— Interview with Keith Turner —
R&R: Where are you based and how long has the company been in business?
Keith Turner, HOODZ International
Keith Turner: HOODZ was started in 2009 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
R&R: What is your title and how long have you been with the company?
Turner: I am the president of HOODZ and have been with the company for almost 5 years.
R&R: What trades/services do you offer restaurants?
Turner: HOODZ provides a variety of mission-critical commercial facility services. Services include cleaning, compliance and preventive maintenance functions for exhaust hood systems, cooking equipment, grease containment, filter exchange programs, grease traps, flat surface care, pizza ovens and more.
R&R: In what regions of the country do you conduct most of your business, or are you nationwide?
Turner: HOODZ is the largest self-performing provider in North America with over 80 local offices throughout the U.S. and Canada, supporting more than 130 regional territories.
R&R: What makes your company’s “signature service” stand out in the industry?
Turner: Our commitment to two key things is what truly separates us from others:
- We are going to be the most professional company in our industry.
- We are going to be the most consistent company in our industry in how we deliver our services to our customers.
R&R: Name some highlights and successes from 2018 you’re proud of, and your plans to continue or grow that success in 2019.
Turner: HOODZ has nearly completed a system-wide field service software rollout that will provide a state-of-art online portal for customers to view historic services, future services, request support, manage account, etc.
R&R: What kind of feedback do you receive from clients?
Turner: According to a representative from Tina’s Ethiopian Café in Chandler, Arizona: “The entire process was painless. Their before-and-after pictures are very useful, particularly for any insurance purposes. Their suggestions for grease containers and their systems are excellent. You usually pay for what you get; the money we spent with HOODZ is worth every dime. Finally there is a reliable and professional option for this service. I recommend them highly.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by the owner of That’s Amore restaurant in Collingswood, New Jersey: “She put a camera on a flexible extended tripod and took a whole bunch of pictures inside the bowels of the ductwork. I have never seen anything like it! They took pictures and showed me everything that needed to be done, and what was not done by the last company that cleaned my hood. They opened the fan up and showed me that the under blades of the fan were never even cleaned…in fact the fan had never even been opened up because it was still sealed. On the day that they came to do the actual work, they covered all my kitchen stuff and were there for hours doing a great job. After the job was done, she left me with before-and-after photos of all the areas that were cleaned and even gave me an ID number to view the pictures online. I highly recommend their services. You will not be disappointed.”
R&R: Why should owner/operators choose your company to be their next vendor partner?
Turner: Owner/operators must be proactive in facility maintenance to effectively minimize expenses. They also have incredibly busy schedules and are juggling many responsibilities. We can help by managing many maintenance items on their behalf with a focus on the financial feasibility of a long term partnership.
R&R: How many restaurant clients do you have, and is that sector growing for you?
Turner: In 2018 alone, we will provide more than 72,000 service visits to restaurants, institutions and other foodservice facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
R&R: What trends are you seeing in the industry, and how do you predict 2019 to shape up?
Turner: With North America’s restaurant industry continuing to show strong growth and annual sales now exceeding $800 billion, we could not be more excited about the future of the industry. People are going to continue eating and the trend to dine out is stronger than ever.
— This article originally appeared in the December 2018/January 2019 “Signature Vendor Spotlight” issue of Retail & Restaurant Facility Business magazine. For more information on upcoming “Signature Vendor Spotlight” opportunities, please email Associate Publisher Scott Royal at [email protected] or call 404-832-8262.