Sales among the top 100 FE&S dealers totaled $14.51 billion in 2022, which is up from $11.63 billion in 2021, according to the FE&S 2023 Distribution Giants study. In 2022, sales increased for 95% of dealers within the top 100, compared with 85% last year.
COVID-19 may be slowly fading, but the foodservice industry continues to deal with the ripple effect from the past several years. Pair that with various macroeconomic factors, like inflation and the ongoing speculation as to whether the United States is about to enter another recession, and you have a very dynamic operating environment.
“Everyone was discussing a recession back in the fall, but the truth of it is we had one in the third and fourth quarter of last year. But as for this year, we are not seeing it at the moment,” says David Stafford Jr., president and CEO for Stafford-Smith Inc., a Kalamazoo, Mich.-based dealership. “It is more regionalized. Look at the states where people are leaving and where people are going.”
Exactly how these issues affect a dealership will depend on a variety of factors, including scope of business, geographies served, size of the dealership and more. “There is no normal, and I don’t like using the term new normal because that’s not where we are. We just have to look at what today brings and deal with it — and then do the same tomorrow. We have to do that, and that’s what our customers are dealing with too,” explains Michael DeSatnik, CEO for Dean Supply Co., a Cleveland-based dealer. “For established businesses with long track records, this has forced them to take a look at the way they do things and reorganize some aspects of their businesses. If they have not done that, they are probably really hurting.”
Take, for example, inflation. “It’s definitely been challenging across the board. In terms of really trying to navigate inflation and trying to get the right products for our customers, there was a lot of juggling that had to be done,” notes DeSatnik, whose company serves mainly independent operators. “A lot of times we had to switch vendors to get our customers the right product at a price point they can afford. We did whatever we could possibly do to lessen the burden.”
Although most dealers agree things have tempered somewhat over the past year, the supply chain remains an issue that still receives a lot of their time and attention. “Even though we’ve had a lot of growth the past 18 months, it’s been difficult doing business,” says Mike Kennedy, principal, C&T Design & Equipment Co., an Indianapolis-based dealer. “We’ve had to carry twice as much inventory as we normally have. We used to bring in items 60 days in advance, but there’s been so much variation on the supply chain side, we had to bring items in 6 to 8 months early.”
This new approach to purchasing affects dealers in several ways. “A year ago, we started working with our customers to place purchase orders because lead times had grown. We have to work harder and faster to get product,” says Brad Wasserstrom, president of The Wasserstrom Company, a Columbus, Ohio-based dealer. “If you are a stocking dealer, you have to work farther in advance to avoid an outage, and you have to carry more. Fryers were one of the first mass scale items where lead times went haywire. So, we started talking to our customers and placing blanket orders because we know you can’t open a burger store or a chicken concept without a fryer. On top of that, you have price increases. You know you are going to buy it for more, and it’s not even on your dock yet. And then you are carrying higher inventory, and it costs you more to carry it.”
The need to carry higher inventory levels means some dealers need to augment their infrastructure. “We had to rent additional warehouse space across five offices. At our headquarters, we have about 100,000 square feet of warehouse space — and until now — never had an issue filling it,” Kennedy notes. “So we had to rent additional space, and our warehouse expense went up.”
Product lead times also impact project timelines. “Whatever item on a job has the longest lead time will dictate the time of the project,” Wasserstrom explains. “Then, you have to layer in everything behind that, and that will determine the cost of the project. We did not have to worry about that when the lead times were six weeks and the interest rates were so much lower. For us, dealing with some of these challenges has been a little easier because of who we work with and our relationships with our customers. We know their plans. If you are a dealer who does not work with customers that can look that far ahead, you will have a problem.”
