Foodservice operators, dealers and consultants cast their votes for the best of the best among foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturers.

While every foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturer contributes to the industry’s success in their own way, the fact remains that only a few have earned the right to claim that they are truly Best in Class in the eyes of their customers. That’s because the only way to achieve this elite status is to provide value in multiple ways as defined by the customer. With that in mind, Foodservice Equipment and Supplies presents the data from our 2011 Best in Class Study.

During the past few months FE&S partnered with an international research firm to ask its subscribing foodservice operators, dealers and consultants to evaluate equipment and supplies manufacturers on seven critical characteristics that impact their purchasing decisions. These seven performance factors are:

• Product quality
• Product value
• Product design and aesthetics
• Service and support
• Sales representation
• Product inventory and availability
• Product information availability

Those participating in the survey prioritized these factors in order of importance and then rated the individual factories they work with in a given product category on these attributes. The individual results were then combined with those from other participants from the category to create a composite score and identify those manufacturers that the readers of FE&S feel are the Best in Class for each of 48 product categories. These comprehensive results highlight those factories that establish the benchmark for understanding and meeting the needs of the entire distribution channel.

• Best in Class Overall (below)
• Dealers
• Operators
• Consultants

Best in Class: Overall