On-premise brand tracking: your brand against rivals, outlet by outlet
On-premise brand tracking shows, outlet by outlet, which bars, restaurants and cafes list your brand and which list a competitor; DashLeads reads 5M+ menus in 60+ countries. Filter for venues that list a competitor and not you: that is where you can win, and your next visit list. AI reads the brands on menus, menus in photos, websites and delivery menus, and every sighting carries its source and date.
The trusted intelligence layer for teams selling to Hospitality & Retail
Which bars and restaurants sell my brand, and which pour a competitor?
A rep's sales report says which accounts ordered from you. It says nothing about the venue across the road that lists your closest competitor, or the restaurant your distributor supplies without telling you. Brand presence on the menu is the closest public signal of who sells what in the on-trade.
Brand tracking turns menus into a brand map. For each outlet you see your brand, your competitors' brands, or neither, with the evidence and the date. Where menu data is about the content of the menu, brand tracking is about one question asked of every menu we read: whose brand is on it?
Where a brand is seen
A brand counts as seen when it is named or shown on a public source tied to that outlet:
- Menus and drinks lists published by the venue.
- Menus in photos. Menus in photos are read, so what they list becomes searchable, including a chalkboard or a printed card a guest photographed.
- Outlet websites, where the drinks list or the menu card is posted.
- Delivery menus, where the venue sells drinks and snacks on delivery apps.
Per outlet you get:
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Brands seen | Your brand, a rival brand |
| Your brand seen | Yes |
| Competitor brands seen | The rival brand |
| Category seen with no visible brand | Gin, house wine |
| Source per brand | Menu photo, delivery menu |
| Date last seen | Month and year |
Brands are tracked at the brand level and, where the menu says so, the product: a brand and its zero-sugar version are different sightings.
Your brand versus competitors, outlet by outlet
Brand presence becomes useful as a filter. Three lists most teams build first:
- Competitor only. Venues that list a competitor and none of yours. A displacement pitch, with the menu to show for it.
- Category, no brand. Venues that list "house gin" or "lager" without a brand. A pitch for a named listing.
- Yours, but old evidence. Accounts where your brand was last seen on a menu more than a year ago. Worth a check before a competitor's menu takes its place.
Run the same filters at territory level and you have menu penetration for your brand and each competitor: the share of outlets with a menu read that list each one. Sort any list by lead score, a score from 0 to 100 against the account you describe, and the first doors are the ones that fit best.
Worked example: five venues in one city district
Take a rep for a premium tonic brand who opens her list for one district of her city.
| Venue | Your tonic | Rival tonic | Third tonic | Source and date | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocktail bar | Seen | Not seen | Not seen | Menu photo, last month | Current account, check range |
| Gastropub | Not seen | Seen | Not seen | Website menu, 2 months ago | Displacement pitch |
| Italian restaurant | Not seen | Not seen | Not seen | Menu: "tonic" with no brand | Named-listing pitch |
| Hotel bar | Seen | Seen | Not seen | Delivery menu, this month | Defend, pitch a signature serve |
| Wine bar | Not seen | Not seen | Seen | Menu photo, last spring | Displacement pitch, confirm at door |
Two of the five are fresh pitches, one is a shared account to defend, and the rep has the menu line ready for each conversation.
Not seen is not the same as not sold
Brand tracking reports what is visible to the guest. A venue can pour a brand that is not on any menu, and an outlet with no menu online shows nothing, not a zero. Shares of outlets listing a brand therefore cover public menus only. Use the date on each sighting: a menu from this year counts for more than one from three years ago.
Frequently asked questions
What is on-premise brand tracking?
On-premise brand tracking is recording which brands each bar, restaurant and cafe lists on its menus, so you see per outlet whether your brand, a competitor's brand or neither is present.
Which sources are used to see a brand?
Brands are seen on public menus, menus in photos, outlet websites and delivery menus. Each sighting keeps its source and the date it was seen.
Can I see which venues list a competitor but not my brand?
Yes, filter on a competitor brand seen and your brand not seen, and you get the displacement list for a territory, sortable by lead score.
How is this different from menu data?
Menu data is the content of each menu, item by item. Brand tracking asks one question of those menus: which brands are present, yours and your competitors', per outlet. See restaurant menu data.
Does a brand not seen mean the venue does not sell it?
No, not seen means it is not on the public menus we read. A venue may pour a brand without listing it, so shares of outlets listing a brand cover public menus only and a visit confirms the rest.
Can I track sub-brands and products?
Yes, where the menu names the product, such as a zero-sugar variant or a specific gin, it is tracked separately from the parent brand.
Related reading
For sales leaders: the business case
A brand map of the on-trade shows where your brand stands against competitors before the sales data does.
- Displacement lists, ready to work. Competitor-only venues become a named target list per territory, each with the evidence a rep can show the owner.
- Share of menu you can track. Your brand's menu presence against each competitor, per territory and channel, gives the team a market measure next to its own sales.
- Risk on current accounts. Accounts where a competitor appears or your brand has not been seen recently surface before the order book shows it.