We know that the number one concern of our clients is the accuracy of the market findings. That is why we continually perfect our methodology based upon today’s research needs. We provide intelligence to assist you to grow your share in a highly competitive market. Although the restaurant industry now accounts for 49% of the U.S. Food Dollar, aggregate future growth is not guaranteed and brand managers need to be positioned to capture market share from competitors.

All of our studies follow the Market Research Association’s best practice guidelines and are designed to exceed the standards for minimum disclosure as designated by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

Needs Assessment – We work closely with you to determine your needs, budget and timeframe. From here we customize one of our syndicated studies or develop a proprietary research solution for you.

Survey Design – Surveys are designed, tested, rotated and improved as necessary throughout the study. The survey will be designed by our research team and presented to you for approval.

Sample – In a perfect world, we would be able to survey the entire universe and we would get perfectly accurate data from every respondent. The constraints of budget, time and reality mean we use a stratified random sample that is representative of the applicable food and beverage universe. Stratification increases precision without increasing sample size. A stratified sample does not imply any departure from the principles of randomness it merely denotes that before any selection takes place, the population is divided into a number of strata, then random samples are taken within each stratum. Random stratified sampling is more precise and more convenient than simple random sampling. It also provides necessary data for target segments and regions.

Interviewing – Phone-based research is the best option for the types of brand and volume market research studies that we conduct. We can better capture unaided awareness, probe to get more accurate data and have a two-way conversation with the survey respondent to capture information on market size.

• All phone interviews are conducted in our spacious facility in Casper, Wyoming.
• We do not outsource our studies or use a phone bank.
• We employ professional telephone interviewers who have experience in restaurants, food manufacturing or food and beverage distribution.
• All interviewers are specially trained to get the most accurate data possible.

Benefits of Conducting Surveys In-house – Our phone room is our greatest strength. The wealth of knowledge and expertise ensures that your market research data is the most accurate in the business. Our phone interviewers:

• Specialize in Food Service – Our interviewers only study food, beverages, disposables and cleaning products in the food service industry. By talking to restaurant operators, managers and purchasers our interviewing team knows when an answer sounds incorrect and can probe for greater accuracy. They understand which forms and flavors belong with which product category. Due to extensive training in product research, our interviewers know which brands are associated with all forms and types of each product. Furthermore, they know what volume figures are consistent with each restaurant type and size.
• Are Committed to Accuracy
• Are Fluent in English and/or Spanish

Respondents – Ensuring the right respondent completes the survey is critical to accurate market research. Each survey is conducted with the individual most familiar with the food service establishment’s product use and purchasing information. Typically this is the food service director or manager, although this can vary for custom studies.

Monitoring – Interviewers are monitored both on-screen and by listening in to an interview. It is important that interviewers do not know when they are being monitored so it is done by managers from a remote station. Careful and constant monitoring allows for quality control and process improvement. It also increases survey completion rate and accuracy. Monitoring ensures that the interviewer is not inadvertently introducing bias into the survey by tone of voice, not reading the question as written, or not completing a question.

Outlier Detection and Removal – Despite our best efforts to pull a representative sample, sometimes we end up with an outlier. Outliers are data points far outside the norm for a variable or population. Removing outliers makes the data more accurate and representative of normal population behavior.

Deliverables – Clients receive a full set of tables and tabulations. Fields are clickable to drill down in the data to the user profile level. Deliverables also include a custom executive summary with SWOT Analysis, category market drivers, geographic area projections, measurements for all brands and brand/net volume concentrations within type and form.