Foodservice Industry News: Weekly Headlines

Each Friday, we select the week’s most exciting foodservice headlines. These stories can be new trends, survey findings, product launches, or company partnerships. The one thing they all have in common is they have the potential to reshape the foodservice industry as we know it today.

Here are a few headlines that caught our attention this week (Dec 30-Jan 3):

Copyright: QSR Magazine

Dickey’s Barbecue Partners with Texas Pete – Dickey’s Barbecue, one of the fastest growing chains in America, entered into a partnership with Texas Pete Hot Sauce. The two brands will team up to create new menu items to launch later this year. Texas Pete, which is known for its full line of hot sauces, was originally known for making barbecue sauce.

“We’re excited about our partnership with Texas Pete,” says Roland Dickey, Jr., president and CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. “We’ve developed exciting new menu items along with the Texas Pete culinary team that bring together the best of our slow-smoked barbecue along with their bold, fiery flavor.”

To read the full story, click here.

Our Thoughts: Co-branding is a great way for a brand to introduce products to loyalist of another brand. Most recently, we saw this when Taco Bell and Doritos partnered to create the popular Doritos Locos Tacos.

Copyright: Businesswire.com

Burger King Launches KING DEALS® Value Menu – Burger King, the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world, introduced its new KING DEALS® Value Menu of more than 20 items. The KING DEALS® will offer a variety of choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with prices starting at $1.

“We’re launching the new KING DEALS® Value Menu including classics and new favorites like the Rodeo Sandwiches all starting at just $1,” said Eric Hirschhorn, Chief Marketing Officer, North America. “We’ve seen an incredible response from our guests with our $1 menu items and we want to continue creating great tasting products that don’t sacrifice on taste.”

To read the full story, click here.

Our Thoughts: Burger King has undertaken a series of initiatives such as new product launches (Big King, Satisfries) and re-imaging to improve their brand recognition. This modification to their value meal is just another action in the company’s brand-building efforts.

Copyright: QSR Magazine

McDonald’s and White Castle Testing Ordering Kiosks – Traditional quick-service burger chains, McDonald’s and White Castle, are considering giving customers the ability to customize their orders by using kiosks. Last month, White Castle began testing touch-screen ordering kiosks at a renovated restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. McDonald’s also tested a similar system at a location in Laguna Niguel, California.

“Younger customers are starting to expect more from brands, and kiosks are already popular in Europe and other countries. It also creates better efficiency between the customer and the back of the house, and reduces order errors,” says Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic.

Neither McDonald’s nor White Castle executives are saying whether or not they plan on adding ordering kiosks to additional locations.

To read the full story, click here.

Our Thoughts: We’ve seen a number of restaurants test kiosks and tablets in their restaurants. Late last year, Applebee’s announced its plans to install tablets in more than 1,800 of its restaurants. Whether for customization or convenience, we expect to see  touch-screen ordering continue to trend in restaurants.

We hope you enjoyed these stories and don’t forget to check back to get a roundup of the week’s biggest restaurant and foodservice news! We love to hear from our readers, so please share your thoughts, views, and opinions in the comment section below. 

Thank you and have a wonderful day! 

10 Must-Attend Foodservice Industry Trade Shows for 2014

2014 is finally here and for foodservice industry professionals, that means another year full of foodservice trade shows. Every year there are a number of foodservice industry trade shows that we like to attend, but the hard part is determining which ones.

After much consideration, we’ve selected our 10 Must-Attend Foodservice Industry Trade Shows for 2014, which we’ve listed in chronologic order. Take a look:

1. Technomic Trends & Directions Conference
Newport Beach, CA (Jan 22 – 23)
Our partners’ at Technomic invite restaurant industry leaders to come together at their annual conference in Newport Beach California. Attendees will examine consumer foodservice attitude and usage—as well as demographic dynamics and marketing and social media trends, in order to position themselves for success today and into the future. Technomic executives will present proprietary consumer, menu and industry research, while consumer insight analysts and innovative operators will lend their knowledge and experience.

2. FSMA’s 20th Annual Top2Top Conference 2014
Orlando, FL (Feb 24 – 27)
The Foodservice Sales and Marketing Associations’ 20th Annual Top2Top Conference is the premier event for foodservice sales & marketing executives.

3. CRFA Show
Toronto, On (March 2 – 4)
The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association Show is the leading foodservice and hospitality event in Canada. A comprehensive forum of industry products, the CRFA Show, attracts 12,000 industry professionals and puts them face to face with exhibitors showcasing all their latest products.

4. Midwest Foodservice Expo 2014
Milwaukee, WI (March 10-12)
Produced by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, the Midwest Foodservice Expo (MFE) is the leading regional food, beverage and hospitality industry event in the Midwest. Since we are not too far away, this is one of the shows we enjoy bringing several members of the team to.

