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:

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

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

Restaurant Industry Statistics – Restaurant Operator Sales Forecast

This week we “stumbled” upon a bunch of great infographics put together by our friends at The National Restaurant Association. Using Pinterest,  the newest form of social media, the NRA has put together a dedicated board for restaurant industry statistics. Take a quick look at their board as they have some really insightful infographics about the restaurant industry. Just as a friendly reminder, an infographic is a visual representation of information, data or knowledge.

One of the infographics we want to call out is the one titled, “Restaurant Operators Sales Outlook.” The reason why we really like this infographic is because of the powerful data used to put together the visual. We are seeing that fast food, casual dining and find-dining operators are all expecting to see a positive sales trends in the next six months.  Check out the infographic below:

Source: nrn.com via Nation’s Restaurant on Pinterest

As we provide restaurant data to our Clients, we love seeing positive forecasts like this. To learn more about our foodservice database or what other products and services we offer to foodservice channel members, check out our website at CHD-Expert.com or register for a 30-Day Free Demo and to speak with one of our experts now!

Restaurant Database: CHD Expert’s Foodservice Marketing Solutions for Restaurants

Do you own a company that manufacturers BBQ sauce or some other CPG product? Are you looking for a way to get your product into new restaurants, hotels, and other commercial foodservice venues. If the answer is yes, you are about to learn about a new form of foodservice marketing that can help you get your product in front of the right people.

Here at CHD Expert we manage the FIND Database, which is the world’s largest global foodservice census with over 1.3 million operator contacts. “So what does this mean for my business and how can CHD Expert help?” is the question you are probable asking yourself. The good news is that you are in the right place, because CHD Expert specializes in helping foodservice channel members collect, manage and analyze data in the foodservice industry. We help foodservice companies pinpoint the right opportunities to help them grow their business. How do we do this? Through data. We manage the largest foodservice and restaurant database and are the only company to guarantee freshness and accuracy for each contact. So, let’s continue with our BBQ company example and identify the different foodservice marketing solutions we can offer.

Let’s say that your BBQ company is based in Westchester, NY and you currently have your product in a limited number of restaurants. One of the product solutions CHD Expert provides is restaurant data, from the Foodservice Industry National Database. Through our EASY2Find query tool, we are able to take a look at a segment of the market. So, for simplicity, say your BBQ company was looking to get it’s product into BBQ restaurants in New York City. Through our restaurant database, we can take a look at all of the restaurant operators in Manhattan who have a BBQ menu. Once we segment this data, we can pull operator information like average check or number of employees. We can also provide you with current operator contact information, if you want to reach out to operators who meet a certain criteria or who you think would be a good fit for your BBQ sauce.

Our goal is to provide foodservice operators with freshest, most up to date foodservice data in the industry in order to help the sales and marketing team target the right people. If this is you and you want more information – fill out this form. Someone on our sales team will contact you within a few hours to set up a live demo.