Restaurant Vendor Price Comparison
Restaurant vendor price comparison only works per unit, so this free calculator turns each supplier's pack size and case price into a price per pound, kilo or piece. Type the packs the way the price list writes them, like 4/10 LB or 10/36 CT, add what you use in a week, and see which supplier is cheaper on every item and what splitting the order saves.
Free, no signup. It runs in your browser.
Compare two suppliers per unit
| Item | Use per week | A · Pack | A · Price | B · Pack | B · Price | Per unit | Cheaper | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A $2.29/lbB $2.45/lb | Supplier A · 6.5% less |
Example: Supplier A's prices come from the sample distributor price list we use in the app tutorials; Supplier B is a made-up quote to show the maths. Billed per pound? Type 1 LB as the pack. The cheaper per unit is not always the cheaper order: cases round up, and delivery minimums and fees count too.
How to compare food distributor prices fairly
- Per unit, not per case. A 4/10 LB case and a 1/40 LB case are both 40 lb; a 10/36 CT case is 360 tortillas. Only the price per pound, kilo or piece compares.
- Catch weight. Meat is often billed per pound at the actual weight, so compare the price per pound.
- Same spec. Grade, trim and count size change what you get. 60-count avocados are smaller fruit than 48-count, so per piece they can only look cheaper.
- The whole order. Delivery minimums, fees, order days and payment terms decide whether splitting the order is worth it.
- Your top items first. The 20 or 30 items you buy most make up most of the bill. Compare those every time prices change.
Sysco vs US Foods prices
There is no public Sysco vs US Foods price list to compare. Broadline distributors price each customer account on its own, so the price you get depends on your account. The fair test: ask both for a quote on your most-bought items, in the same pack sizes and specs, and run the quotes through the calculator above. The items you buy every week decide the answer, not the catalogue.
Guru plan · free trial included
Put whole price lists in the app
Typing quotes works for a few items. For the whole list, upload each supplier's price list to FoodTechGuru for iPhone as a CSV or Excel file. The AI matches every line to your ingredients and works out its price per kilo, so your cost cards use what you really pay. In our tutorial run, all 79 lines of a distributor's list were added.
Guru only: with two or more supplier lists in the app, Compare vendors sets two suppliers side by side for a menu's ingredients, marks what one of them doesn't carry, and totals each in whole packs.
- CSV or Excel (.xlsx) price lists, up to 5 MB
- Up to 4 suppliers on the Guru plan
- 50 credits per price list, refunded if the upload fails
- iPhone today, Android coming
Vendor price comparison FAQ
Is the vendor price comparison calculator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no signup, and nothing you type leaves the page.
What does a pack like 4/10 LB mean?
Four 10-pound packs in one case, so 40 lb. 10/36 CT is ten packs of 36, so 360 pieces. The calculator reads both ways of writing a pack.
Per pound or per kilo?
Either. Switch between US and metric units at the top of the calculator; the cheaper supplier stays the same.
How do I compare catch-weight meat?
Catch-weight items are billed per pound at the actual weight. Type 1 LB as the pack and the price per pound.
Which is cheaper, Sysco or US Foods?
There is no public answer: both price each customer account on its own. Ask both for a quote on your most-bought items and compare them per unit here.
Can an app compare whole supplier price lists?
FoodTechGuru for iPhone reads CSV or Excel price lists on the Guru plan (the free trial included), matches every line to your ingredients and shows the price per kilo. With two or more lists, its Compare vendors view sets two suppliers side by side for a menu. PDF and photo price lists are not supported. See recipe costing with supplier prices.
Ordering from both? The free restaurant order guide template turns par levels into cases to order per supplier.
Know who's cheaper, item by item
The calculator is free. Whole price lists go in the app.
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