Restaurant / Food Service: Best Referral Sources
Who should be sending you clients, and the rooms they are already sitting in.
Get the networking events worth showing up to
Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for restaurants and the next meeting dates. Add a ZIP and this page will also show your local chapters and which seats are open.
Most business owners network where their competitors are, not where their referral partners are.
Your own trade group is for learning. Your partners' groups are where the work comes from. Everything below starts with one question. When something happens that makes people need restaurants, who else gets a call that same week?
Restaurants sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when a business signs a lease or opens a location. It moves fast, so being the name already in hand matters more than being the cheapest. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.
- New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
- Compliance deadline or inspectionwhen an inspection or compliance deadline lands
- Business formationwhen somebody starts a company
- Building system failurewhen the AC dies, a pipe fails, or something in the building stops working
- Sale of a businesswhen an owner sells the company
Who should be sending you clients
Who you should be sending clients to
Ranked by what starts the job, not by who sounds close to your trade.
The same list, turned around. Give first and the rest follows.
- 01
CPA / Accountant
They send you work75Trigger: somebody starts a company
CPAs hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 02
Commercial Property Manager
Two-way73Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and commercial property managers both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Attorney Business & Corporate
Two-way70Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and business attorneys both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 04
Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)
Two-way68Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You and community association managers both get the call when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 05
Facility Manager
Two-way65Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You and facility managers both get the call when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 06
Commercial Kitchen Equipment & Service
You send them work62Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before commercial kitchen equipment companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 07
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Two-way62Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and commercial real estate brokers both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 08
IT Services / Managed IT
You send them work60Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before IT and managed service providers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 09
Structural Engineer
They send you work60Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
Structural engineers hear about it when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 10
Insurance Property & Casualty
You send them work56Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before P&C insurance agents do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 01
Commercial Kitchen Equipment & Service
You send them work72Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before commercial kitchen equipment companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 02
Medical Billing & Practice Management
You send them work68Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You hear about it when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, before medical billing companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 03
IT Services / Managed IT
You send them work67Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before IT and managed service providers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 04
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Two-way67Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and commercial real estate brokers both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 05
Shredding & Document Management
You send them work67Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You hear about it when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, before shredding and records companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 06
Telecom & VoIP
You send them work64Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before telecom and VoIP providers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
Where those people actually are
Ranked by how many of your best partners are in the room, and how much work each one can send you.
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Your partners are in this room: CPAs, commercial property managers, and business attorneys.
Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: CPAs, commercial property managers, and business attorneys.
Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.
Chapter finder → - 02
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and facility managers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 03
CAI (Community Associations Institute)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: community association managers and structural engineers.
Condo and HOA managers, board members, and management companies. One manager here can control hundreds of homes. They have a membership just for vendors, so you can join.
Chapter finder → - 04
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and IT and managed service providers.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 05
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: facility managers and IT and managed service providers.
Groups for the software your customers use, like practice management, property management, and accounting. You meet people in the middle of a problem.
- 06
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial property managers and commercial real estate brokers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 07
BNI
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
The biggest referral group in the world. You meet every week. Only one person per job. They expect you to show up.
Chapter finder → - 08
LeTip International
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
Weekly referral chapters. One person per job. Strong with trades and home services.
Chapter finder →
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Your partners are in this room: CPAs, commercial property managers, and business attorneys.
Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: CPAs, commercial property managers, and business attorneys.
Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.
Chapter finder → - 02
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and facility managers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 03
CAI Southeast Florida chapter
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: community association managers and structural engineers.
South Florida has more condos than almost anywhere, so this room is packed with association managers. Vendors can go to the trade shows and the monthly lunches.
Chapter finder → - 04
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and IT and managed service providers.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 05
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: facility managers and IT and managed service providers.
Groups for the software your customers use, like practice management, property management, and accounting. You meet people in the middle of a problem.
- 06
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial property managers and commercial real estate brokers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 07
Prime Time Business Network
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
A South Florida referral group. Only one person per job in each chapter. So your competitors are kept out, and your referral partners have the other seats.
See chapters → - 08
An independent local leads group
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
Most cities have small leads groups you will never find online. A realtor or insurance agent usually starts them. Ask three people in your trade who they meet with.
Restaurant & lodging association
Most restaurants join this room first. It is also the one most likely to be the wrong pick. Restaurant and hotel owners. They replace equipment all the time, fail inspections often, and talk to each other more than almost anyone. Everyone in it does what you do. Join it for the training, the licences, and the ties to manufacturers. Do not join it for referrals, and do not join it instead of the rooms above.
Restaurant & lodging association →Let us be straight with you. For restaurants, a weekly referral group is not the best pick. Your partners gather in professional groups instead, so spend your time there. We would rather say that than sell you a seat you do not need.
Is your seat open?
Prime Time takes one restaurant / food service per chapter. Put in a South Florida ZIP above and we will show you which seats are open.
Add a ZIP code at the top of the page to see which seats are open.
Prime Time doesn't operate where you are yet.
We have fifteen chapters in South Florida and none near you. Telling you to join would be bad advice. The rooms above are the real answer where you are. We can email you the one page version and let you know if we open near you.
Send me those roomsHave the next meetings sent to you
The rooms above are the answer. This is when they meet. Tell us where to send it and we will email you the next dates for restaurants, with the one page plan.
We already know your trade and your area from this page, so there is nothing else to fill in. We do not ask for a phone number. Every email we send has an unsubscribe link.
Your one-page action plan
Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.
Networking plan: Restaurant / Food Service
The five people who should be sending you clients
- CPA / Accountant (They send you work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Commercial Property Manager (Two-way)
Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location - Attorney Business & Corporate (Two-way)
Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location - Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo) (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands - Facility Manager (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
The three rooms to be in
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, commercial property managers, and business attorneys.
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and facility managers.
- CAI (Community Associations Institute): Your partners are in this room: community association managers and structural engineers.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, commercial property managers, and business attorneys.
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and facility managers.
- CAI Southeast Florida chapter: Your partners are in this room: community association managers and structural engineers.
Don't confuse this with networking: Restaurant & lodging association. Learning and supplier access, not referrals.