Do Restaurants Buy From Grocery Stores?

While most Americans are used to shopping for food at large grocery store chains like Walmart and Target, those stores typically sell food in relatively small quantities, like a pound of meat or a dozen eggs. But what if you're a restaurant owner who needs to feed a 100-seat venue on a busy Saturday night? You won't find these business owners at the grocery store. In most cases, they're purchasing food through wholesalers, such as Restaurant Depot, or local purveyors, though there are exceptions when a grocery store can come in handy.

"If there's an emergency and you happen to be around the corner from the store to grab what you need in a pinch, then you do what you have to do. But that's really the only case that's acceptable," Eddie Fahmy, franchise director of Döner Haus, shared in an exclusive conversation with Chowhound. In most cases, though, restaurants buy food at wholesale prices, which allows them to purchase in bulk and negotiate a more cost-effective deal.

The reason most restaurants source from wholesalers is to keep their costs down, which ultimately helps maintain higher profits. "Pricing and availability make [wholesalers] the most attractive," Eddie Fahmy told Chowhound, though he didn't rule out other sourcing methods, especially from local suppliers. "If you can easily find a way to source from a farm and it's convenient for your business, that's an option too, especially if it fits your concept."

Whether to source from wholesalers, farms, or somewhere else ultimately depends on what works best for an individual business, as well as what the preferences of the chef and the owner. "Some prefer wholesale suppliers because it's convenient, while others may prefer going to the farmer's market that morning to see what's freshest," Fahmy added.

Some restaurants advertise when they purchase food from local farmers because they want consumers to know where the food comes from and that they're helping the local economy. But chefs and owners should do research on wholesalers, too, before deciding. "You want to make sure you're getting good product," Fahmy said. While some bigger chains like Culver's identify where their food comes from, smaller restaurants might not, so you should ask your server.