The Food Group, a full-service food and beverage marketing agency, has identified the latest insights into operator behaviors to help manufacturers expand their reach and increase profitability in the year ahead. 

In the new tfgTouchpoints 2024 Report, operators provide an in-depth look at the many challenges they are facing, including rising labor costs, staffing shortages and rising utility bills. As a result, they are making hard decisions to adjust prices and make menu changes. The report delivers a big-picture view of operator attitudes and behaviors, including how they’re responding to customer demands, what types of information and resources they’re seeking, as well as how they’re navigating the purchase process.

“With all these hurdles, operators have less time to rely on traditional resources. This presents a unique opportunity for manufacturers to understand what operators need and want, and then offer solutions to help them achieve their goals,” says Mark Cotter, CEO of The Food Group.

The report reveals key insights for how manufacturers can reach operators and strengthen their partnerships:

• Feed their need: Serve up information that zeroes in on the top three motivators that prompt both commercial and noncommercial operators to change the brand or product they purchase: improved quality (77%), price consideration (61%), and labor savings (60%). For noncommercial operators (51%) and those in full-service restaurants (55%), menu enhancement is also a must as a motivator.
• Diversify media mix: An omnichannel presence provides optimal reach and the widest range of information sources. Rather than dig into one, operators engage with multiple marketing channels, including trade shows, distributor/broker reps, manufacturer websites, foodservice trade media, and social media (a key source of menu inspiration for commercial operators with a million or more in annual sales).
• Talk culinary trends and menu ideas: Manufacturers should nourish relationships with operators by serving a diversified diet of topics of interest. Foodservice trends top the list as informational tools to help manage business for commercial operators (57%), while menu ideas and recipes rank highest for noncommercial operators (76%). Culinary trends are the content that interests both segments most (46% and 58%, respectively).
• Refresh your event strategy: As a preferred source of information for operators, trade shows are a must for manufacturers, and knowing which to attend is key. While operators find the National Restaurant Association Show the most useful, local market-specific events (New England Foodservice Show) and smaller national market-specific trade shows (Restaurant Leadership Conference, MenuDirections) should not be overlooked.

Customer events are also increasingly important to commercial operators, particularly LTOs (65%) and value promotions (51%), with limited-service restaurants leading the way.

“The more manufacturers can position themselves as informed partners for operators, the stronger the relationship will be,” says Pam Bevilacque, TFG’s senior vice president of client relations. “Knowing what challenges operators face and what issues matter most to them is essential for providing the tools and content to help them succeed.”

To download this free report, click here.

Related: Icon Foods releases market insight report