5. 30th Annual International Pizza Expo 2014
Las Vegas, NV (March 25 – 27)
The Pizza Expo is the world’s largest pizza-only trade show, and it’s now in its 30th year. This is one of our favorite shows to attend because of the passion and energy we see on the trade show floor. We also enjoy the competitions, the food and innovations This show is attended by pizzeria or pizza-concept restaurant owners, operators and managers, as well as distributors and food brokers to name a few.

6. SIAL The North American Food Marketplace
Montreal, QB (April 2 – 4)
SIAL Canada is an international trade show dedicated to North American food industry professionals. Every year, over 700 agrifood exhibitors and 14,500 professionals come together for this uniting event.

7. NRA Show 2014
Chicago, IL (May 17-20)
One of the biggest trade shows of the year is the National Restaurant Association’s show in Chicago (NRA). Every year, over the course of four days, more than 1,800 suppliers and tens of thousands of buyers come together to make lasting connections that drive business profitability and shape the future of the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industry. This show is perfect for any business looking for new products, trends, and ideas that will make a difference in their business’ future. Let’s just say, May is one of our favorite months of the year!

8. AHF Healthcare Foodservice
Orlando, FL (June 3-6)
The Association for Healthcare Foodservice conference is the only conference of its kind, uniquely tailored to the needs of the healthcare foodservice self-operator and the business partners that support them. If you are interested in the healthcare foodservice industry, this is the show for you!

9. Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo
Anaheim, CA (Aug 7-8)
At the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, you’ll find everything needed to profit in the industry, from the latest trends to how to charm your guests, to ways to reduce cost and inspire your team. Plus it’s located in sunny California!

10. Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show
Orlando, FL (Sept 7 -9)
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show is the only all-encompassing event in the Southeastern United States for the restaurant and foodservice industry, making it THE one-stop source for everything you need to succeed in today’s restaurant market. We can’t wait to see what trends, innovations and other technology are launched at this show.

Each year, CHD Expert attends several trade shows. Trade shows give us the opportunity to meet other foodservice professionals, listen to new ideas, network and share our solutions with other professionals in the foodservice industry. Today, so much business is done over the phone or via the Internet, so it’s really a pleasure when we have the opportunity to talk face-to-face with clients, partners, and influencers in the business.

If you don’t typically attend trade shows, or haven’t in the past few years, consider attending one or two of the shows from the list above. Remember, this isn’t our entire list of trade shows we will be attending in 2014, but these are a few of our favorites. Throughout the year, as we confirm our attendance to other shows, we will keep you updated.

Happy New Year and we hope to see you at the next show!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Here’s to a season filled with warmth, comfort and laughter! One of the real joys this holiday season is the opportunity to give thanks to those who have helped CHD Expert become the leader in foodservice data. From everyone here at CHD Expert, we would like to wish all our reader’s, partners, and clients a safe and wonderful holiday season.

Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiaralily/6387577041/

Foodservice Industry News: Weekly Headlines

Happy Friday! From here on out, each and every Friday, CHD Expert will summarize the week’s most interesting and insightful news in the foodservice industry. Our goal is to share stories that catch our attention and have our readers share their thoughts on them.

So, here are some of stories that caught our eye this week (Dec 16-20):

Jersey Mike’s Raises Money for Nonprofit – On Monday, Jersey Mike’s donated $305,000 to Wreaths Across America (WAA), a nonprofit organization that coordinates wreath laying ceremonies across the country.

From October 1st through November 11th, Jersey Mike’s locations throughout the U.S. collected donations for the WAA. The company also donated $1 for every social action sharing the WAA story on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

PepsiCo Experimenting with Snack Foods – PepsiCo Inc., which owns Cheetos, Fritos, and Tostitos, have been experimenting with new restaurant dishes featuring their snacks. This comes after the company’s big hit, teaming up with Taco Bell to create the Doritos Locos Tacos.

After partnering with Buffalo Wild Wings, PepsiCo said it would work with the chain to create a “unique menu offering.” Pizza Hut, which is owned by Yum Brands (who also owns Taco Bell), has been also looking for new ways to use Frito-Lay on its menu.

Texas Pete Debuts New Sriracha Sauce – TW Garner Food Company, the maker of Texas Pete sauces, announced the launch of its newest addition, CHA! by Texas Pete sriracha sauce.

“CHA! by Texas Pete® was designed specifically for enthusiasts who are always chasing the next great taste,” says Steve DeCorte, general manager of sales at TW Garner Food Company. “The growth of sriracha sauce over the past few years has been fast-paced and we anticipate that CHA! by Texas Pete® will deliver the bold, balanced flavors we’re known for to a whole new audience.”