2022 Rank | COMPANY | ANNUAL ES SALES THIS YEAR (2022) (in millions) | ANNUAL ES SALES LAST YEAR (2021) (in millions) | # of Salespeople (inside & outside) | BUYING GROUP | |
1 | Clark Associates Inc., Lancaster, Pa. H36%, L7%, SW10%, T9%, P/D22%, J11%, F5% | $3,241.00 | $2,596.59 | 478 | CPG | |
2 | TriMark USA Inc., Mansfield, Mass. H64%, L6%, SW11%, T5%, P/D11%, J1%, F2% | $2,200.00 | $1,705.00 | 863 | ABC, NexGen, Network | |
3 | Edward Don & Co., Woodridge, Ill. H26%, L4%, SW23%, T24%, P/D15%, J6%, F2% | $1,294.24 | $1,002.00 | 304 | NexGen | |
4 | Singer Equipment Co., Elverson, Pa. H68%, L5%, SW7%, T5%, P/D11%, J4% | $699.46 | $490.82** | 165 | ABC, NexGen, Network | |
5 | Wasserstrom Co., Columbus, Ohio H25%, L15%, SW34%, T15%, P/D5%, J5%, F1% | $652.00 | $537.00 | 250 | NexGen | |
6 | KaTom Restaurant Supply Inc., Kodak, Tenn H30%, L30%, SW10%, T20%, J5%, F5% | $421.75 | $357.58 | 66 | ABC, IFED | |
7 | Bargreen Ellingson Inc., Tacoma, Wash.H37%, L12%, SW19%, T11%, P/D13%, J5%, F3% | $391.00 | $305.00 | 265 | ABC, NexGen | |
8 | Boelter, Waukesha, Wis. H65%, L1%, SW7%, T10%, P/D15.5%, J.5%, F1% | $367.60 | $297.00* | 135 | ABC, Network, NexGen | |
9 | Johnson-Lancaster & Associates Inc., Clearwater, Fla.H50%, L25%, SW16%, T2%, J2%, F5% | $355.00 | $268.90 | 120 | SEFA | |
10 | Stafford-Smith Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich. H90%, L10% | $325.79 | $269.25 | 100 | CPG, ISE, XYZ | |
11 | Supplies on the Fly, Kennesaw, Ga. H16%, L12%, SW30%, T35%, P/D3%,J3%, F1% | $247.00 | $205.70 | 66 | SEFA | |
12 | Central Restaurant Products, Indianapolis H65%, L14%, SW11%, T3%, J3%, F4% | $165.50 | $143.00 | 62 | ABC, IFED | |
13 | CT Design & Equipment Co., Indianapolis H80%, L15%, SW2%, F3% | $159.00 | $111.00 | 55 | SEFA | |
14 | TundraFMP Restaurant Supply, Boulder, Colo. | $155.69 | $146.84 | 32 | SEFA | |
15 | Ace Mart Restaurant Supply, San Antonio, Texas H25%, L17%, SW26%, T10%, P/D8%, J10%, F4% | $151.32 | $137.60 | 88 | ABC, IFED | |
16 | Mission Restaurant Supply Company, San Antonio H75%, L16%, SW4%, T2%, P/D1%, J1%, F1% | $145.03 | $112.38 | 77 | CPG, XYZ | |
17 | Culinary Depot, Spring Valley, N.Y. H44%, L20%, SW18%, T8%, J5%, F5% | $141.50 | $111.00 | 50 | SEFA | |
18 | Innovative Foodservice Group, Tampa, Fla | $127.20* | $108.72* | n/a | ABC, IFED | |
19 | Action Sales, Monterey Park, Calif. H63%, L20%, SW11%, T3%, J3% | $121.00 | $104.00 | 55 | SEFA | |
20 | Hubert Co., Harrison, Ohio | $120.30 | $98.60** | n/a | ABC, IFED | |
21 | Concept Services Inc., Austin, Texas | $116.97* | $99.97* | n/a | CPG | |
22 | Duray/JF Duncan Industries/Baring Industries, Vernon, Calif. H92%, L6%, SW2% | $111.38 | $103.00 | 14 | CPG | |
23 | Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co., Southfield, Mich. H70%, L10%, SW10%, T5%, P/D5% | $111.00 | $82.50 | 27 | SEFA | |
