Successful food service distributors are constantly evolving to meet the needs of their restaurant owners and enhance the customer experience.
They understand that customer service is key in the competitive food industry and are always looking for ways to improve and maximize their offerings.
For decades the key to success has been a recipe of face-to-face kitchen visits. Many of those same distributors also supplemented the relationships with trade shows. Most recently, the focus has been on the implementation of the latest technology.
By utilizing cutting-edge software and systems, they are able to streamline their operations, reduce errors, and provide faster service to their customers. This not only saves time and money, but also enhances the overall customer experience.
Whether it’s sourcing unique ingredients, providing on-time deliveries, or offering expert advice, these distributors go above and beyond to ensure their customers are satisfied.
Nobody understands the foundation of that end-user/distributor relationship better than Dot Foods. The Chicago, IL based company looks at the company from a truly unique perch.
Dot Foods in fact supports the nation’s distributors who ultimately provide the nation’s restaurants and foodservice operators with the food they serve dining patrons.
The 64-year-old family-owned company – recently welcomed the newest solution to its portfolio: Choco, the leading global digital ordering platform for the food industry.
In April, Dot Foods officially announced its strategic partnership with Choco, building on its legacy of innovative, distributor-first service in the food industry.
Cullen Andrews, Executive Vice President of Dot Foods, broadly described Dot as a “supply chain company in all channels – food service, retail, and industrial – that offers supply chain consolidation solutions.”
Andrews and his team anticipated an opportunity to integrate these solutions with two primary products offered by Choco: first, a digital storefront that a distributor can brand as its own website.
Presented as a phone application, the Choco-powered storefront “allows operators to easily see the products that a distributor carries, discover new ones, and order more efficiently,” Andrews explained.
The second Choco offering, Choco AI, claims to turn a “warehouse into a powerhouse” – and lives up to its marketed potential.
The e-commerce and order management platform readily integrates into a distributor’s existing ERP system and interprets different ordering methods, whether orders are made via email, text, or voicemail.
The AI-powered technology finally “converts and standardizes orders automatically into distributors’ systems,” Andrews summarized, “so distributors can achieve the same efficiency of digital ordering without having to change their customers’ ordering behaviors.”
Choco AI includes 24/7 live order processing and rapid order processing, allowing Distributor Sales Representatives (DSRs) to focus entirely on customers.
By eliminating the logistics of inefficient ordering systems, Choco AI “frees up time for the DSR to not just take orders but become more of a consultant, helping customers explore different products and ideas,” Andrews envisioned.
Choco’s technologies support Dot’s overarching goal to simplify the food supply chain by focusing on excellent digital experiences, reflected by the company’s increased investment in e-commerce over the years, and complemented by its use of the redistribution model.
Redistribution expands the traditional supply chain to include manufacturers, distributors, and redistributors.
By positioning itself as a redistribution company – now outfitted with the benefits of Choco technology – Dot functions “one step up in the supply chain, so we sell transactionally to the distributors who later serve operators,” Andrews explained.
By purchasing large quantities of product from suppliers and storing them in distribution centers, Dot enables distributors to order and receive products in “less-than-truckload quantities” in as little as two to four days, per their website.
This relationship streamlines the food supply chain, ideally “allowing manufacturers to get their products to market faster,” Andrews summarized.
“Overall, we give distributors a chance to try new products and simplify the digital ordering process with tools like Choco, which ultimately brings value to operators and other entities downstream,” he outlined.
Dot provides its supply chain services globally via distribution centers across the U.S. and a handful of centers in Canada, although their assets are primarily in North America.
The company carries over 1,500 manufacturers featuring 150,000 items and owns and operates its equipment, “which is pretty unique in terms of logistics companies,” Andrews said.
What is the primary result of Dot’s innovative spirit and streamlined, on-demand business model – paired with a digital ordering solution like Choco?
“Our distributor customers are able to focus on their core product lines and increase efficiency, but they still get to choose their operators and explore new products without overstocking,” Andrews said.
“And now, they can take advantage of Choco-powered technologies while maintaining their brands and personal relationships with operators.”
Distributor-centered decisions like these help Dot maintain its unique position between distributors – its primary customers – and suppliers in the food service industry.
The company’s partnership with Choco will make AI-driven e-commerce and order management available to more than 4,000 of its existing customers, leveraging both Choco’s cutting-edge digital tools and Dot’s preeminence as the largest food industry redistributor in North America.
When asked about the behind-the-scenes of Dot’s collaboration with Choco, Andrews answered honestly: “We almost never enter into these types of partnerships, so we’ve done our due diligence to ensure we picked a partner like Choco who’s just as distributor-centered, and who’s equally committed to strengthening the relationships between distributors and operators, never disrupting them.”
For more information about Choco technologies, existing Dot customers can contact their Dot sales representative and/or Georgie Thomas, Head of the U.S. at Choco, at georgie.thomas@choco.com.
