A sunlit limewash bakery-café with a deep green awning and arched glass doors

Purchasing for restaurants & growing businesses

Grow without selling more.

Every business has room to buy better. We find it in your build-outs, food, packaging and operations, so you can invest more without chasing more sales.

Find your margin →

The margin is in the cup, the box and the build.

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Four places your money leaks.

Results from a multi-location restaurant group, measured against their own earlier costs. Percentages only. Every figure comes from their purchasing records.

01 · Construction
19.9%

Lower build-out cost

Best of three new stores vs. the group's first-store benchmark. The other two came in 19.5% and 11.8% lower.
02 · Food cost
15.6%

Less food cost per sale

Food cost fell from 31.2% to 26.4% of sales in one store in a quarter. Produce sourcing alone ran about 25% cheaper.
03 · Packaging
54%

Lower packaging spend

A custom packaging program in 2024 vs. old unit prices. Bowls came in 46% lower and lids 27% lower.
04 · Operations
32.5%

Lower central-kitchen labour

Twelve months year over year. Kitchen labour went from about 30% of sales to about 11%.
Exploded view of a bakery-café build-out, from closed box to finished room

Build-outs, taken apart

Every layer is a line item.

We quote each layer of the build separately, so none of it gets bundled at list price.

19.5%
Ceiling & finishes · store B
19.9%
Framing & shell · store A
11–13%
Kitchen line · below list
11–13%
Fixtures · below list
11.8%
Seating & fit-out · store C

Store totals are compared with the group's first-store benchmark. Fixtures are compared with supplier list price. The image is an illustration.

Watch a store come together.

A rendering of a typical build, layer by layer. Each layer was bid out on its own, and the figures come from the group's real builds.

Rendering of an empty concrete slab
01

Bare slab

 

Survey, measure and plan the layout before anything is bought.

Rendering for illustration. Percentages are from the group's records.

Build step 1: Bare slab
01 Bare slab
Build step 2: Framing goes up
02 Framing goes up · 19.9%
Build step 3: Drywall & ceiling
03 Drywall & ceiling · 19.5%
Build step 4: Espresso & ovens
04 Kitchen equipment · 12.4%
Build step 5: Counters & display
05 Counters & display · 8.6%
Build step 6: Finishes & seating
06 Finishes & seating · 11.8%
Build step 7: Signage
07 Signage · 23.2%
Build step 8: Opening day
08 Opening day · 54%

How it works

Spend less. Invest the difference.

01

Audit

We go through your invoices, quotes and build budgets. We look at what you pay, not what you sell.

02

Re-source

We split bundles, bid out each layer, and go direct to makers for packaging, fixtures and produce.

03

Reinvest

The margin you get back pays for your next store, a better crew or better food.

Questions.

Do I need to change suppliers?

Not always. Sometimes the data is enough to renegotiate. Other times we bring in an alternative supplier and let them compete.

Is this only for restaurants?

The proof here comes from restaurants. The method works for any business that builds, stocks or ships.

Are the numbers real?

Yes. Every percentage comes from the group's own purchasing and build records, measured against their earlier costs.

What does a review involve?

One call, then a list of your top spend lines and a short report showing where the room is.

Start here

Find the margin you already have.

Book a purchasing review →See the four areas
© 2026 buy/betterResults from a multi-location restaurant group. Your results may differ.