24 | The Sam Tell Companies, Farmingdale, N.Y. | $110.23* | $94.22* | n/a | ABC, IFED | |
25 | East Bay Rest. Supply Inc., Oakland, Calif. | $108.25* | $92.52* | n/a | CPG | |
26 | Hotel & Restaurant Supply, Meridian, Miss. H60%, L14%, SW15%, T5%, P/D1%, J2%, F3% | $102.59 | $89.35 | 42 | ABC, NexGen | |
27 | Arizona Restaurant Supply, Tucson, Ariz. H71%, L10%, SW12%, T3%, P/D1%, J1%, F2% | $100.00 | $64.00 | 35 | SEFA | |
28 | Kamran & Co. Inc., Santa Barbara, Calif. H85%, L15% | $88.08 | $61.44 | 9 | SEFA | |
29 | Aydelott Equipment, Centerville, Ohio H30%, SW40%, F30% | $83.20 | $70.30 | 15 | ||
30 | Mobile Fixture & Equipment Co., Mobile, Ala. H65%, L18%, SW5%, T7%, F5% | $71.88 | $52.83 | 29 | CPG, XYZ | |
31 | Douglas Equipment, Bluefield, W.V. H70%, L22%, SW86, T1%, F1% | $69.39 | $56.47 | 30 | ABC, IFED | |
32 | General Hotel and Restaurant Supply, Miami | $59.54* | $50.89* | n/a | ABC, IFED | |
33 | Amundsen Commercial Kitchens, Oklahoma City H74%, L23%, SW2%, F1% | $58.57 | $39.48 | 10 | IFED | |
34 | Fortier Inc., Conway, Ark. | $56.53* | $48.32* | n/a | NAFED | |
35 | L&M Foodservice, Bullhead City, Ariz. H5%, L5%, SW5%, T3%, P/D10%, J69%, F3% | $55.00 | $57.00 | 20 | AFFLINK, PRIDE | |
36 | Cresco Resco, Fresno, Calif. | $54.39* | $46.49* ** | n/a | NAFED | |
37 | Avanti Restaurant Solutions, Costa Mesa, Calif. H70%, L20%, F10% | $53.47 | $35.34 | 6 | CPG | |
38 | B&G Restaurant Supply Inc., Pittsfield, Mass. H60%, L15%, SW10%, T10%, P/D1%, J1%, F3% | $50.50 | $46.80 | 21 | SEFA | |
39 | Ford Hotel Supply Co. Inc., St. Louis | $49.96* | $42.70* | n/a | ABC, IFED | |
40 | Burkett Restaurant Equipment, Perryburg, Ohio H70%, L15.3, SW13%, T.6%, PD.1%, J.5%, F.4% | $48.21 | $37.16 | 17 | CPG, XYZ | |
41 | Zesco, Indianapolis | $47.64* | $40.72* | n/a | ||
42 | The Warehouse Store Fixture Company, Waterbury, Conn. H50%, L25%, SW10%, T10%, F5% | $45.05 | $42.95 | 14 | CPG, XYZ | |
43 | Birmingham Restaurant Supply Inc.(BRESCO), Birmingham, Ala. H72%, L8%, SW14%, T3%, P/D1%, J1% F1% | $41.65 | $37.06 | 15 | ABC, IFED | |
44 | Penn Jersey Paper Company dbs PJP, Philadelphia H60%, L10%, SW20%, T7%, F3% | $40.00 | $30.50** | 75 | SEFA | |
45 | Supreme Fixture Co. Inc., Little Rock, Ark. | $39.57* | $33.82* | n/a | SEFA | |
46 | IFE Group/SCRDG, Encitas, Calif. H75%, L15%, SW10% | $39.47 | $30.37 | 10 | SEFA | |
47 | State Restaurant Equipment Co., Las Vegas H10%, L5%, SW24%, T60%, J1% | $38.39 | $30.54 | 13 | SEFA | |
48 | Gradys, Pueblo, Colo. H50%, L20%, SW20%, T5%, P/D1%, J1%, F3% | $38.35 | $32.50 | 13 | SEFA | |
49 | Cook’s Direct, Warrenville, Ill. H60%, L6%, SW30%, T2%, P/D2% | $38.12 | $32.05 | 11 | SEFA | |
50 | Kirby Restaurant Supply, Longview, Texas H44%, L4%, SW6%, T2%, J43%, F1% | $38.00 | $32.00 | 30 | SEFA | |
