Smart Business Magazine’s Review of Chicago’s Restaurant Landscape

At CHD Expert, we not only provide data to our clients, but sometimes we get the change to work with magazines and other news outlets. Most recently, we got the chance to work with Mark Scott, Senior Associate Editor at Smart Business Magazine  and provided him with restaurant data for the city of Chicago. In this month’s edition of Uniquely Chicago, Mark writes about how Chicago shouldn’t only be recognized for it’s pizza, but for it’s diverse food scene as well. Click the image of the article below to read the full story and to learn about the restaurant landscape in Chicago.

Uniquely Chicago – Restaurants, A Slice of Life

If you are a journalist looking for restaurant or foodservice data, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d be happy to help you complete your story or provide you with data on the foodservice or restaurant industry. Email us at cathy@chd-expert.com.

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.

 

 

Burger King Satisfries: Are healthier options the next trend for fast food restaurants?

By Nicolas Watson

Fast food is becoming healthier – at least for one popular fast food chain. With the introduction of ¨Satisfries¨, Burger King is leading the way in what may become a new trend for healthy fast food.

¨Satisfries¨ are a low-calorie version of Burger King´s original fries and contain 40% less fast than fries from McDonald´s. Now people have the option to choose between full-fat fries and healthier ones. What impact will this have on fast food?  Are Satisfries the first of many “healthier” fast food options?

Interestingly enough, this is the first time we’ve seen a menu innovation around French Fries. Fast food chains have played around with healthier options in the past, for example grilled chicken wraps or low-calorie salads. What’s brilliant is that Burger King was able to think about a food innovation that satisfies a fried food craving. They aren’t trying to replace fries with apple slices like some other chains. They are looking to capture that satisfying fried food taste that people come to fast food restaurants for.  Such menu innovations in the fast food industry may become more common as consumers needs and consumption continue to change.

For some, this will impact where they decide to open their next location. To choose the next best real-estate location, they might want to consider working with a company like CHD Expert. Here at CHD Expert, we help businesses visualize the market landscape by providing them with information on chains headquarters, sub-franchisees, regional offices or even multi-concept operators. CHD Expert can even break down the market landscape do this down to the zip code level and provide a visual aid as to where any restaurant is located within the defined area.

For more information on food service data or chain locator tool, visit CHD Expert. Or reach out to me directly at nwatson@chd-expert.com.

We Sell Data, We Manage Data.

Author: Nico Watson

Here at CHD Expert, our main focus is data. We sell data, we manage data, and we create insights around data! Data is at the core of our business. Especially foodservice data. That’s what we specialize in. We know the foodservice market place better than any other “generic” data provider out there.

We can help you improve your sales and marketing efforts. Want more info or to talk to one of our foodservice experts? Email me, Nicolas Watson (nwatson@chd-expert.com) to discuss how we can help your business.

In the mean time, this week we saw an awesome infographic that is all about data and we wanted to share it. Check out this amazing infographic about how Data Never Sleeps! Pretty amazing right? Thanks Domo for putting this visual all about data together!

CHD Expert Releases New Data About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Industry

New data available from leading foodservice database and analytics company, CHD Expert reports on the status of the restaurant and lodging industry in the nation’s fourth most populous state, Florida.

With the 2013 Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show taking place later this month in Orlando, foodservice database and analytics firm, CHD Expert reports on Florida’s current lodging and restaurant landscape.

With great weather, world-class amusement parks, natural wonders, and over 1,000 miles of coastline, Florida is a top destination for domestic and international travelers. People come to Florida looking for a nice time and according to CHD Expert’s latest data, Florida leads the country with 367 active resorts, accounting for over 20% of the Nations Resorts. By comparison, the state with the second highest number of resorts in the nation is California with 179, accounting for 10 percent of the national total.

Holding the third place, behind California and Texas, the state of Florida hosts over 6% of the hospitality and lodging market in the US. There are a total of 4,323 different lodging facilities in the state of Florida, 14 percent of which have a restaurant as part of the facility, much higher than the national average of 7.8 percent. Contrarily there are 2,632 hotels and motels in the state that do not include a restaurant, of which over 29 percent offer a complimentary breakfast to their patrons.

