Daniel Cavallo, B&G Restaurant Supply
The majority of Daniel Cavallo’s business comes from school districts spanning New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. He has been working in a sales role for Pittsfield, Mass.-based B&G Restaurant Supply for the last five years; he was with a Virginia-based equipment dealer prior to that. Cavallo has earned a stellar reputation for providing excellent responsiveness to his customers and members of the supply chain with whom he works.
Q: What equipment attributes does a school foodservice operator seek when replacing a piece of equipment?
A: The customers want durability and good equipment. I work remotely and I’m available 24/7. I answer my emails 24/7 no matter what it is. That’s how I’ve built what I’ve done.
Q: How do you make sure you are providing the right piece of equipment to meet the school district’s need?
A: For the past six years I’ve been selling strictly to K-12 operators. I know what they use, what’s good equipment and what’s garbage, and what they need. We stock a lot and there’s no way I won’t go with the trusted brands. I work smarter and not harder. I work with trusted brands that I have direct contact with in case there is an issue.
Q: Many school districts must adhere to state and municipal contracts. What advice would you give someone in navigating municipal contracts?
A: The advice I would give is to be patient and ask me for help. We have New York state contracts, Massachusetts state contracts and Connecticut state contracts. They are complex, but I know them very well.
Q: You’re known for being very responsive to your customers’ requests for quotes and other information. Why is that important?
A: There are a lot of reasons why that’s important. It shows that I care. Even if I get three quotes, I’ll be the first one back to them. The way I like to buy stuff is from people who are responsive. That’s always worked for me, so that’s how I’ll do it. When I buy stuff, whoever comes back to me first has the best shot [for the sale]. I’ll send two or three emails or texts and if they tell me what I want to hear, the price doesn’t matter. I’m going to buy it. The easiest way to keep a customer is to be responsive.
Q: What excites you most about the future of the foodservice industry?
A: What excites me the most is the new equipment and the technology and the growth. A hot table used to be just a hot table and a cold table used to be just a cold table. Now you flip a switch and that table can run as a cold table one day and a hot table the next day. Technology is ridiculous now.
Q: What do you like best about your job?
A: The thing I like best is just selling. I love to sell and help people and prospect and set up new accounts and share the knowledge I’ve developed and to answer the questions I know. I love my job. Our company has been a perfect fit for me. I’m not going anywhere. We sling a lot of equipment, ovens, combi ovens, milk coolers. This is the stuff I know very well.
DSR of the Month
Daniel Cavallo, B&G Restaurant Supply, sits down with Jason Wange, Foodservice Powerplant Network, to talk about being named an FE&S DSR of the Month.
Find more episodes of DSR 3-2-1 here.
Foodservice Equipment & Supplies Presents DSR 3-2-1 is sponsored by Salvajor.