51 | Curtis Restaurant Equipment Inc., Springfield, Ore. H74%, L7%, SW17%, T1%, J.5%, F.5% | $37.53 | $33.27 | 13 | SEFA | |
52 | Dykes Foodservice Solutions, Inc., Huntsville, Ala. H50%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F10% | $36.30 | $29.10 | 22 | ABC, IFED | |
53 | ACityDiscount, Norcross, Ga. | $35.21* | $30.10 | n/a | NAFED | |
54 | Rapids Wholesale Equipment, Marion, Iowa H70%, L18%, SW5%, T4%, F3% | $34.63 | $28.43 | 16 | CPG, XYZ | |
55 | Restaurant and Store Equipment Co., Salt Lake City | $33.89* | $28.97* | n/a | ABC, IFED | |
56 | Boston Showcase Co., Newton Highlands, Mass. H30%, L20%, SW15%, T15%, P/D 5%, J5%, F10% | $33.00 | $27.00 | 11 | SEFA | |
57 | Best Restaurant Equipment & Design Inc., Columbus, Ohio H50%, L20%, SW15%, T5%, F10% | $31.90 | $27.00 | n/a | SEFA | |
58 | Alto-Hartley Inc., Alexandria, Va. H70%, L15%, SW10%, T3%, J1%, F1% | $31.45 | $21.90 | 14 | NAFED | |
59 | W. West Equipment & Furnishings Co., Denver H90%, L10% | $31.37 | $30.52 | 11 | SEFA | |
60 | Associated Food Equipment and Supplies Inc, Gulfport, Miss. H60%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, F5% | $30.23 | $19.14 | 27 | SEFA | |
61 | Manning Bros. Food Service Equip. Co. Inc., Athens, Ga. H50%, L20%, SW20%, T3%, P/D2%, J5% | $29.00 | $26.80 | 21 | SEFA | |
62 | Culinex, Fargo, N.D. H55%, L11%, SW18%, P/D1%, J2%, F5% | $27.32 | $26.77 | 10 | SEFA | |
63 | Restaurant Equipment World, Orlando, Fla. H60%, L15%, SW5%, T5%, P/D5%, J5%, F5% | $27.29 | $24.55 | 31 | SEFA | |
64 | Kitchen Equipment & Supply Company (KESCO), Pensacola, Fla. H58%, L15%, SW25%, F2% | $27.15 | $20.54 | 26 | SEFA | |
65 | Horizon Equipment, Eagan, Minn. H68%, L23%, SW6%, J1%, F2% | $27.12 | $18.70 | 7 | SEFA | |
66 | Oswalt Restaurant Supply, Oklahoma City H75%, L16%, SW4%, T2%, J1%, F2% | $24.81 | $22.02 | 11 | SEFA | |
67 | United Restaurant Equipment Company, Raleigh, N.C. H45%, L18%, SW20%, T5%, P/D2%, J5%, F5% | $24.78 | $21.39 | 15 | CPG, XYZ | |
68 | Breckenridge Kitchen Equipment & Design, Huron, Ohio H90%, L8%, F2% | $24.31 | $20.13 | 8 | SEFA | |
69 | Budget Restaurant Supply, Houston H50%, L15%, SW15%, T10%, J8%, F2% | $21.40 | $17.20 | 7 | SEFA | |
70 | Buller Fixture Co./Sunflower Restaurant Supply Co., Omaha, Neb. H65%, L15%, SW10%, T5%, F5% | $21.32 | $10.20 | 12 | SEFA | |
71 | Gold Star Products, Oak Park, Mich. H35%, L15%, SW20%, T20%, P/D5%, J3%, F2% | $20.00 | $15.00 | 14 | SEFA | |
72 | E. Friedman Associates, Jacksonville, Fla. | $19.94* | $17.04* | n/a | NAFED | |
73 | Lace Foodservice Corporation, Miami H87%, L3%, SW2%, T2%, P/D4%, J1%, F1% | $19.87 | $18.67 | 6 | NAFED | |
74 | Jean’s Restaurant Supply, Corpus Christi, Texas H50%, L10%, SW25%, T5%, J5%, F5% | $19.80 | $19.00 | 26 | SEFA | |
75 | Commercial Kitchen Supply, Centerville, Utah H70%, L20%, SW5%, F5% | $19.36 | $17.14 | n/a | PRIDE | |