In terms of restaurant industry landscape, Florida has 44,811 total restaurants, which makes up 6.5 percent of the total restaurants in the United States of America. Figure 1: Florida Restaurant Breakdown by Market Segment compared to US Market

Figure 1 Florida Restaurant Breakdown by Market Segment compared to US Market

Florida is a family destination identified by its high percentage of Family Style restaurants. About 12 percent of the restaurants in the state of Florida fall into the “Family Style” segment, defined as a full service restaurant that does not serve alcohol with an average check of $6 to $12. In comparison, this is a much higher percentage than other large states like California (10 percent), New York (10 percent) and Texas (9 percent).

Florida hosts 11.4 percent of the Steak and Seafood restaurants in the United States, and Steak and Seafood restaurants make up 3.8 percent of the Florida market. Varied Menu is most common menu type in Florida, making up 20.5 percent of Florida’s menu type mix, followed by Pizzerias, which make up 10.1 percent. These menu types are similar to the US footprint in these menu type categories. Figure 2: Top 10 Menu Types in Florida Compared to US Market.

Figure 2 Top 10 Menu Types in Florida Compared to US Market

Florida also hosts a very high percentage of the US menu type totals in Latin and Caribbean menu types, although the numbers of these ethnic restaurants are not substantial compared to the more common menu types. Figure 3: Florida Top 10 Highest Percent of US Menu Types

Figure 3 Florida Top 10 Highest Percent of US Menu Types

Similar to the US Market, most Florida restaurants are independent (restaurants that have between 1-9 total units) and not part of a major chain. However in the full service restaurant segment, Florida has a slightly higher percentage of Chain Restaurants than the national average. Figure 4: Full Service Restaurants US Market Vs. Florida Market

Figure 4 Full Service Restaurants US Market Vs. Florida Market

Other fortuitous news for aspiring restaurateurs in Florida, is that 49.81 percent of restaurants in Florida have been in business for 5+ years. With the difficult times in the past for restaurants, Florida is coming back fiercely, with over 4400 new openings in the past 12 months.

When evaluating the average check cost in Florida, 23.8 percent of the time the bill ranges between $15-20. The check exceeds $50 less than one percent of the time and under $5 approximately 6 percent of the time. The majority of restaurant menu types that earn over $5 million annually are Varied, Italian and Seafood.

“Florida is a great place to visit and this is apparent when you look at how the states economy is impacted by the tourism industry,” said Nicolas Watson, Global Marketing Manager of CHD Expert. “With Florida’s popular resort culture and wide range of lodging accommodations, this state is designed to cater to the tourism industry. This makes Florida a prime target for businesses who want to sell products to the restaurant and lodging industries, and this recent data helps make the sales process more lucrative and effective.”

To access the most up to date lodging and restaurant information on Florida in its entirety, please contact Nicolas Watson: nwatson@chd-expert.com

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.

America’s Favorite Food And The Economics Behind The Hamburger

Author: Nico Watson

Memorial Day Weekend usually kicks off the first official BBQ of the summer, and something we know is that Americans love hamburgers and cheeseburgers! Funny enough, while everyone seems to love hamburgers, everyone loves to dress their hamburger in their own way!

One of our favorite examples of individualized hamburgers is the menu and secret menu at In-N-Out. Did you know you could order a 3×3, ketchup and mustard instead, whole grill and pickles? It’s true! In-N-Out lets you customize a burger just the way you like it, even if it’s not on their menu, or their not-so-secret-menu.

As you know, here at CHD Expert, we provide data to foodservice professionals. Do you know which state has the most burger restaurants in America? According to our 2012 Foodservice Operator Update, California has the largest percentage of hamburger restaurants in the US, coming in at 12.3%. Furthermore, there are a total of 50, 064 hamburger restaurants in all of the US. Want more restaurant data, fill out the form to request a call. Click here.

When we saw this great infogaphic about hamburgers that uses data to tell us about the economics behind America’s favorite food, the hamburger, we got very excited! Take a look and let us know what you think? We are still amazed by staggering ketchup statistic that 71 pounds are consumed per person each year! Yikes

So next time you fire up the grill, take a good look at how you’re assembling your burger and how you contribute to the economics of Americans favorite food.

Hamburgers: The Economics of America’s Favorite Food infographic by Mint.com.

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.

