The First Bite Operator Panel: foodservice operators you can verify.

Who’s in it

Operators from wing joints to hospitals.

The panel covers commercial and non-commercial foodservice. Members include restaurant owners and operators, chefs and culinary leaders, food and beverage directors, purchasing and procurement teams, and multiunit and chain decision-makers.

Manufacturers reach members through audience groups matched to what each business serves, such as:

• Wing specialists
• Restaurants serving pizza
• Salad & bowl concepts
• Restaurants serving Mexican dishes
• BBQ & smokehouses
• Bakeries & donut shops
• Bars & pubs
• Hotels with food service
• K–12 districts serving 500+ meals
• Colleges & universities
• Hospitals
• Senior living & nursing homes

Verification

How members are verified.

Every member’s business is matched to First Bite’s database of about 870,000 foodservice operators, and their role in purchasing is confirmed before a response counts.

Members tell us their name, work email, title, purchasing role, business website and phone number. Each business can complete a survey once, so no single operation can fill a manufacturer’s results.

For manufacturers

How manufacturers survey the panel.

Each campaign recruits from the audience groups that fit the product, so the operators who answer are the ones who buy that category.

• Start with your website: we find your foodservice products and draft a sell sheet for each one.
• Choose your audience: we recommend the groups that fit your product’s category.
• Set a daily budget: pause or restart anytime, with no contract and no minimum term.
• See the business behind every answer: with its type, size and purchasing role, plus leads when operators ask for a sample, a rep or more information.

Start with your website

For operators

Join the panel.

If you shape what your operation evaluates, buys or serves, you can apply to join. Joining is free, and finishing a survey you’re invited to also makes you a member.

• Invitations matched to your work: every invitation shows the topic, time, reward and any samples upfront, before you decide.
• Say what you really think: participation never requires a purchase or a positive response.
• Choose your brands: request a sample or hear from a brand only when a product interests you.
• Rewards for your time: you’re rewarded for your time and candid feedback.

Join the panel

Keep reading

• Foodservice operator research for manufacturers
• How the First Bite Operator Panel compares with anonymous survey panels

Frequently asked questions

What is a foodservice operator panel?

A group of people who run or buy for foodservice operations, such as restaurants, schools, hospitals and hotels, who take part in research about products and practices. On the First Bite Operator Panel, every member’s business is known and verified.

Who is on the First Bite Operator Panel?

Owners, chefs, food and beverage directors, purchasing teams and multiunit decision-makers at commercial and non-commercial foodservice operations, from restaurants and bars to schools, hospitals, hotels and senior living.

How are members verified?

Every member’s business is matched to First Bite’s list of foodservice operators, and their purchasing role is confirmed before a response counts. Each business can complete a survey once.

Can manufacturers see who I am?

Manufacturers see which business answered, with its type and size and your role in purchasing. Your name and contact details are shared only when you opt in, for example by asking for a sample, a rep or more information.

How do manufacturers survey the panel?

Start with your website. We find your products, recommend the audience groups that fit them, and invite operators from those groups once your campaign is running.

How do I join?

Apply on the panel sign-up page. Joining is free. You tell us about your role and your operation, and we invite you to surveys that match your work.