Checkoff Participation At MUFSO Helps Keep Beef On The Menu
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For 50 years, the Nation's Restaurant News Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference (MUFSO) has fueled the foodservice industry with the education and peer-to-peer connections that have contributed to the long-term success of countless chain restaurant companies. Once again this year, the beef checkoff was one of several dinner sponsors, enabling beef representatives to network with top foodservice CEOs, listen to information from industry experts, and gather data and ideas in order to maximize beef’s presence in the foodservice marketplace.
Taking part in the conference were checkoff representatives Scott McGregor, cow/calf producer and feedlot owner from Nashua, Iowa and vice chairman of the industry’s Joint Foodservice Committee; and, Al Pedigo, cow/calf producer from Scottsville, Ky., and member of the Beef Promotion Operating Committee member and the Joint Foodservice Committee.
“Restaurants are putting an emphasis on premium ground beef on their menus – it’s a moderate price point that they think consumers are demanding –ground beef meals between $5 and $10,” says McGregor. “Beef is still the reason people go to a restaurant. That said, we have to keep volume moving through the chain and keep beef at the forefront. The economy will turn around and when it does, we have to be a player. The flat iron and boneless country-style ribs have already found their niche through checkoff-funded promotions and restaurants are now turning to ground beef to grow market share.
“It’s important for the checkoff to have a presence at these meetings to keep beef top of mind with CEOs and owners of major industry foodservice chains,” continues McGregor. “This conference provided this opportunity for the checkoff to maintain and foster these foodservice relationships in hopes of finding avenues to leverage our checkoff dollars and ensure a market for our product.”
One thing both checkoff participants noted was the increased emphasis foodservice outlets are placing on service and repeat customers -- as well as a knowledgeable wait staff.
“When customers’ expectations are at an all-time high, employees are the single most important point of difference between one restaurant and the competition,” says Pedigo. “If a consumer goes into a restaurant and the wait staff doesn’t know the difference between a sirloin and a flat iron, that might detract from the eating experience, causing them to be less likely to pass along the ‘good word’ to a neighbor. Producers take pride in knowing they help supply consumers with good tasting, juicy, tender cuts of beef like the ribeye and prime rib; we pride ourselves in beef safety and nutrition messages, and we hope restaurant employees are able to share those same messages with their customers.”
Even in a tough economy, consumers are expected to spend more than $500 billion this year on food prepared away from home. And the more than 900,000 foodservice locations sell more than 8 billion pounds of beef annually. That’s roughly half of the total beef volume in the United States. That’s why your beef checkoff is committed to helping restaurants deliver exceptional dining experiences, each and every 500 billion times.
For more about checkoff-funded foodservice promotions, visit www.beeffoodservice.com. For more information about the beef checkoff, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff.
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