In the face of smaller staffs due to the increase in minimum wage, restaurants and food service operators must find a delicate balance between utilizing technology and maintaining hands-on customer service to maximize efficiency and continually develop creative new menus.
At the same time, the vendor community led by nation’s food distributors need to find that same blend of high touch and high tech to adapt to the changing needs of their customer base.
Visionary food distributors in 2024 understand that their customers are seeking new ways to reduce labor costs and increase productivity, allowing staff to focus on delivering exceptional customer service.
Those distributors also understand that a blend of personal touch to maximize the value of on-site visits with customers and technology are the key to a successful relationship.
One in which distributors can offer valuable insights and culinary knowledge, helping establishments stay ahead of trends and continuously innovate their offerings.
The Chefs’ Warehouse has found that niche by blending both touch and tech to provide greater attention to detail and to customers’ needs.
From specialty items to education for food service professionals, Chefs’ Warehouse has managed to expand nationally while still remaining customer centered.
“At the end of the day, the needs of today’s chef are very different than they were before the pandemic,” said Ari Pappas, Head of Product at Chef’s Warehouse.
“The touch and feel and personality of our products is very important. We aren’t a one-size-fits-all company.” Rather than just building a product catalog, he said, they want to resonate with customers.
To do this, Pappas has lead Chefs’ Warehouse tech initiative to create an ecommerce platform that merges local influence with the regions they serve and the work of their field sales force.
Chefs’ Warehouse’s primary focus has always been on serving its customers. “We have created an on-line platform that beautifully supplements the different ways that our customers like to shop,” Pappas added.
“We understand that there are certain products that customers prefer to see and touch in person before purchasing, and we provide that for them. Our online component then enables that chef to self-serve. In many cases customers love simple access to products; they know what they want.”
Becoming close with the customer and understanding their needs remains the focus of the Chefs’ Warehouse sales team. “So much of a restaurant’s inefficiency is missing things that you need,” Pappas said.
“We have to know the customer better than they know themselves. We should be able to tell them, ‘Hey, it’s time to order mozzarella because you’re going to be out soon.’”
This focus on providing an experience to the customer, rather than just a product, is what has allowed Chefs’ Warehouse to expand as well as it has.
Pappas and his e-comm team understand that their goal is to create a shopping experience that facilitates a chef to willingly adapt to changing technology.
Providing a positive experience for the customer means offering them personalized recommendations and content, and making sure that what they see is relevant to them. This means maximizing their attention.
“Chefs don’t have time. If they’re giving us that time by getting on our website, we want to make sure that what they’re seeing is relevant to them.”
A huge part of this is making sure that information is accessible, as well as being transparent and actively sharing information. They aren’t shying away from evolving their technology, either.
Pappas admitted that using AI will be a huge help in getting rid of menial tasks that slow down service, but it’s still necessary to keep the personal aspect to the business.
This means salespeople who continue to visit in person and get to know a customer’s team, to build long-lasting relationships with customers, and providing product education.
Looking to the future, Chefs’ Warehouse is continuing to innovate, providing better exposure to products, offering more product education, and providing inspiration along with the products that people are explicitly looking for.
Pappas notes that they want to make sure customers are using their technology to make their own businesses better.
“I hope to get to a point where we’re not only able to be an ordering or distributing platform for them, but we’re also able to use this platform as a community, to leverage that network of great chefs to bring them together and provide them with information. We’re investing in technology that they may not have access to. It’s about being a successful partner and being aware of their pain points.”
To learn more and get in contact with Chefs’ Warehouse, visit Chefs Warehouse website.
