Don’t Miss These Deals! Keep an Eye on the Dollar per Unit!
Definitely fewer Fresh to Frozen deals again this week, which likely means that supply and demand are starting to settle in, despite price volatility. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t deals out there, especially if you keep an eye on the normalized price per unit (our Smart Shopping Assistant is great for that). We found one deal where a 40 count of Potato Baking Idaho is 25% less dollar per pound than an 80 count! Buy two and you get the same amount for 25% less!
We also know that restaurant operators don’t always want to have to change their main vendor. All of the opportunities below are from within single distributors! So here are the deals this week:
tl;dr
We continue to see Brand deals in almost every category, so take some time to compare your current order guide. Fresh to Frozen deals are few and far between but more Beef and Pork than previously. Produce deals continue to be mainly in Odds & Ends with more consistent opportunities with #2s, so if the differences work for you then you have a chance to save money.
Consistent discounts again this week. You can find deals of 37-38% from single vendors with similar opportunities across vendors (38-43%). As usual, even if you are using just one vendor you can find deals.
Potential Cash and Carry savings are flat this week (44%), again heavily driven by lower prices across salmon products. If you have a lot of prepared salmon dishes on your menu, you may want to check out your local Cash and Carry, but otherwise likely not worth it.
Brand
Lots of deals this week were on similar products from different brands. Keeping most attributes consistent, there definitely are trends in several product categories where you can find better deals with some brands than others. Here are the average percent savings on a cost per weight basis we are seeing right now:
| Category | Discount |
|---|---|
| Oil Salad Canola | 21% - 40% |
| Pork Steak Boston Butt Bone-In | 36% |
| Cheddar Cheese Mild Sliced | 34% |
| Oil Vegetable TFF Salad & Frying | 30% |
| Egg White Large AA | 28% |
| Beef Flank Steak Choice | 20% |
| Flour H&R Bleached | 20% |
| Char Arctic Whole | 16% |
| Chicken WOG Natural | 13% |
| Bacon Applewood Smoked 13-17 | 9% |
Frozen
Very few Fresh to Frozen discounts again this week, but now in Beef and Pork instead of Chicken and Dairy. If a frozen option works for you, this can still be a good opportunity to get your normal product at a huge discount, especially fresh to frozen. Frozen product can also give you a buffer with uncertain traffic.
| Category | Discount |
|---|---|
| Ground Beef 73/27 Fine Raw Fresh to Frozen | 30% |
| Steak Flat Iron Choice Frozen | 30% |
| Beef Strip Loin Choice 180 0x1 Fresh to Frozen | 17% |
| Pork Chop Bone-In Center Cut Frozen | 14% |
Odds & Ends
There are often price differences when there are different attributes with similar products. The grade, size, source, and a long list of others impact the price. You made decisions on what you would source when you first decided on the menu item, but how often can you check what is going on with prices now? Can you make a slight adjustment to save money without negatively affecting the end dish? Here are some of the products you may want to look at your options this week:
| Category | Discount |
|---|---|
| Bell Pepper Large Green vs Red | 33% |
| Pork Chop Bone-In Center Cut 4oz vs 5oz | 27% |
| Avocado Ripe 40-48 #2 vs #1 | 26% |
| Potato Baking Idaho 40 ct vs 80 ct | 25% |
| Onion Yellow Jumbo #2 vs #1 | 24% |
| Haddock Fillet Skinless Boneless 8-10 oz vs 6-8 oz | 21% |
| Chicken Breast Boneless Skinless 6 oz vs 7 oz | 20% |
| Tomato Red Bulk Grape vs Cherry | 15% |
Remember, this is all based on normalized price per weight comparison.