76 | Deacon Foodservice Solutions LLC, Charlotte, N.C. H79%, L7%, SW9%, F5% | $18.98 | $15.95 | 6 | PRIDE | |
77 | Atlas Restaurant Supply, South Bend, Ind. H15%, L15%, SW15%, T15%, P/D25%, J10%, F5% | $18.62 | $14.58 | 21 | NAFED | |
78 | Dean Supply Co., Cleveland H7%, L5%, SW8%, T8%, P/D57%, J15% | $18.50 | $18.00 | 11 | PRIDE, TUG | |
79 | Serv-U, Champaign, Ill. | $18.00 | $16.00 | n/a | SEFA | |
80 | International Restaurant Distributors, Apoka, Fla. H70%, L10%, SW8%, T2%, F10% | $17.87 | $15.54 | 8 | NAFED | |
81 | Roses Equipment and Supply | $17.83* | $15.24 | n/a | PRIDE | |
82 | Bar Boy Products Co. Inc., Farmingdale, N.Y. H30%, L8%, SW25%, T12%, P/D15%, J5%, F5% | $17.52 | $16.91 | 19 | NAFED, United Group | |
83 | MAP Restaurant Supplies, Newark, N.J. H50%, L9%, SW14%, T7%, P/D10%, J7%, F3% | $16.94 | $11.21 | 7 | NAFED | |
84 | Alack Culinary, Hammond, La. | $16.85* | $14.40* | n/a | CPG, XYZ | |
85 | Economy Restaurant Equipment & Supply Co., San Marcos, Calif. H65%, L25%, SW5%, F5% | $16.34 | $15.81 | 11 | SEFA | |
86 | Carnegie Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, Altoona, PA | $16.26* | $13.90* | n/a | NAFED | |
87 | MPM Food Equipment Group, Inc., Wheeling, Ill. H99%, L1% | $15.92 | $13.77 | 10 | PRIDE | |
88 | Curtis Restaurant Supply, Tulsa, Okla. H50%, L17%, SW23%, T6%, P/D1%, J2%, F1% | $15.85 | $16.37 | 11 | NAFED | |
89 | USA Equipment Direct, Peachtree Corner, GA H60%, L10% SW10%, T10%, J5%, F5% | $15.50 | $14.98 | 10 | PRIDE | |
90 | FRS Inc, Charleston, S.C. H57%, L10%, SW18%, T3%, P/D2%, J7%, F3% | $14.70 | $12.60 | 16 | NAFED | |
91 | Trendco Supply Inc., Batavia, Ohio H15%, L6%, SW5%, T3%, P/D60%, J6%, F5% | $14.65 | $19.11 | 16 | EXCELL | |
92 | Harbour Food Service Equipment Inc., Chelsea, Mass. H55%, L8%, SW9%, T22%, P/D1%, J1%, F4% | $14.50 | $12.20 | 8 | SEFA | |
93 | Castino Restaurant Equipment & Supply Inc., Rohnert Park, Calif. H54.6%, L23%, SW10.8%, T6.5%, P/D.1%, J2.5%, F2.5% | $14.30 | $9.33 | 8 | PRIDE | |
94 | DEI Foodservice Equipment & Design, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. H70%, L25%, F5% | $13.90 | $12.28 | 10 | PRIDE | |
95 | Consolidated Food Equipment Distributors LLC (CFED), Akron, Ohio H85%, L10%, F5% | $13.61 | $15.27 | 12 | EXCELL | |
96 | Curran-Taylor Inc., Canonsburg, Pa. H66%, L11%, SW22%, T1% | $12.54 | $9.46 | 14 | PRIDE | |
97 | Elite Restaurant Equipment, Newark, N.J. H78%, L10%, SW4%, T3%, J1%, F4% | $10.50 | $10.00 | 5 | ||
98 | Hotel Supply Warehouse, Deerfield Beach, Fla. H50%, L15%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F5% | $10.22 | $10.70 | 5 | PRIDE | |
99 | The Kitchen Guys, New Orleans H75%, L20%, F5% | $6.00 | $5.90 | 2 | ISE, NAFED | |
100 | A-Tex Restaurant Supply, San Angleo, Texas H50%, L15%, SW12%, T10%, P/D1%, J4%, F8% | $5.87 | $5.38 | 6 | PRIDE |