FIND tool, and see if you qualify for a seven day trial, please contact Brad Bloom.

NRA Show Tips from CHD Expert

The NRA Show 2013 – the largest and most important foodservice industry showcase is getting even closer – just over two weeks away now.

In our previous post, we discussed how technology has changed the conference experience for the attendee, exhibitor, entrepreneur or food enthusiast. This week, we canvassed some opinions from some of our top CHD Expert foodservice consultants, who are NRA Show veterans, and they provided some great advice about how to make the most of your four days at the center of the food industry’s universe.

How many NRA shows has CHD Expert attended?

CHD Expert visits about 15 food service shows and conferences every year across the US and Canada. We have been attending the NRA show since 2006 and this will be our 8^th time at this event.

What was the most memorable NRA Show you have attended?

The show gets better every year and last year was our busiest yet! We had over 35 different in person meetings with prospective and current clients. There was also an excellent networking event hosted by P&G and Kelloggs at the House of Blues, where Huey Lewis and the News performed!

 Are there any exhibitors’ booths you would recommend checking out?

At previous shows Rational has done a fantastic job with a live demonstration of their products with live chefs, very fun to watch and sample. Also in years past Daymark also has had a “must-visit” booth. They have a fun staff and have had different types of competitions and games where attendees can win prizes. Food is plentiful at the NRAShow, as you would expect, and there are samples of every food you can imagine from everywhere in the world. So if all else fails, just follow your nose!  

What is the best advice for first time attendees in Chicago?

After visiting seven consecutive NRA shows we’ve had some great experiences and picked up some valuable tips to help the experience be as smooth, productive and tasty as possible!

• Plan your time – the show is very large, bigger than you would imagine so make sure you leave enough time to get around to visit all the exhibitors and events or else you’ll be disappointed that you didn’t see it all.
• Take a shuttle – Shuttles are one of the best ways to get around Chicago and only pick up at certain hotels so there are less stops than a regular service.  If you do take a cab to and from the show, try to leave before the majority of the attendees as the demand for taxis is similar to an airports – you could be waiting for over an hour!
• Don’t Eat beforehand – Why would you want to eat before visiting the biggest food industry showcase in the world? There are more samples and demonstrations here than anywhere else and there is ample opportunity to fill up at various points during the day and evening. Like the best restaurants, buzz soon gets around about the tastiest samples at various booths so make sure you take advantage while you can.
• Charge Up! – If you are bringing a laptop or smartphone to the convention then make sure it is fully charged overnight because it’s going to be a long day. Remember to bring your charger with you to take advantage of any spare outlets and top off whenever you can. Also remember to check out our tech-savvy NRAShow tips post from last week.