Foodservice Leaders Gather at First ArrowStream Customer Conference

Industry thought leaders discuss state of business issues including increasing cost pressure, promotion and purchasing best practices, and advent of supply chain technology

Chicago, IL, September 29, 2008 - ArrowStream, a leading provider of supply chain solutions for the foodservice and retail industries, announced that it has brought together leading quick service and casual dining leaders to discuss the current state of business and best practices in promotions, purchasing, demand planning and supply chain technology.

The event featured prominent foodservice and chain restaurant executives that are committed to leveraging supply chain technology as a strategic aspect of their growth plans.

The conference ran from September 29-30 and featured a keynote presentation from Technomic, as well as a panel discussion with supply chain leaders Applebee’s, Arby’s, Church’s, Steak ‘n Shake, Supply Management Services, Wendy’s, and others.

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
The panel discussion examined proven supply chain management strategies that quick service and casual dining restaurants are using to offset rising food costs.

“Because there are no indications that prices of commodities and fuel will significantly decline in the coming year, chain operators and their trading partners must be assertive in controlling cost across the supply chain,” said Roger Mullen, COO and president of ArrowStream. “Our conference addressed issues that are not only topical for today’s chain restaurants and foodservice companies, but are also at the core of ArrowStream’s mission: we must find ways to improve bottom line profitability for our customers every day.”

The sessions solicited users’ group input regarding the features, benefits and product direction of ArrowStream OnDemand, ArrowStream’s comprehensive supply chain management technology. Conference attendees were also provided a series of networking and best practice discussions.

ArrowStream’s restaurant chains have significantly reduced in-store manhours and gained savings on order of $1M annually in recovered charges for their franchisees through ArrowStream’s OnDemand supply chain technology, and have, on average, gained a 20 percent reduction in inbound freight costs by leveraging ArrowStream Logistics. The result is an advantageous competitive position at a time when commodity and energy costs have continuously escalated as have consumer demands for service and variety.