CRM for foodservice equipment distributors

A foodservice equipment distributor sells ovens, ranges, refrigeration, dishwashers, ice machines and prep equipment to restaurants, hotels, caterers, canteens and bakeries. Some orders are a single fridge for an open kitchen. Others are a whole kitchen for a new hotel, drawn by a consultant and bought in a hurry as the opening date nears. A CRM for this trade has to handle both, and remember who bought what, because warranty and parts calls come for years.

In PromptLab, project quotes carry the equipment, delivery and installation costs, a showroom demo or loan unit is a sample on the deal, and the order is a sales order on the account. The wider view is on the distributors page.

How does a foodservice equipment distributor actually sell?

There are two sales, and they run on different clocks.

Replacement and single items are urgent. A walk-in compressor fails on a Friday and the kitchen needs a quote and a delivery date by Monday. The buyer is an owner or chef, and speed and stock beat price.

New-build and refit projects are slow and formal. A kitchen designer or consultant drafts a layout and an equipment list, and several distributors price it. Winning means pricing the full schedule accurately, offering alternatives where the specified brand is out of stock, and handling delivery to a site that is still being built.

Contract buyers such as hotel groups, canteen operators and restaurant chains buy repeatedly and want fixed pricing, standard models and one contact.

Most distributors also run a dealer side: smaller shops and installers who buy at a trade price and resell.

What do buyers ask before they order?

• Does it fit and connect? Dimensions, gas or electric, voltage and phase, water supply, drainage and ventilation. A wrong connection is an expensive return.
• Certification and local regulations. Buyers need to know the equipment meets the food safety and gas rules that apply where they are.
• Spec sheets and drawings. Consultants want a data sheet and a layout drawing for every line.
• Alternatives. If the specified model is unavailable, the buyer asks for an equivalent. The consultant or chef decides, so record who approved the substitution.
• Delivery, installation and commissioning. Date, who carries it up, who connects it, and who trains the staff.
• Warranty, parts and service. Response time when something breaks in service, and whether parts are held locally.
• Payment. Projects often pay a deposit, then on delivery, then on completion. Put the payment terms on the sales order.

How does a demo or loan unit work as a sample?

Chefs want to see a combi oven cook their food. A showroom demo, a loan unit or a trial period is the foodservice version of a product sample.

PromptLab has sample tracking on every plan, with samples on the deal. Log each demo or loan with the model and serial number in a custom field, and set a follow-up date. Each sample is linked to its deal, and the Samples list shows every demo or loan unit with its status, so nothing on loan is forgotten. How to track product samples covers the routine.

How should you quote a project?

A project quote is a schedule of equipment with a freight and installation line at the end. Build it from products and the customer's price list, with a line discount where you give one. Add delivery and installation as named additional costs, and put the layout reference, validity and assumptions in the quote's Notes field, which prints on the PDF.

A quote has statuses Draft, Pending and Approved, with no expiry date, templates or e-signature. Send the PDF or the public link, and chase it with a dated follow-up. How to follow up on a quote has a routine, and how to manage customer price lists covers dealer and contract pricing.

What pipeline stages fit foodservice equipment?

PromptLab has one pipeline per workspace. Use a field to tell project, replacement and dealer deals apart, and a saved view for each.

Add a custom date field for the site opening or required-by date: deals have no built-in expected close date.

What must the CRM track?

• Equipment each customer owns, with model, serial number, install date and warranty end, in a custom object (Settings → Objects), one record per unit with a field that links it to the customer's account, so the equipment show on the account's page.
• Consultants and designers as contacts on their own firm's account, named in a custom field on each deal they specify. The built-in deal Source covers referrals from customers and distributors.
• Price lists for contract buyers, dealers and walk-in customers.
• Documents on the account's Files tab: spec sheets, drawings and delivery notes.
• Parts and service enquiries, as tasks with an owner and a due date.
• Messages from email, WhatsApp and Telegram in the shared Inbox. A chef sends a photo of a data plate on WhatsApp when the oven stops.

How do you set this up in PromptLab?

1. 1

   Import customers and products

   Bring accounts, contacts and products in from CSV or Excel. Add product fields for fuel type, voltage and brand, and an Installed equipment object for what each kitchen already runs.

2. 2

   Create price lists

   Make a customer price list for contract buyers, one for dealers and one for walk-in trade. A list adds a set amount on top of each product's base price, so it cannot sit below base: keep the base price at your lowest, dealer, level. Editing a list reprices only its Draft quotes.

3. 3

   Quote the schedule

   Build the quote from the list, add delivery and installation as additional costs, and send the PDF. Set a next follow-up date on the deal.

4. 4

   Raise the order

   Create the sales order on the account with trade terms, payment terms and planned delivery date. Create an invoice from the sales order when you bill.

5. 5

   Set the warranty follow-up

   A task dated before the warranty ends makes a service-contract or extension offer. Tasks do not repeat, so make the next one when you complete it.

6. 6

   Connect the chat channels

   Connect your WhatsApp Business number and your company Telegram bot, so kitchen staff can message first and the thread lands on the contact.

How does PromptLab compare for foodservice equipment distributors?

Swipe the table sideways to see every CRM →

HubSpot has a free CRM and a Starter plan from $7 a seat a month, billed annually. Quoting sits in the separate Revenue Hub, and sales orders, price lists and sample tracking aren't there. monday CRM is a friendly place to build a CRM from boards, with quotes and invoices from its $12 Basic plan, billed annually, but sales orders, samples and price lists aren't there.

Pipedrive is one of the easiest sales CRMs to learn, from $14 a seat billed annually, with no samples, price lists or sales orders. Quotes wait for Premium at $59. For one head-to-head, see HubSpot vs PromptLab. Prices are as checked on 30 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What should a CRM for a foodservice equipment distributor include?

It should hold project quotes, price lists for contract and dealer customers, sales orders, a record of the equipment each customer owns and every message from email and WhatsApp. PromptLab covers these from $11.99 per user per month.

How do I track a demo or loan unit?

Log it as a sample on the deal, with the model and serial number in a custom field and a follow-up date. A workflow can create a task when the sample changes status.

Can I keep different prices for dealers and kitchens?

Yes. Create a customer price list for each and pick it on the quote. Lists add a set amount on top of each product's base price.

How do I record which kitchen designer specified a job?

Add the designer as a contact on their firm's account, and name them on the deal in a custom field. Filter deals by that field to see every job they specified.

Is there a free trial?

Basic and Professional come with a 14-day free trial, with no card needed. There is no free plan.