Key takeaways
- Call between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, between lunch and dinner service.
- Multi-unit operators are the highest-value segment for most vendors.
- Restaurants open and close constantly. Expect more stale records than in other industries.
Step by step
- Describe the people in one sentence. On Starter and above, search "owners of independent restaurants in Chicago with a mobile number" and BuzzAI reads real titles and company names instead of relying on industry codes. On Free, build the same list with the filters in the table below.
- Use the right titles. Owner, operator, proprietor, managing partner, general manager, director of operations and franchisee.
- Set the company size. Single locations are 1 to 49 employees. Groups and franchise operators run 50 and up across locations.
- Choose the channel. Phone during the afternoon lull, or walk in. Email is a weak channel for independents. Scrub numbers against the National Do-Not-Call Registry and your own do-not-call list before calling or texting.
- Save, reveal and reach out. Save the list, reveal only the people you will contact, and export to a spreadsheet or your CRM. You are not charged when no email or phone exists.
| Filter | What to use |
|---|---|
| Titles | Owner, Operator, Director of Operations, Franchisee |
| Company words | restaurant, grill, cafe, bistro, catering, hospitality group |
| Location | City or ZIP radius |
| Must have | Mobile number |
What to know
Hospitality groups hide behind holding-company names that do not mention food at all. If you sell to groups, search director of operations and culinary director titles as well as company words.
Franchisees are their own segment. They own several units of one brand, buy within the brand's rules and are reachable through the operating company, not the franchisor.
