I got turned on to Foodservice Rewards several years ago while working a seasonal chef gig at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One of my fellow chefs had a pile of these yellow Foodservice Rewards stickers in his knife box and I asked him what were they and why did he collect them. Well he told me all the “Good Stuff” he had received from redeeming the stickers.
When the season finished, I moved on to an Executive Chef position with Doubletree Hotels & Suites. I was able to further my knowledge of the allure of Foodservice Rewards by visiting the website and learning about all the amazing products that are involved with the program. I also contacted my sales rep. from Sysco and several food brokers to gather more information.
I compared the “foodservicerewards.com” brands list with my corporate product compliance program and saw numerous opportunities in front of me. I can purchase the necessary products to meet purchasing compliance, run a good food cost, and receive Foodservice Reward as a bonus. The amount of brands and sponsors for food, cleaning products, and services gives a chef many options and selections for purchasing.
A chef is always balancing purchasing, compliance, and cost control. Your food supplier rep. is trying to sell you on their “house “ brand of a certain item. They talk up the benefits of purchasing a “no-name” item versus a national name brand. They do not always tell you that it’s their job to push the “house” brand for their sales contests or job compliance. BUT, when you weigh the benefits of a name brand product plus the benefits of Foodservice Rewards, it just makes sense to go with the quality choice of the selected sponsors and their brands.
The new website is great and so is the variety of rewards you can redeem your points for. I also enjoy the FSR Community and have joined several discussion groups.
Richard Ellman Chef
DNC Sport Service
