Operator members are defined as companies that are Commercial Restaurants, Non-Commercial Foodservice, Convenience Store Foodservice, Grocery Foodservice, and Foodservice Management Companies.

We provide operators with unique opportunities to stay informed through unique insights and data, and connected through networking conferences with suppliers, supply chain partners, and service providers. In exchange for service to the association, operators will be eligible for corporate-wide membership.

 

There are three different paths to Operator Membership

Advocate Operator Member

Commercial and non-commercial operator companies are eligible for this dues-free category of membership, enabling all individuals within the company to access member benefits if at least one individual at the organization fulfills one or more of these service requirements:

  • Attend Presidents Conference
  • Attends COEX and hosts a speed meeting table & one-on-one IFMA-prescheduled meeting
  • Actively participates in the development of the cross-industry initiative

Eligibility for Advocate Operator Membership Include: 

For Commercial Operations
Individuals attending above must be a purchase decision-maker affiliated directly with an operation with responsibility for 10 or more units for either a restaurant, convenience store, lodging, or grocery chain.

For Non-Commercial
Direct F&B decision maker of any non-commercial segment, including K-12, College/University, Healthcare, Business & Industry, and Military. Also includes those who work for a corporate office of a Foodservice Management Company.

 


Foodservice Leadership Council (FLC) Member

FLC operators have shown a tremendous level of commitment and engagement within their own communities and IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. FLC Operator membership is a company-wide membership, dues-free, and benefits will extend to individuals within the same company. FLC operators must be a member in good standing, as defined by the requirements laid out in their respective council charters.

Learn more about our Foodservice Leadership Councils

 

Individual Operator Member

While Advocate and FLC Operator Memberships are company-wide, We also offer an Individual Operator Membership for qualified decision makers that are either currently working for a non-commercial operator or restaurant chain with 10+ units OR are no longer with an operator company but have 5+ years of experience working for a restaurant chain or non-commercial operation. All individuals will be reviewed by IFMA The Food Away from Home Association for approval. Dues are $450 annually.

 

 

Operator Member Benefits

Advocate Member Benefits

Complimentary conference registration & hotel accommodations for Presidents Conference and COEX (for one person)

  • Advocate operator members will have one complimentary registration and hotel accommodations per company to COEX and Presidents Conference. A second individual will need to be approved at our discretion and may register for all of our conferences and events at the operator-rate. 

Access to IFMA Scope® (full)

  • In addition to having access to the Operator Landscape and Segments portions of IFMA SCOPE, all individuals within member companies will have access to the Markets portion of the portal, enabling them to access information on all 211 designated market areas (DMAs).

Access to Web Content

  • All individuals within member companies will have access to all webinars, whitepapers, research, video, and other insights and best practices that reside on IFMAworld.com.

Access to Webinars

  • Company-wide access to all webinars hosted on our platform, available to all individuals within member organizations.

Datassential 500 Report

  • Complimentary access to the annual report that ranks the largest restaurant chains in the United States, finding the leaders by location count and the fastest growing brands across 16 segments.

Member-Pricing for Trainings

  • Preferred member pricing for training classes including Foodservice Fundamentals and other curriculum to be developed.

Industry project participation & outputs*

  • In addition to participating in and steering the direction of the cross-industry initiative, companies will receive the best practice deliverables/outputs from the initiative. Other members will be able to purchase these for an additional cost.

Committee Participation (COEX)

  • Ability to assign one individual to COEX planning committee (chain operators)

Monthly Newsletter

  • All individuals at member company have access to our monthly newsletter, providing key updates on the association and the industry.

Listing in Member Directory*

  • Organizations will be able to search the member directory as well as list their company name, website URL, and contact information on the directory.

*Under Development

FLC Member Benefits

Everything received by Advocate Members PLUS: 

Access to FLC monthly meetings & share groups

  • Participate in monthly FLC calls per segment, sharing learnings, challenges, and best practices with other leaders within common segments and across segments.

Participation in FLC projects and access to outputs

  • Ability to shape work on Vision 2025 within each segment, FLC members will help create deliverables to be shared out with the community at large and have access to these deliverables to share within their own organizations and communities.

Industry recognition for work on FLC

  • Highlighted on the website, at events, on social media, and in deliverables (e.g., Vision 2025), FLC members will be highlighted and recognized for their thought leadership, including as speakers and panelists.

Participation on select Association program committees

  • FLC representation will be included on several Association program committees, including:

    • Presidents Conference

    • COEX

    • Marketing & Sales Conference

    • Consumer Planning Program

    • Gold & Silver Plate Committee

Input into our Long-Range Plan

  • On an annual process, members of the FLCs will provide direct input into our strategic and annual operating plans.

Exclusive access to IFMA Board of Directors and other networking events

  • FLC Executive Committee Members will have the ability to participate in select board meetings throughout the year.

Opportunity to participate in Next Gen Execs program

  • Next Gen Execs is a nomination-based program that provides 

  • executive leaders the opportunity to identify and provide high potential leaders with meaningful connectivity and engagement in the industry. FLC Members will have the ability to nominate up to three individuals within their company to participate in this program.

Individual Operator Benefits

Ability to register for Association events at member rate

  • This includes member-only events such as Presidents Conference and COEX. Individual operator members will be required to pay for registration and hotel accommodation.

Access to web content

  • Access to all whitepapers, research, video, and other insights and best practices that reside on ifmaworld.com. IFMA SCOPE not included.

Access to webinars

  • Access to all webinars hosted on our platform, available to all individuals within member organizations.

Member-pricing for trainings

  • Preferred member pricing for training classes including Foodservice Fundamentals and other curriculum to be developed.

Discounts for industry project outputs

  • As part of the cross-industry initiative that we will lead, outputs will be made available to the industry. Individual operator members tier will have the opportunity to purchase these deliverables at a member discount.

Monthly newsletter

  • All individuals at member company will be able to access our monthly newsletter, providing key updates on the association and the industry.

Listed on member directory

  • Organizations will be able to list their company name, website URL, and contact information on the our member directory as well as search for other Association members.

 

 

For more on our long-range plan, see the "Level Up 2027: A New Path Forward for IFMA" report for details

See the Level Up: 2027 Plan Now >>

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