Technomic Inc., Chicago, published a cutting-edge report designed to aid international companies with an interest in the U.S. foodservice industry.
The essentials of understanding the U.S. market include:
- Foodservice landscape review
- Manufacturer environment
- Distribution dynamics
- The operator environment
- Non-restaurant foodservice
- The U.S. consumer
- Menu category incidence
“Understanding the market at the most fundamental level is the first step to a successful market entry strategy,” says Joe Pawlak, managing principal. “While custom market assessments have long been in our wheelhouse, we recognize that there is an opportunity to provide an initial syndicated solution to foodservice suppliers looking to do their due diligence before investing in custom research.”
Key report insights include:
- Industry projections, with total U.S. foodservice expected to account for 64% of the projected industry growth over the next five years.
- Operators use an average of 4.5 different distributors, from broadline to specialty to systems.
- The U.S. restaurant landscape is 51% limited service and 49% full service.
- Across the United States, the ability to customize orders is the most important factor for consumers when choosing a restaurant. The Atlanta and Houston DMAs over-index for this attribute.
The report also provides a proprietary framework to guide suppliers from initial review of brand fit to go-to-market strategy development.
“We look forward to providing international suppliers with foundational information on the foodservice industry in the U.S. to support their business decisions to enter the U.S. marketplace.” says Patrick Noone, executive vice president. “This along with our custom advisory services will allow companies to understand their opportunity and challenges as they embark on international growth initiatives.”
