Strategies to Attract Foodservice Operators

There is no shortcut to foodservice success. NONE!!!! No magic broker. No “national rollout.” No distributor handshake that fixes everything. It comes down to four things: Product Reps Relationships Reorders Let’s start with the one most brands ignore: Product is crucial. If it doesn’t solve a real problem for the operator — it’s dead. If it doesn’t taste great — it’s dead. If it’s not priced competitively — it’s dead. If it doesn’t have mass appeal in a small format — it’s dead. Operators don’t buy hype. They buy margin, simplicity, and velocity. Then come the reps — the ones who actually sell. Then the relationships — built over time, not at one trade show. Then the reorders — the only metric that actually matters. Foodservice is earned. It’s follow-ups. It’s walking accounts. It’s getting ghosted and calling anyway. It’s 6–12 months of consistent pressure before momentum shows up. If someone promises faster than that, they’re selling you something. Product Reps Relationships Reorders Everything else is noise

If your marketing messaging only speaks to the in-home consumer, It’s NOT built for foodservice. I’ve seen this mistake too many times. - A brand launches into foodservice - They bring beautiful packaging - Clean ingredient decks - Lifestyle messaging that works great in retail And then, Nothing moves. It’s because foodservice operators don’t care about shelf appeal. They care about: → Profit margins → Labor savings → Product value → Speed during a lunch rush That’s what helps them run a better kitchen. That’s what gets your product on the menu. If your POS doesn’t speak OPERATOR, Your reps are left doing all the selling + all the explaining. (that’s how good products die in the field) Here’s what I’ve learned from growing Portillo Sales & Marketing: 1. Talk like an operator. NOT a consumer. - Retail is about values, branding, shelf presence, among others - Foodservice is about function 2. Give sales teams the right tools Operators want to know: - “Will this save me time?” - “Is it stocked in distribution?” - “Will this product be of function to me than what I have currently?” Reps need tools that answer those questions. 3. Support foodservice like a core channel If you hand your team retail collateral and expect it to work in foodservice, It won’t. If it’s not built for a foodservice conversation, It’s built to fail. Takeaway: If your team’s struggling to drive foodservice sales, It’s (probably) not the product. It might be the story you’re telling.

Ever feel like you're screaming into the foodservice void? Your brand may need to take a backseat to truly engage the operator community. With more and more B2B buyers skeptical of sales and marketing language, chefs and operators need peers who understand their struggles, not brands talking at them. The next evolution of operator engagement will be community driven. Take steps to shift your role from broadcaster to facilitator. Think: Community listening and participation – like Kraft Heinz and Philadelphia Cream Cheese supporting one Redditor's quest for the perfect chive chop in Reddit’s r/KitchenConfidential community. Community-sourced content – like Krusteaz Professional’s "Stay Kurious" campaign which elevates chefs and gives operators a platform to share real menu solutions using Krusteaz products. Purpose-built industry channels – like the important work being done by the Foodservice Women's Alliance - FWA to create a space for support, mentorship, and shared solutions across the foodservice industry. Be a hub, not a hero. Dive deeper in our latest article.

What lands a pitch in foodservice? Over the next couple of weeks I'm leaning into the 'nurture' pillar of my Bidfood UK work, which is all about improving the interface between the business and the wider supplier community. Primarily, that will revolve around a couple of events: Bread & Jam's foodservice summit, and The Meals Collective's Big Meet Up. At both we've carved out some time for meeting/pitch opportunities. As part of those processes, I tapped out a 'winning criteria' guide. It struck me that it was relevant for any supplier looking at the space in general, so in the spirit of nurture, I thought I'd share a few pointers. If you're a challenger who wants to break into the big distributors and win in foodservice here's my tips: *Know the space* - The #1 mistake I see is claiming a 'great foodservice product'. It can never be that general, given it's a vast, and hugely varied space: public and profit sector, from 5-star hotels and large hospitality, through to hospitals and prisons. Know your sectors and why you're a good fit. *Traction is king* - A good narrative is evidence of major customer demand. A great one is accompanied by the rationale behind why the current range does not meet it. *Be different, better, special* - Linked to the above, understand the current range, and be clear on your 'why'. Me Too is unlikely to win. Bidfood, like most distributors, publish their ranges online so it's an easy research peice. You'd be amazed how many suppliers don't do this. *Solve customer problems or help their aims* - The problems and aims of customers are de facto those of the distributor too. Research the key industry themes for your sectors, as this is often where challengers cut through best. *Nail the commercials* - So often this is where things fall down. A quick Google search will show the pressures foodservice is under, so demonstrating value in all you offer is vital. Value does not always mean 'cheap' but realism is key. If you're early stage and don't have the resources to invest in your commercial strategy pre-economies of scale, then it might not be the right route just now. Reading these back, they're the basics of any startup - customer, problem, value prop, USP - but F&B can lose sight of those, distracted by a passion for a product. When it's done well, it stands out. At last year's Bread and Jam, it was Fliss from Wild Thingz who did that and now they're busy activating their listing with Open Doors support (The pic below is from the flagship A Taste of Bidfood event). If you're not clear on your answers to the above, then I hope this helps. If you need some guidance shaping yours, outside of bidfood I work on a consultancy basis in this space, feel free to drop me a line. And, if you're reading this and think you've got a killer story to tell, then check out the events and I hope to see you over the next few weeks.