CHD Expert Releases New Data Finding That Mexican Restaurants Flourish in Chicago, representing 9% of the city’s Restaurant Market

Leading foodservice data and analytics company CHD Expert, evaluates the status of the Mexican restaurant industry in their hometown of Chicago, Illinois, and draws comparisons between the Mexican restaurant scene in Chicago and some of the nation’s largest cities.

Despite being about 1,500 miles from the nearest U.S. Mexico border crossing, residents of Chicago don’t have to travel far for an authentic burrito, as some of the best Mexican food in the nation can be found in Chicago. As reported in CHD Expert’s 2012 U.S. Foodservice Operator Update, the Mexican menu type had a net increase of 4.7 percent and was the second largest growing menu type in the U.S. With the 2013 National Restaurant Association Show just one month away, Chicago-based foodservice data and analytics firm, CHD Expert, reports on the Mexican restaurant industry landscape in their home town and NRA Show host city, Chicago, Illinois.

According to CHD Expert’s Foodservice Database,CHD FIND® (Foodservice Industry National Database), Mexican restaurants represent 9 percent of the total restaurants in the city of Chicago with over 600 options to choose from. Chicago has the 4th largest number of Mexican restaurants of any city in the country. Although New York City is the leading restaurant city in the country, they have 40 percent less Mexican restaurants (375), making up only 4.2 percent of the city’s total restaurant landscape.

Houston Texas has more Mexican restaurants than any other city in the United States, followed by San Antonio and Los Angeles respectively, and these border towns understandably have a strong Mexican influence on the local cuisine. According to the 2010 US Census Data, Hispanic’s represent 14 percent of the total US population; with Houston having a Hispanic population of 31 percent, San Antonio 37 percent and Los Angeles 34 percent. Further down the list of U.S. cities with high Hispanic populations are Chicago at 23 percent and New York at 21 percent.

The Mexican menu type is the most popular ‘Latin’ menu type in Chicago, with more Mexican restaurants than all other Latin menu type restaurants combined. Other Latin restaurant types consist of Brazilian, Caribbean and other South and Central American cuisine types.

Further breaking down the numbers, 61.7 percent of Chicago’s Mexican restaurants are considered Full Service Restaurants. Full Service Restaurants have a wait staff with table service, and restaurants that fall into this category include: Family Style Dining, Casual Dining, and Upscale/Fine Dining establishments. In New York City, 69.4 percent of Mexican restaurants fall into the Full Service segment. Contrarily, 38.3 percent of Chicago’s Mexican restaurants are considered Limited Service Restaurants whereas in New York, 30.6 percent of Mexican restaurants are considered Limited Service. Limited Service Restaurants do not offer a wait staff and are made up Quick Service, Quick Casual and Delivery/Take Away.

While a plate of tacos in Chicago might be a bit more expensive than what you’d pay in Tijuana, Mexican food in Chicago is still a relatively affordable option. In Chicago, 69.7 percent of Mexican restaurants yield an average check that is less than $15. In New York City by comparison, 60 percent of Mexican restaurants have less than a $15 average check. This is due to the fact that there are a higher percentage of full service restaurants in New York which drives the average check higher. Another contributing factor is that in general New York is more expensive than Chicago. In New York City 11.7 percent of Mexican restaurants’ average checks fall into the $30-50 range, whereas in Chicago it’s only 5.8 percent.

And while affordable food is normally associated with large fast food chains, CHD Expert’s data suggests that this is not the case in Chicago. 86.9 percent of the Mexican restaurants are independently owned and fall into the Mom and Pop category, whereas big chains, which consist of companies with over 500 restaurants in operation nationwide like Taco Bell, only represent 8.2 percent of Chicago’s Mexican restaurants. By comparison, large chains in New York City represent more than 14 percent of the local Mexican restaurants.

“For those of us who live in Chicago it is not a surprise to see that Mexican Food has such a strong presence in the city” stated Alex Hernandez, Account Manager at CHD Expert North America. “Chicago is a multicultural city with a strong Latin authority and diverse culture. Famous chefs like Rick Bayless and Manuel Bañuelos, have made Chicago a top destination for Mexican food in the United States, and when you come to the city and taste these bold flavors you will certainly associate Mexican food with Chicago.”

To obtain a complete breakdown on the United States Mexican restaurant landscape, or to schedule a time to meet in Chicago during the 2013 National Restaurant Association Show please contact Brad Bloom bbloom@chd-expert.com.