Pizza Hut Dominates Google Searches – On Wednesday, Google announced its 13th annual Zeitgeist results, showing what users searched for the most during the year and Pizza Hut was once again the top searched restaurant brand, followed by Domino’s.

Papa John’s, who was third on the list in 2012, did not make the list for 2013.

Check back here each and every Friday to get a roundup of the week’s biggest restaurant and foodservice news! Don’t forget to share your thoughts, views, and opinions in the comment section 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.

Foodservice Brands Securing Loyalty on College Campuses

Millennial and Gen Z customers are targeted demographics in the foodservice industry. They are all anyone in the foodservice can talk about and who can blame them. Brands want customers who will continue to buy from them, not once or twice, but for as long as the customer lives.

Although there is no exact start and end age for Millennials, most can agree that it’s somewhere between the ages of 20 and 35. One thing that experts can agree on is the fact that this demographic is, and will continue to direct food trends for quick-service brands, which means, new product development and new promotional strategies.

Some fast-food operators sit back and let Millennial and Gen Z customers find their product through marketing. Meanwhile, others see it as an opportunity and are being more aggressive, establishing locations in the center of college campuses to secure brand affinity amongst students.

For the companies that take the initiative to position themselves in college and universities, it gives them the advantage of increasing their brand awareness in front of thousands of individuals who are looking to experience new things.

For example, Moe’s Southwest Grill has 17 operating college-campus locations in the US. Positioning their restaurants on these campuses allows their brand to be exposed by thousands of potential customers between the ages of 18-21. As these customers go back home or move to other areas, hopefully that following will continue.

The connection is not only strategic but also emotional. Customers associate brands with personal experiences and that’s what college is about. Having a place on campus and becoming a notable part of your customer’s life builds a strong connection with them.

“I know with my college experience, there were a couple food and beverage places that are near and dear to my heart because of my experience in college,” says Charles Watson, vice president of franchise development for Tropical Smoothie Café, which has six college locations. “The ability to get a lot of brand affinity by being on the campus and being in that special part of someone’s life.”

In real-estate, there is a coined phrase: “location, location, location.” CHD Expert can deliver the most up-to-date location information to help restaurants determined the right college or university. With the most accurate foodservice data on over 5,000 colleges and universities in the US, CHD Expert can provide details and counts around schools in a specific area, enrollment size, ownership type (public/private), and contact details.

Whether you’re a business that wants data on all private colleges with less than 10,000 students in a 25-mile radius or a public universities with over 20,000 students in a 50-mile radius, CHD Expert can provide you with that data. CHD Expert can even break down the campus area to provide you with information as to where competitors are located and the type of cuisine offered.

If a quick-service restaurant, whether branded or proprietary, is trying to expand into the College & University market, CHD Expert can help you make more intelligent business decisions. If you would like more information on how to access CHD Expert’s databases, please contact Catherine Kearns via email at cathy@chd-expert.com or call (312) 768-6916.

CHD Expert Releases New Product, Restaurant Chain Locator, Enabling Key Decision Makers To Visualize The Foodservice Market Landscape At The Click Of A Button

CHD Expert, debuts their newest foodservice marketing intelligence tool, Restaurant Chain Locator, helping food service businesses find, track, and footprint chain restaurants across the United States.

Chicago-based foodservice database, marketing, and analytics firm, CHD Expert unveils its latest innovation in foodservice data, The Restaurant Chain Locator. The new Restaurant Chain Locator tool is part of CHD Expert’s interactive online database platform that provides restaurant chains and foodservice providers with new ways to evaluate the foodservice market landscape. This tool identifies the chain operator landscape and density, and can postulate the data onto specific geographic maps, provide aggregated counts, graphs and other business intelligence around the chain and independent operators. The Restaurant Chain Locator has the ability to overlay current U.S. Census bureau information to further evaluate decisions in comparison with other geo-specific key indicators.

According to the latest figures from CHD Expert’s foodservice database, there are over 227,000 total chain restaurants located in the United States. These 227,000 chain restaurants consist of more than 1,900 unique restaurant brands. Subway leads the way with over 25,000 locations across the United States. McDonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Burger King round out the top 5 most prevalent U.S. restaurant chains. Chain restaurants are defined as restaurants with more than nine units in operation throughout the US. See Figure 1 for the chain restaurant density heat map by zip code.

Data indicates that chains are more heavily located in major cities, with some zip codes containing more than 55+ different chain restaurants. On the contrary, there are zip codes that contain two chain restaurants or less. Some restaurant chains and foodservice providers might see low density areas as a growth opportunity, while others may want to focus on the more heavily populated zip codes. This depends on the businesses’ strategy.