The brands losing right now aren’t losing on strategy. They’re losing on the 40 feet between the kitchen and the table. I’ve been watching Q1 earnings across the industry. 💥Taco Bell is putting up 8% comps. 💥Burger King just posted 5.8%. 💥Starbucks had its first transaction growth in three years. And Popeyes is having its worst quarter in 20 years.😯 Same macroeconomic environment. Same labor market. Same food inflation. So what’s actually different? Here’s what I’d do if I were leading a turnaround right now and what the data says separates the brands that are winning from the ones writing 24-month plans nobody in the field believes in. 👉First thing: Stop measuring comps. Start measuring repeat rate. A comp driven by price increases with flat traffic isn’t recovery. It’s a bridge loan on your brand. Taco Bell’s 8% is built on 3% transaction growth meaning more people are choosing them more often. That’s the only number that tells you whether you’re earning trust or just raising prices. 👉Second: Cut before you innovate. Starbucks cut 30% of their menu. Closed 400 locations. Removed complexity so what remained could actually be executed well. The instinct in a struggling brand is to add.. More LTOs. More dayparts. More occasions. The winning brands did the opposite. Complexity is a tax your team pays every single shift. 👉Third: Fix the restaurant before you market the restaurant. Burger King spent four years and $700 million fixing operations before they ran a single national campaign about it. Their CMO said it plainly: “Marketing amplifies the truth.” If the truth in your restaurants isn’t good yet, advertising is just paying to disappoint more people faster. 👉Fourth: Pay your operators like operators, not like liabilities. Starbucks tied quarterly bonuses directly to store-level sales, speed of service, and guest satisfaction scores. Visit frequency from loyalty members jumped 76%. That isn’t coincidence. When the person running your shift has a direct financial stake in what happens that shift, they run it differently. 👉Fifth: Close the corporate-to-field gap fast. This is where most turnarounds quietly die. Corporate celebrates the rollout completion. Money gets spent on remodels, systems, and launch plans. But nobody spent 20 minutes making sure the GM had a real alley rally with the team before the weekend rush. So now the operator is: • Short staffed • Learning three new systems • Trying to coach exhausted managers • And just hoping the shift survives That’s where most strategies quietly fall apart. Because the strategy only works if the field can execute it consistently. The brands winning the next 5 years will not necessarily have the best strategy. They will have the best operational alignment. That’s what creates trust. With operators. With guests. And always eventually with the numbers. #RestaurantLeadership #TurnaroundStrategy #Operations #Hospitality #Leadership

You wrap up a meeting with a chef or operator and walk away feeling great, then.. 🦗🦗 More often than not, it isn't because they weren't interested. It's because they got back to work. A million fires to put out. Curveballs. Meetings. Staffing issues. Vendor calls. Priorities shifted. The way you keep their attention isn't by having a great pitch. It's by solving a problem. That starts long before the meeting with a little research and a lot of thoughtfulness. Don't just run through product attributes. Those are easy to forget. Instead, make it about 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 business. 👉 "Hey, I noticed you run seasonal LTOs. We have an item that would be a great fit for your fall menu. We also have an in house chef who could help present a few fall LTO ideas. Would you have interest in exploring that?" Or... 👉 "I noticed gluten free and seed oil free are themes throughout your menu. I'd love to show you a few products that fit those priorities." Or... 👉 "I know labor continues to be a challenge for many operators. I have a few items that I think could genuinely help simplify back of house execution." When operators feel like you've done your homework and are bringing solutions instead of products, the conversation changes. You're viewed more as a partner and less as a salesperson. And if I'm being honest, that's how sales feels the best anyway.