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All you other caterers....

jbrink01

jbrink01

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Who still goes to Sam's and RD, and who uses a service like Sysco, Fox River, Crown Foods? I met with a rep / freind today and it would sure be easy but takes away a little flexibility. Sam's and RD are 1 hour away. Thought? Discuss........Please and thanks!

PS - I have a place for them to unload and I have cold storage. Pricing appears to be similar. Pork is cheaper, brisket is higher. Buns are higher, desserts are cheaper.
 
I use Jordanos as my food distributor, I still go to Costco, Sam's and sometimes RD.
I use my distributor for the following:
chicken, buts, briskie, potatoes, veggies, salad, parbaked goods such as corn bread muffins, beans, cheese, seafood, plastic knives and forks, etc.

I use Costco for ribs, tri-tips, LOINs, potato salad, fruit,Coffee, etc.
I use Sam's for condiments, plastic plates, fruit, napkins, bar mops, etc.
I use RD rarely, the closest one is 70+ miles, so I have to be in LA for other stuff to consider going.
 
Im on the West Coast and have a RD about 30 in drive from me I just got back from a shopping run and find they are the best priced around the Portland area. I also price shop cash and carry and some things from Costco. I am still small enought that a Sysco or Food services of america are out of my range for delivery.

One day tho I will be with you big boys!!!
 
Mlukewow said:
Im on the West Coast and have a RD about 30 in drive from me I just got back from a shopping run and find they are the best priced around the Portland area. I also price shop cash and carry and some things from Costco. I am still small enought that a Sysco or Food services of america are out of my range for delivery.

One day tho I will be with you big boys!!!
Click to expand...

Look for a family owned distribution company such as Jordano's. You can do will call. Saves time on big orders.
 
I use a local Distributor (Cash-Wa) that has stores in both of their warehouses. Both of them are about a 45 min drive. Sam's is about 2hrs away, so we have to be predicting a load. As far as Costco and RD goes, there isn't one within 5 hrs of here.
 
We use sysco for our dist. Being a fullservice Rest. thats what we need and they have the best avail, brisket ribs and pork that i like. Plus many of them have will-call pickup for smaller orders. Just depends on your Rep. ours is the best, does his best for any product we want and does way more than expected.
 
RD is 5 miles away, and on the way from our kitchen, so RD is the go to most of the time. Little Sam's Club, some items online.
 
Thanks guys! My rep is great, so I think we will try them. Neil, what do you do for buns? How much you using a week? Our weekly buy is in the $1500 - $2000 range in the summer.
 
I find that Sam's club is cheaper in my area also plus my local Costco only carries pork shoulder - no butts so Sam's club is my main stop. What is RD that you guys speak of? Also, have any of you placed orders online?
 
Just starting out I am trying to figure ot which to go with. I am in the same boat Sams and Costco are 1 hour away. Sysco will deliver to me but want at least a $500 order. I and going to be vending or catering 1-2 days on weekends. Don't see how I can place a $500 order to do a $800 catering job. Still trying to figure it out here.
 
I tend to use RD and Sam's alot, but am going to try a distributor next week........I'm lucky in that they pass within 1.8 miles of my house twice a week.
 
Welcome to the "game" of where to shop and order....with minimums, delivery charges and ever changing pricing, it helps to calculate what your time is worth. Of course your time never trumps a bag of spring mix going bad after one day without even being opened. We've used Sysco, US Foods, RD, Sam's and a multitude of family owned distributorships over the years. I find it helpful to be clear to each entity up front what you expect and let them compete somewhat for your business. After quality of meats, comes quality of side ingredients thereafter it's pricing on paper products, cleaning products and incidentals. Service wise the family owned will go the mile, RD will try for convenience (did you know you can get a printout of all items you buy and they'll load on the flatbed for a scheduled pickup ?). Around Christmas time I have a tendency to hit Sam's for some incidentals cause I can't bypass that damn apple walnut carmel pie they make only three months out of the year. Happy shopping.
 
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