PMQ’S IDEA ZONE
ADVERTORIAL
Restaurant Depot
Supremo Italiano Caters to New Pizza Generation Over the past decade, the neighborhood pizzeria has undergone a significant transformation. While consumer spending slowed down in all markets in 2009, pizzerias held on to their customers by extending their menus and offering healthier options. But expanded menus require an expanded grocery shopping list; today’s chefs need new ingredients and products that they never needed before. That may explain why Restaurant Depot, the nationwide wholesale warehouse chain, has seen a steady increase in the number of pizzeria operators who visit every week. Restaurant Depot is a one-stop warehouse where a proprietor can not only buy his favorite mozzarella cheese and imported tomatoes, but can also find a full line of frozen appetizers and fresh produce to enhance his growing menu. And the addition of the Supremo Italiano and Big C lines has been an astounding success, says Tom Casey, a senior perishable foods buyer for Restaurant Depot. “The Supremo Italiano line offers a variety of high-quality foods that enable our customers to add a significant profit to their menus without sacrificing quality,” Casey says. “For years, there were only one or two cheeses on the market that pizzerias would use; they couldn’t chance their livelihood on the quality of a lesser brand. Now our pizzeria customers are turning to
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Supremo Italiano as their first choice, not only for their mozzarella cheese, but for their olive oil, tomatoes and other imported products as well. Meanwhile, the Big C brand offers quality frozen foods and appetizers to flesh out pizzerias’ extended menus both creatively and profitably.” “Once I knew I was going to run my own place, I knew I was going to be a customer of Restaurant Depot,” says Genero Martinez, who recently opened a pizzeria in Queens, New York. “I would never even think of shopping anywhere else. I’ve shopped at various Restaurant Depot locations while working for other people over the years, and, trust me, nothing is easier than getting everything in one place.” Restaurant Depot has changed the foodservice industry, allowing customers to save an average of 15% on their purchases by picking up the products themselves. There are no hidden fees built into the prices, and, since customers can inspect every product on the spot, there is no chance of receiving a damaged or defective product. And no minimum purchase is required, so customers can buy what they need when they need it. The Supremo Italiano and Big C brands are available exclusively at Restaurant Depot. View the company’s list of more than 90 locations nationwide at restaurantdepot.com.