On-premise prospecting: the bars and restaurants you are not visiting yet
On-premise prospecting is finding the bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels likely to list your beer, wine, spirits or soft drink before you walk in, and Dashmote maps 20M+ venues in 60+ countries. See the outlets in your area that fit your brand and are not on your list yet: AI reads menus, menu photos, venue websites and delivery listings, so you know what each venue already pours and who decides.
The trusted intelligence layer for teams selling to Hospitality & Retail
How do I find new on-trade accounts in my area?
The best new doors in a territory go to whoever finds them first, and the usual prospect list misses them: it skips new openings and says nothing about what a venue already serves. Most reps still build that list from memory, a maps search and whatever the last rep left behind. A better list takes five steps:
- Start from the full universe, not a search result. Pull the full on-premise universe for your postcodes or city: bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels.
- Filter to the channels you sell into. A craft brewer and a wine importer need different venue types, cuisines and price levels.
- Remove your current accounts. Match your CRM so the list only shows venues you do not serve yet.
- Read the menus. Mark venues where your category is missing, where a competitor is listed, and where your brand already sits.
- Rank and plan. Sort by fit and potential, then put the top of the list into this week's visits.
Does this venue already pour a competitor?
The drinks list answers it before you walk in. DashLeads reads the brands named on menus from menu photos, venue websites and delivery listings, so you can sort venues into three groups: your brand listed, a competitor listed, and the category missing.
Our London study shows what that looks like. Of the managed pubs with a menu photo dated 2024 to 2026, the most-listed beer appeared on 35% of menus and the most-listed spirit on 32% (London managed pubs, 22 September 2026). Everything outside that share is a venue where the leader is not on the menu yet.
A competitor on the menu is a displacement pitch: you need a reason to switch. A missing category is a listing pitch: you need a reason to add it. Knowing which one you face changes the samples you bring.
Three signals that predict a venue will list you
Across beer, wine and spirits, three signals do most of the work.
- Category fit on the menu. A cocktail list means spirits get used; a long wine list by the glass means a buyer who cares about range; no alcohol-free beer on a long drinks menu is an opening for a non-alcoholic brand.
- Who decides. An independent owner can change the range after one good visit. A managed pub is run by an employed manager and the range is usually set by the group. In our London study, many of the managed pubs from eight groups (about 250 in all) traded under their own names with no link to the group on the door.
- Momentum. New openings, venues adding to their range, rising review counts and new delivery listings. A venue that is changing is a venue that says yes to new lines.
What a good prospect list looks like
| Venue | Type | Area | On the menu | Alcohol-free beer | Delivery | Operator | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First venue | Cocktail bar | Centre | Rival gin | No | No | Independent | A |
| Second venue | Gastropub | Centre | Rival lager | Yes | Yes | Independent | A |
| Third venue | Italian restaurant | North | No beer listed | No | Yes | Independent | A |
| Fourth venue | Pub | Centre | Rival lager | No | No | Managed group | Group |
| Fifth venue | Wine bar | South | No spirits list | No | No | Independent | B |
| Sixth venue | Hotel bar | North | Your tonic | Yes | No | Small group | Current |
| Seventh venue | Burger restaurant | South | Rival lager | No | Yes | Independent | B |
| Eighth venue | Sports bar | North | Rival lager | No | No | Managed group | Group |
| Ninth venue | Cafe | South | No alcohol listed | No | Yes | Independent | C |
| Tenth venue | Rooftop bar | Centre | Rival vodka | No | No | Independent | A |
The A rows go into this week's visits. The Group rows go to the person who talks to the group. The current account is marked so nobody pitches it twice.
Craft beer, wine and spirits: what changes per category
- Craft beer. Look for beer lists that name brewers, rotating or seasonal options and food-led pubs. Independents and small groups are your best first door.
- Wine. Read cuisine, price level and whether wine is sold by the glass. A restaurant with a short list and a strong food offer is often open to a better by-the-glass range.
- Spirits. Cocktail menus, late opening and events point to volume. Check which gin, vodka or rum is named in the signature drinks: that is the brand you replace.
- Soft drinks and alcohol-free. Cafes, lunch spots and high-volume restaurants with no alcohol-free options listed are the open gaps.
Frequently asked questions
What does "on premise alcohol sales" mean?
On-premise alcohol sales are drinks sold to be consumed where they are bought: bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels and clubs. Off-premise means shops and supermarkets, where drinks are taken away. In the UK the same split is called on-trade and off-trade.
What is a prospecting list?
A prospecting list is the set of potential accounts a rep plans to contact, with enough detail on each to decide the order and the pitch. For on-premise sales that means venue type, location, what is on the menu, who decides and a fit score.
What are the best practices for sales prospecting?
The best practices are to start from the full market rather than a search result, remove current accounts, research each venue before the visit, rank by fit and potential, and record outcomes so the next list is better than the last.
How do I find new on-trade accounts in my area?
To find new on-trade accounts, pull the bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels in your postcodes, filter to the venue types you sell into, remove the accounts you already serve, and rank the rest by what is on their menus and how well they fit your brand.
Which bars already serve a competitor's beer?
The bars that list a competitor's beer on their menu or drinks list show up in DashLeads as "competitor listed", read from menu photos, venue websites and delivery listings. Filter on that brand to get the list for your area.
Which bars and restaurants already list my brand?
The venues that name your brand on their menu are flagged as "your brand listed", so you can check them against your own account list and spot venues serving your product through a wholesaler you do not see.
How do I know a venue fits my brand before I visit?
A venue fits when its type, price level and menu match the accounts where your brand already sells well. Describe those accounts once, and DashLeads scores the venues in the territory against that description.
Related reading
For sales leaders: the business case
One shared view of the on-trade turns prospecting from a personal skill into a team process.
- More listings per visit. Reps walk in knowing what is on the bar and who decides, so fewer visits end with "we already have a supplier".
- Whitespace you can size. Count the venues per territory where your category is missing or a competitor is listed, and set targets on that number.
- Less list building. No more spreadsheets assembled by each rep; one list, updated monthly, exported to your CRM. The research is done for them, so reps spend the week with owners.