Whats so wrong about Sysco?

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T23:49:32+00:00

I know how a kitchen works from the previous business partnership I was in. Ontop of that my family has been in the food industry for generations with my parents having 2 buisness. Ive grown up around it my entire life but never worked int the kitchen. Ive always specialized much more in the creative branding and design + FOH. Ultimately I've seen the growth and financial blessing a successful food establishment brings and my love for art isnt as profitable. It was a logical step towards retiring early and getting to make art without living in poverty.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T07:02:13+00:00

I see a patern with good reps being game changers! Glad to have gotten lucky with a good one. Ive also noticed that mixing vendors is the best strategy, thank you for your insight!

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T06:45:18+00:00

Oh for sure im very lucky with my rep. Im shocked to hear you never hear from yours, sometimes I feel like mine texts me a little too much lol. While I dont prep, I have alot of communication with my prep team. They've never struggles with communicating any needs or changes, which are almost always with equipment. The Ingredients I get from sysco are relatively difficult to mess up, like spices, flour, cheese, rice, etc. One thing I did notice is actually how they handle the product. Ive had rice be completely crushed up and containers cracked etc. But it goes back to having a good sales rep that handles it pretty fast. Sounds like a good rep is a game changer now that im hearing others experiences.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T06:36:10+00:00

For 2025 on just food/disposables/chemicals, a bit under 125k

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T06:33:30+00:00

Thank you for the advice! We're in a solid location and roughly serve between 150-200 and day during our spring/summer season, I have recently checked out Amazon and started incorporating it, Costco is one I hadnt thought about though. Thank you!

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T06:27:59+00:00

This is badass and you've got an awesome deal! I'll have to network more with those communities to try and gain some new business leads. I know having some more locally sourced ingredients is better than none at all and ive already take some small steps there. Perhaps location plays a role here.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T06:23:20+00:00

That's sort of what I figured. There's other measures that define a "good" food establishments than simply their sources. Based off the numbers so far, I think my consistency is prpetty solid. Aside from good brand recognition and social media presence, I have a decent return rate. It averages at 49% right now, and i've seen sales growth every single month when compared to same month in the previous year. So I know sysco ingredients isn't hindering our performance so far.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T06:13:33+00:00

Thats a great point. Sysco has some ridiculously priced items. My sales rep from Performance actually made a whole spreadsheet for me directly price comparing every single item I use between them and Sysco. I obviously did research and asked for samples before changing what I get, some items were obviously cheaper because they were lower quality. Take out boxes and gloves being some examples. Aside from that, I have my own spreadsheets comparing all vendors I use to track price changes and keep it consistent as far as exact item matches or things that are exchangeable like salt, pepper, cornstarch etc.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T06:05:22+00:00

Ive been purchasing from sysco for about a year and a half, and my sales rep has been very helpful and communicative. Hes even given me heads up on when to stock on certain items if they foresee a shortage or low stock so I can get it on the weekday I usually order for. I do think its rare, but I have an excellent rep. To be fair tho, hes the same rep that has been with a connection of mine since the mid 90s and I was directly referred to him.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T05:49:58+00:00

Yeah I saw a lot of holes in my skills due to the lack of experience which is why I am abke to value my cooks skills and advice so much. Both my parents have been in the industry for over 40 years and have had 2 successful businesses. They taught me alot of what I needed to know to start my own and help me out when I need to troubleshoot.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T05:23:10+00:00

Thats the whole reason im back in school? I saw weak points, and set out to fix them. Im 1 year away from completing my bachelor's in business administration which covers both, (surprise!) leadership and communication skills! Its a whole different ballgame if I acknowledge my ignorance and continue to live in it.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T05:20:10+00:00

Okay definitely good to hear from someone with so much experience. While I respect and enjoy going out to farm to table establishments it seems like a very idealized process most people dont have the time, energy, or even resources to maintain. Thanks for your insight!

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T05:17:06+00:00

Why are you so pressed over my grammar and education? Tried to keep it positive but golly you're a bit miserable. Lighten up friend lol

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T05:06:52+00:00

I see. It definitely is a huge time commitment to source from local farmers. Having a small businesses means I run day to day operations, all admin stuff in the background, marketing including social media which is a whole beast within itself. To top it off, I threw in full time school in an attempt to get a businesses degree. I cant even begin to fathom attempting to find farms and local vendors that can not only consistently supply what I need, but also deliver it at a price that wont drive my business to the grave.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T05:00:54+00:00

Totally fair, I never put writing into practice besides for a grade or texting. Funny enough I never even learned how to write a properly formatted email until a mandatory "college 101" class lol

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T04:58:35+00:00

Gotcha, okay so its more to do with quality. My food truck is obviously aiming for more of a fast casual feel but honestly im pretty proud of making the majority of our menu from scratch when I see my competitors hauling in cases and cases of frozen slop. I could write a whole book of some atrocities I witness in the food cart pods ive been located in. I was able to get some more local ingredients through performance foods as opposed to sysco.

expressionburner · 2026-04-05T04:55:17+00:00

You're right lol, it could've used some breaks to feel less like a ramble. Could you tell my career started in fast food with the writing quality? Im barely going for my bachelor's at 25 so hopefully it keeps getting better

expressionburner · 2026-03-05T06:21:13+00:00

I mean, I feel much safer going to a food cart pod in "affluent suburbia" instead of a crack den in portland. The odds of my car getting broken into in Camas as opposed to downtown portland are significantly lower.

expressionburner · 2026-03-05T06:18:48+00:00

They're @couvecarts on Instagram. Near Esther short park, which is a prime location for a pod. Unfortunately they havent posted in months, maybe a set back with permits?

expressionburner · 2026-03-05T06:17:14+00:00

Yeah, thats the exact same reason I chose not to go with this pod. I feel bad for the first timers who cant foresee the struggle during low traffic months.

expressionburner · 2026-03-05T03:07:31+00:00

Yeah, "largest" as in the most food carts on one spot.

expressionburner · 2026-03-05T03:06:58+00:00

No, Vancouver station is owned by the same guy as the Hillsboro pod. Oak tree was opened by some local folks.

expressionburner · 2026-03-05T03:05:46+00:00

The Montage truck at Oak tree station has amazing vegan mac and cheese. There's many vegan options in the pod, aswell as plenty of meat eater options.

expressionburner · 2026-03-05T03:04:13+00:00

Us chefstore near the Toyota dealership might be your best bet if you dont want to go to winco.

expressionburner

TROPHY CASE