Foodservice data provider RFP template and checklist
A foodservice data RFP is the list of questions you send to providers of restaurant, bar and cafe data before you buy, and below are 37 of them in ten groups, written in October 2026 by a provider that answers the same questions for 20M+ venues in 60+ countries. Send them to your shortlist, score the answers side by side, and see which provider shows you where you can win.
The trusted intelligence layer for teams selling to Hospitality & Retail
How to use this template
Send the same questions to every provider on your shortlist, with the same deadline. Ask for answers in writing, and ask for a test file on outlets you choose in your own territory alongside the answers. Then score each answer with the sheet described below. If you are still deciding what kind of provider you need, start with our buyer's guide.
The questions, part 1: scope to delivery apps
Copy the questions below into your RFP. Ask for answers in writing, with a number and a date wherever one exists.
Scope
- Which countries, regions and channels (restaurants, bars and pubs, cafes, hotels, quick service) does your offer include for us?
- Which of our teams can use it (field sales, key accounts, eCommerce, trade marketing), and is there a seat limit?
- What do we receive: a platform, files, an API, or a mix?
Coverage
- How many open outlets do you hold per country and per channel, and as of which date?
- What share of those outlets are independents, and how do you define a chain?
- How do you define an open outlet, and which venues do you leave out of the count?
- Which countries or channels are you thin in, and what can your data not see?
- Can you give outlet counts for our own territory before we sign?
Record content
- Which fields are on each outlet record? Please send the field list.
- Do records show the menu, and which brands are listed on it?
- Do records include venue photos, reviews and social profiles, each with a date?
- Can you show which outlets list a competitor's brand and not ours?
- Do you show the operator or group behind an outlet?
Freshness
- How often are outlet records updated, and how many new openings were added in the last 90 days?
- How quickly does a new opening appear on the list?
- Does each field show when it was last seen?
- How often are delivery app listings refreshed?
Delivery apps
- Which delivery apps do you cover, and in which countries?
- Is each delivery storefront joined to the physical outlet record?
- Can you show availability, price, images and combos for our products per storefront?
The questions, part 2: AI to trial
AI and scoring
- Can we describe our ideal account in plain words and get outlets ranked against it?
- Is the reason behind each ranking shown to the rep?
- Can our team ask questions of the data in plain words?
Delivery into our CRM
- Do you deliver by file, API or both, and in which formats?
- Can you mark which outlets are already accounts in our CRM?
- How does your data sit next to our field-sales app or CRM, for example Salesforce Consumer Goods Cloud, Repsly or Pepperi?
- Do outlet IDs stay stable from one delivery to the next?
Security and GDPR
- Is your data about venues, about people, or both? Which personal data fields, if any, do you deliver?
- For any personal data you deliver, what is your lawful basis?
- Where is the data hosted, and who can access our account?
- Will you sign a data processing agreement where one is needed?
Commercial model
- What drives your price: countries, territories, channels, data layers, seats, refresh or delivery method?
- Is there a minimum term or a monthly commitment?
- What may we keep using after the contract ends?
Trial
- Can we test on our own territory before we sign?
- Will you run a 50-outlet check with us on outlets we choose?
- Who supports us during onboarding, and how soon can our reps start?
The scoring sheet
Keep scoring simple enough that two people on your team give the same answer the same score.
- Importance, 1 to 3: set before you send the RFP. Coverage of your countries and the trial usually rate 3; a nice-to-have rates 1.
- Answer score, 0 to 2: 0 for no answer or a vague claim, 1 for an answer without a number or date, 2 for an answer with a number and a date, or one you confirmed in the test file.
- Total per provider: multiply importance by answer score for each question and add up.
- Test result next to the total: outlets found, records correct and outlets your team did not know about, from the 50-outlet check.
A provider that scores well on paper but finds few new doors in your territory is a weaker fit than the total suggests.
How Dashmote answers the core questions
Definitions behind these numbers are on our data quality page; the commercial model is on how pricing works.
Frequently asked questions
What should an RFP for a foodservice data provider include?
It should cover ten areas: scope, coverage, record content, freshness, delivery apps, AI and scoring, delivery into your CRM, security and GDPR, the commercial model, and a trial on your own territory. Ask for numbers with dates, and a test file on outlets you choose.
Which questions should I ask a foodservice data vendor before buying?
Ask how many open outlets it holds per country and channel, how often records are updated, what is on each record, which delivery apps it covers, how data reaches your CRM, whether it holds personal data, and what drives the price. The 37 questions on this page cover all of these.
How many providers should I send the RFP to?
Send it to a short list you can test properly, usually three or four. Each one needs a test on the same 50 outlets, so a longer list costs your team more time than it saves.
How do I score the answers?
Give each question an importance from 1 to 3 before you send the RFP, score each answer 0 to 2, multiply and add up per provider. Put the result of the 50-outlet check next to the total, since outlets found in your own territory matter more than claims.
Should the RFP include a test on our own outlets?
Yes. Ask each provider for its records on outlets you choose in one territory, including current accounts and recent openings, and check them with the rep who knows that territory.
Does the template work for delivery app data too?
Yes. The delivery apps group covers which apps and countries a provider tracks, whether storefronts are joined to the physical outlet, and whether it shows availability, price, images and combos for your products per storefront.
Related reading
For the person signing off
A written RFP turns a sales pitch into answers you can hold a provider to:
- Comparable answers: the same 37 questions and one scoring sheet across the shortlist.
- Proof on your territory: the 50-outlet check shows new doors, not a sample the provider picked.
- No surprises later: GDPR, data ownership and commitment terms settled before you sign.