US Foods (already mentioned) and Shamrock are probably the two biggest alternatives to Sysco. Maybe Roma, too. And those specialty distributors that were mentioned, if I were to guess, probably take a nice double-digit percentage of purchases that restaurants make.
Less well known is what happens in much of the baking world: pre-made mixes. Most commonly, this means a 50-pound bag of all a product's dry ingredients and only wet ingredients are necessary. These products reduce labor, simplify employee training, are more consistent, and bigger buyers can get customization.
All big bakery retailers are using these: Panera, Whole Foods, Costco, HEB supermarkets, etc. Smaller establishments and franchises also. Less obvious uses are industries with constraints that benefit from what these products offer, cruise lines maybe being the best example. While this sounds like just more ultra-processed food, many of the products are legitimately good quality. Yes, a donut is a donut, but products like breads can be fantastic quality and respectably healthful.
Less well known is what happens in much of the baking world: pre-made mixes. Most commonly, this means a 50-pound bag of all a product's dry ingredients and only wet ingredients are necessary. These products reduce labor, simplify employee training, are more consistent, and bigger buyers can get customization.
All big bakery retailers are using these: Panera, Whole Foods, Costco, HEB supermarkets, etc. Smaller establishments and franchises also. Less obvious uses are industries with constraints that benefit from what these products offer, cruise lines maybe being the best example. While this sounds like just more ultra-processed food, many of the products are legitimately good quality. Yes, a donut is a donut, but products like breads can be fantastic quality and respectably healthful.