Executives who are looking to expand or consolidate their restaurants’ locations can use Restaurant Chain Locator to evaluate the market landscape and make strategic decisions. This tool allows restaurant chains to visualize their locations and the footprint of operators around each of their units for competitive intelligence as well as new location placement strategy.

Restaurant Chain Locator features include the ability to: locate competitor establishments, visualize density of independents and chains locations within a given market or segment, view census demographics, and map out the results of their selection. With all the intelligence available in the database, a restaurant chain can now view footprints by segment, menu type, annual sales, #employees and average check, giving them more intelligence around their competitors in any given market.

“The restaurant industry is one of the most dynamic and volatile industries to be involved in,” stated Catherine Kearns General Manager of CHD Expert North America. “Restaurants open and close on a regular basis and when considering expansion it is vital to understand the current market landscape and evaluate from a macro perspective. The insight provided by this tool is a game changer for foodservice professionals who are looking to better understand their competitive landscape.”

To get a free demonstration of Restaurant Chain Locator please contact bbloom(at)chd-expert(dot)com.

CHD Expert is the worldwide leader in collecting, managing, and analyzing data for the Away-from-Home Global Foodservice Market. For more than 10 years, CHD Expert has been dedicated to support Foodservice channel members in providing a global vision and an in-depth understanding of the industry (in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific).

Our objective is to support our clients in their sales and marketing strategies by providing the most comprehensive and accurate foodservice census housing market information for more than 4 million operators worldwide. For more information or learn about all of our products available, please visit CHD-Expert.com.

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.

 

 

CHD Expert Releases The Latest Restaurant Data, Focusing On Independent Restaurants in a Market Landscape Overview

CHD Expert’s Latest Restaurant Data Indicates That In The Current US Market Landscape, Independent Restaurants Out Number Chain Restaurants Two To One.

Leading foodservice data and analytics company CHD Expert, releases the latest figures around the current United States restaurant landscape and evaluates how independent restaurants stack up against the more widely recognized chain brands. All data in this report is pulled from CHD Expert’s Restaurant Database as of October 2013. Currently in the United States there are 678,691 total restaurants in operation, equating to approximately 1 restaurant for every 467 American citizens*.

While some of the most recognizable global brands are famous American chain restaurants, in the United States the total number of independent restaurants outnumbers chains almost exactly two to one. Currently there are 454,695 total independent restaurants in operation in the United States, whereas there are 224,266 chain restaurants in operation.

However in terms of annual sales, independent restaurants generally gross less than chain restaurants. 67.3 percent of independent restaurants gross less than $500,000 a year, whereas only 24.8 percent of chain restaurants aggregate less than $500,000 annually. Considering the highest grossing restaurant segment, only 1,023 independent restaurants achieve more than $5,000,000 dollars annually, whereas 1,234 chain restaurants fall into this category.

Breaking down the states and District of Colombia by their mix of independent restaurants compared to chains, the four states** with the highest percentage of independent restaurants all reside on the North East Coast. New York leads the nation with the highest percentage of independent restaurants with 82.1 percent of the state’s restaurants being independent. This is not surprising, as the five boroughs of New York City, particularly Manhattan, are largely comprised of unique restaurants. After New York is New Jersey with 78.5 percent independent restaurants, followed by Washington DC at 77.6 percent, and then Maine at 76.4 percent.

Considering states with the most independent restaurants by volume, California leads the states with 12.9% of the US Total comprising of over 58,540 total independent restaurants, bringing in almost $30 billion in sales annually to the California economy. New York is second on the list with 40,928 total independent restaurants, followed by Texas with 33,171 then Florida with 29,449. Rounding out the top ten states by independent restaurants are PA, NJ, IL, OH, NC and MA. See figure 1.

The footprint of independent restaurants in QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) and FSR (Full Service Restaurants) is significant. Independent restaurants make up over 90% of the FSR market, whereas in QSR it drops to 43%.

A majority of independent restaurants fall into the full service category. They represent almost 69% of all unique independent restaurants throughout the nation, with retail sales of over $189 billion annually, whereas limited service restaurants sales achieve $$52 billion per year.

“For foodservice professionals who sell their products to restaurants, it is critical to understand the market landscape in your territory”, stated Brad T. Bloom, Director of Sales for CHD Expert North America. “It is a misconception that foodservice manufacturers and distributors need to engage with the large chains to land big sales. Often times the low hanging fruit can be the local independents, who’s decision makers can be much easier to get a hold of and sell to. It is more difficult than ever for sales professionals to engage restaurant owners or decision makers, but with relevant restaurant data, sales professionals can spend more time developing strategies that increase sales and less time researching.”

To obtain more information about CHD Experts findings, or with general questions about foodservice data, please contact Nicolas Watson – nwatson@chd-expert.com

* Based on US Census population clock estimates October 20, 2013
** Washington DC is considered a state for this exercise