Case Studies

Customer call · Anonymous case story

Restaurant Distributor Prices: Fryer Oil Went From $29.99 to $39.25

Customer-call excerpt. The transcript below is reconstructed from the source words used for this cut.

01 · Direct answer

What to check

Track distributor price increases by comparing the same item, pack size and unit across invoices. In this call, fryer oil is reported to have risen from $29.99 to $39.25 per 35-pound jug. The owner says those changes are hard to notice while running the business.

02 · Method

How to check it in your operation

Compare invoice dates, item codes, pack sizes, quantities and unit prices. Ask your food rep about any unmatched increase and keep their answer with the invoice.

03 · Scope limit

What this clip does not establish

The clip reports a price change but does not provide the underlying invoices or verify a refund. The ketchup example is a hypothetical alert, not a verified price increase.

Related guide

Why is restaurant food cost so high?

Full transcript

Source-reconstructed transcript

Transcript reconstructed from the source words used for this cut. Location labels preserve the video’s anonymization; personal names omitted.

  1. If, if there was a way that you could also send, like, alarm bells every time that we have, "Oh, by the way, ketchup went up by, you know, fourteen percent on the last bill. Just letting you guys know," type of thing.

  2. They got you for about five and a half percent it looks like so far this year.

  3. Um,

  4. so I-

  5. Yeah. And that's so hard for us to notice, right? Because we're so-

  6. Absolutely

  7. heads down with all the other stuff, so.

  8. looks like your fryer oil for every thirty-five pound jug went from $29.99 to $39.25,

  9. um, which is a lot obviously. Um, huge.

  10. Yeah. That's huge. That's huge.

Separate owner conversations

More owner conversations about distributor prices

These are separate calls from the fryer-oil example above. One raises price differences across kitchens; another flags a chicken-price change.

Separate customer call · Episode 05

Different prices across the same group's kitchens

This is a separate owner conversation. Captions are burned into the supplied clip.

What the call discusses

Marty reports different prices for the same products across the owner's kitchens. The owner says that should not be happening. The proposed next step is to ask the distributor about matching prices.

What to check

Compare item codes, pack sizes, invoice dates and purchasing terms across locations. Take matched examples to the food rep and keep the response with the invoices.

Scope limit

The annual spread mentioned in the clip is an estimate. The call does not establish identical purchasing terms, an agreed price change or a credit.

Read the full transcript

Transcript from the supplied clip. Repeated openings retained; redactions and unclear speech marked.

No, that shouldn't, that shouldn't be a thing at all. [distributor] is charging your five kitchens different pricing for the same products, which comes out to about $1,900 a year in spread. Were you aware of the different pricing across the kitchens? No, that shouldn't, that shouldn't be a thing at all. Yeah. So, that would definitely be an easy one just to call them and see if you can get it matched to the lowest common denominator there

Separate customer call · Episode 15

Marty flags a 31% increase in chicken prices

This is a separate owner conversation. Captions are burned into the supplied clip.

What the call discusses

In a separate call, Marty flags a chicken-breast price increase. The discussion turns to where the next order should go.

What to check

Match the item, unit, pack and invoice dates before comparing prices. Check whether the supplier changed, then ask the food rep to explain the difference.

Scope limit

The clip reports a flag, not an invoice-verified overcharge. It does not establish a credit, lower future price or savings. This example is separate from the fryer-oil conversation above.

Read the full transcript

Transcript from the supplied clip. Repeated openings retained; redactions and unclear speech marked.

Chicken went up at [bleep], but it dropped [unclear]. I think your next order needs to go [unclear]. I think that would be good information. It came in essentially at $4.85 a pound when it had previously been, you can see, $3.70 to, call it, $3.68 to $3.86. And so this one flagged, basically a 31% price increase on chicken breasts.

Bring one problem you keep chasing.

Marty connects your systems, finds what needs attention, assigns the next action and checks what changed. With the Marty Operating Team, our people follow up and escalate when things stall. Bring one problem you keep chasing.

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