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clitter-box t1_ixzprwy wrote

What is considered a restaurant supply store?

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xflo11 t1_ixzr3f4 wrote

Restaurant Depot for example.

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BoringNYer t1_ixzzodo wrote

Restaurant depot needs a tax or tax free id

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HursHH t1_iy0s7hk wrote

Your social security number is your tax ID when you are a personal business...

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lumpyspacebear t1_iy0wdx6 wrote

Only in order to make an account with them. Otherwise you can bring your ID to the service desk, they have you sign a waver & you get a one-time pass.

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Robobvious t1_iy14pnu wrote

Is it really one-time or can I go do it again later?

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lumpyspacebear t1_iy16fr1 wrote

You can go again, they just give you a pass only good for the one time on the day you came in. You just have to go through the same process every time.

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Tazwell3 t1_iy2sucs wrote

They need a phone number to connect an existing account. Meaning, give the the phone number to a mexican restaurant near by and they will have all their info. LPT any store that requires a phone number will also have(area code)867-5309 as an account under Jenny.

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guyinnova OP t1_ixzrvjw wrote

Others are correct. I go to Google Maps and search for "restaurant supply store" and you should see them. The pictures should show a functional store, not one with nice displays, it's all sorts of stuff packed into these places usually. Lots of selection, no frills or looks.

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alfiethemog t1_ixztwjn wrote

In the UK, I can highly recommend Nisbets - there's always a range of pricing but I've never bought anything bad there, and it's almost always far more practically designed than consumer-grade equipment.

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gardenpea t1_iy13q7w wrote

Pattersons is another option in the UK, though they have fewer stores.

Nisbets can be useful, but do shop around. While always practical, they can have features that no home user really needs (a range of precisely sized ladles, for instance, useful for portioning ) and it's often cheaper elsewhere, especially when there's not much practical difference in terms of quality (ladles, for instance...)

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ColgateSensifoam t1_iy2uun3 wrote

Nisbets are also one of the few places that will sell you a case of cream chargers no questions asked, and suggest an excellent dispenser to go with them

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Ghstfce t1_iy0yswc wrote

In the US, webstaurantstore.com is a good one. I've gone on there several times for glasses, plates, etc.

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galaxystarsmoon t1_iy1mrng wrote

The shipping cost absolutely sucks though.

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PenroseSun t1_iy20qy1 wrote

It depends where you're shipping to, and if you only order when you're getting a lot of things at once, it's still often worth it, even with shipping. I'd also avoid anything there which ships common carrier.

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galaxystarsmoon t1_iy248wh wrote

The shipping cost goes up the more you order from them.

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PenroseSun t1_iy2a2le wrote

That depends on what you're shipping and how you group it. Importantly, if you're shipping a knife vs. shipping a knife, some toilet paper, some paper towels, a bunch of sponges, and some assorted bulk food, the total amount that shipping is higher for the larger group of stuff is often way less than the amount you're saving cumulatively on all of it. Obviously, be smart and price compare, and take shipping prices into account, but I've been able to get pretty good deals on certain items fairly consistently

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edwin_4 t1_iy2c3bt wrote

Probably not worth it as an individual but their prime cuts all the shipping costs. I use it for my cafe

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galaxystarsmoon t1_iy2zhml wrote

Yeah, as a teeny business, I can't afford $99/month.

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edwin_4 t1_iy3of35 wrote

Fair enough. Though you can always team up with other teenie businesses and split the cost

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snowbellsnblocks t1_iy3lc3w wrote

Yeah this place is great. Sure if you need like two things the shipping probably is not worth it but if you get a bunch of shit it's great. Stop buying shitty sheet pans from regular stores that always buckle. I bought a few from here and they have been bulletproof for years and they are like 10 bucks or something.

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Chuck710Taylor t1_ixzq6s0 wrote

A store that restaurants use to supply themselves. Brick and mortar stores in some areas.

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clitter-box t1_ixzqejo wrote

You don't say :p

I was looking for, idk, "Walmart" or "sam's club" lol

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preggobear t1_ixzvn3m wrote

Where I live there’s a Maxwell but I think that’s limited to the Midwest/tundra region.

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CaptainBitnerd t1_iy1cne2 wrote

At least near me, there are a bunch, but nothing I'd recognize as a national brand. I'd think just googling for "restaurant supply near me" would be fruitful. But check first - some of them near me, at least, do verify that you're a real business.

Also worth checking - there's a "grocery store" that sells just monstrously big packages of everything, and also carries kitchen tools. I'm a bit mystified about what their clientele really is, though. I'd figure the only reason a real restaurant would ever send an employee out to a bricks-and-mortar store on the clock was a phenomenal failure to order their weekly trucked shipment. (But neither have I ever run a restaurant kitchen, so what do I know.)

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UncleGoats t1_iy1ug0i wrote

I worked in a restaurant in Knoxville, TN. We would have to get "emergency veggies" about once every two months, to hold till the truck got in the next day. There was an Asian grocery store about three blocks away that was a life saver. Seemed like every 4-6 months, someone would half to make a 30 minute drive to the Gorden's food service store, as something unexpectedly ran out or something broke.

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FortWendy69 t1_ixzzcd3 wrote

There was a period a couple years back where every restaurant in my area had K-Mart (Australian equivalent of Walmart) bowls and plates.

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BrotherGreed t1_iy0swrz wrote

>K-Mart (Australian equivalent of Walmart)

Fun fact, K Mart also started in the US (assuming it's the same K Mart and not a store with the same name.)

They used to be as plentiful as Wal Marts where I grew up, but in the early 2000s they died out, now there's only a handful left in the world.

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julbull73 t1_iy2ecea wrote

Ironically they bought Sears which was doing really well thanks to craftsmen and their appliances.

Then used it to hide debt and sold off the craftsman label.

Only to bury Sears and Kmart at the same time.

Sears was the best department store you bastards!!!!

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FortWendy69 t1_iy2978g wrote

Yeah I never could figure out if the two companies were officially related.

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LuvCilantro t1_iy0fz0i wrote

We visited China a few years back, and one of the breakfast buffet places had all Ikea dishes (cups, saucers, etc). Maybe the Ikea stuff is made in China, I don't know, but I found it ironic.

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ASK_IF_IM_PENGUIN t1_ixzv511 wrote

No restaurant buys from Walmart unless they want to go bust in three months

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BigHawkSports t1_iy15dze wrote

Just Google Restaurant Supply Store in blank city. They are sometimes general wholesalers, there are chains, mom and pops. They usually all have the same stuff but you can see differences. There is one where I live that's been in continuous operations since like the 40s that has slightly better pricing etc

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