First Bite Operator Panel: foodservice operator research for manufacturers, and a panel for foodservice operators
For manufacturers
Put your product in front of the operators who buy.
The First Bite Operator Panel finds the foodservice audiences that fit your product, shows them your sell sheets, and tells you who’s interested and why.
Start with your website. No commitment. We match your first $500.
- Sell sheets drafted from your website
- Verified owners, chefs and buyers
- See which businesses answered, and why
How it works for manufacturers
From the right operators to real buying signals.
Four steps from your website to a list of interested foodservice buyers, with the reasons behind every answer.
Start from the operators who fit.
We start from our database of about 870,000 foodservice operators and narrow it to the three audiences that fit your product best, matched on what they actually serve.
Sell sheets drafted from your website.
Start with your website. We find your foodservice products and draft a sell sheet for each one, ready for you to edit. When you’re ready, group your sheets into a line guide for the whole range.
In front of the people who decide.
Owners, executive chefs and purchasing managers in those audiences get a survey invitation built around your materials. Every respondent is checked: we match their business to our operator list and confirm their buying role before a response counts.
See who answered, and who wants more.
Results show which businesses answered, what they think of your product, and why they would or wouldn’t buy it.
About 60% of respondents opt in to become a qualified lead, request a sample or ask for more information. A buyer’s contact details are shared only when they opt in.
What you get
More than a survey result.
- Buyers who know your product
- Operators spend more time evaluating your product here than anywhere else, so they come away knowing it better than after any other touch point.
- Why they buy, and why they don’t
- Hear the reasons behind every yes and every no: menu fit, prep and labor, price per serving and distribution.
- A direct relationship
- Buyers who opt in ask for a sample, a rep or more information, and you follow up with them directly.
- Research your whole team can use
- Use what operators say to sharpen your sales team’s pitch and the claims you make about your product.
Pricing terms
- Set a budget: Choose a daily budget that fits your plans.
- Pause anytime: Stop or restart your campaign whenever you like.
- No commitment: No contract and no minimum term.
- We match your first $500: You’ll receive $500 in credit when you spend $500.
We use First Bite panels to test our sales messaging for new products while generating excitement and leads.
See who would buy your product.
Enter your website to see the audiences and products we find for you. No account needed to look.
Learn more: Foodservice operator research for manufacturers · How the First Bite Operator Panel compares with anonymous survey panels
For foodservice operators
Discover and shape what’s next in foodservice.
Join the First Bite Operator Panel to explore new products and ideas, share what works for your operation, and choose which brands you’d like to hear from.
Apply to join the panel. Free to join. Every invitation shows the time and reward upfront.
- Invitations matched to your role
- Samples from the brands you choose
- Rewards for your time and candid feedback
How the panel works
From your operation to the people building what’s next.
Explore new ideas, share what works for your operation, and choose which brands you’d like to hear from.
Apply to join.
Tell us about your role, your operation, and the decisions you help shape. Joining is free.
Get invitations matched to your work.
We’ll invite you to share feedback on topics that match your role and operation, from products and services to practices and industry questions. Every invitation shows the topic, time commitment, reward, and any samples or offers upfront, before you decide.
Explore new products and say what you really think.
Weigh in on menu fit, preparation and labor, case pricing, cost per serving and distributor availability. Participation never requires a purchase or a positive response.
Request samples, choose your brands, earn rewards.
When an idea interests you, request a sample or choose to hear from the brand. You decide which brands you’d like to hear from, and you’re rewarded for your time and candid feedback.
Who the panel is for
Experienced foodservice professionals.
The First Bite Operator Panel is for people who influence what their operation evaluates, adopts, purchases or serves.
Learn more: The First Bite Operator Panel: who’s in it and how members are verified
- Restaurant owners and operators
- Chefs and culinary leaders
- Food and beverage directors
- Purchasing and procurement teams
- Multiunit and chain decision-makers
- Education, healthcare, hospitality and other foodservice operators
Asked whether he’d take paid product surveys, and whether learning about a product that way could change what he buys:
Yes and yes. If I get paid for it and it’s an opportunity to potentially have a new product that could work for us, well yeah… now I have a chance to try that product out firsthand.
Your perspective belongs in the room.
Help brands shape ideas that work for the people actually buying, preparing and serving food.
Apply to join. Free to join. Every invitation shows the time and reward upfront.