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News & Current Events Mar 31, 2026 at 12:21 PM

US food giant Sysco strikes $29 billion deal for catering supplier Restaurant Depot

Posted by LongLiveRock_n_Roll

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Rot-Orkan Mar 31, 2026 +573
I'm so f****** sick of giant companies buying out other giant companies. Without regulation the inevitable result is just one single giant company that owns everything.
573
peloquindmidian Mar 31, 2026 +136
And, what they tend to do is take the top SKUs and ditch what doesn't sell up to a certain number. It completely destroys the character of the thing they just took over.
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What_Iz_This Mar 31, 2026 +106
i work in logistics and delivering to these food warehouses is a f****** nightmare. cutthroat delivery appointments, as in if you're 10 mins early, congrats, youre on time. sit in a holding area for 3 hours and wait for a dock. ok now once you get a dock, unload your own pallet. it could be one pallet, it could be 20 pallets doesnt matter. heres a sheet showing how they stock things in the warehouse. the shipper shipped a pallet of salt weighing 3k+ lbs 20 cartons high? that sucks, we can only stock them 3 cartons high, let us know when you get done breaking that pallet down into 7 smaller pallets. oh, 2 hours later youre done? cool, we need a checker to sign off on the process and hes tied up for another hour. if your 5 mins late dont bother, turn around and go home. doesnt matter if you operate with drivers being paid by the hour or by the mile or by the load, theyre all being fucked. but some shitty salesman somewhere signed off on this to make a quick buck, and they want to know why a small terminal thats already stretched way past thin might hold off on delivering a shipment for days/weeks at a time. i wish people knew more about the intricacies of all this shit. its why your amazon arrives later than expected, your pharmacies are out of stock, your grocery stores dont carry certain things, the list goes on and on. its all tied back to the super powerful CEOs making enough money for a 6th yacht. buy up everything, trim the "fat," watch revenue go up, and let the peasants fight amongst themselves
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meikawaii Mar 31, 2026 +45
Well said, all this “just in time” logistics chain globally really is a cancer. When PE conglomerates trim the “fat” they usually aren’t really trimming anything, but destroying redundancy and backup to line their own pockets. Then offload the risks and tasks by increasing friction in every step downstream for the actual workers. This cancer has basically spread and taken root in every industry, it’s a totally fucked situation.
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What_Iz_This Mar 31, 2026 +9
im just a mindless zombie working for a big corporation just like the next guy. i just hate every aspect of it. its trucking, its about as blue collar as it gets. it was the first job willing to hire me on a somewhat livable salary so i took it, but i was hired because i was college educated and knew how to use a computer and talk to people. the problem is, they send you off to these classes that gas up the company and tell you why what we do is important and we need to do right by the customer. its impossible to do right by the customer when youre constantly taking away tools from us and adding extra hurdles into everything we do. we need to make appointments and stick to them for everything commercial and residential. but we're taking away your office help so 70% of the day is spent on the phone getting yelled at by customers who ordered something last minute and its shutting down a production line. well, your strict delivery hours keep us from making the delivery, and your CEO is banning any sort of overtime so its important enough to keep a production line up and running, but not important enough to pay some guy a few extra pennies to make sure its received on the day you need it..? you cant have your cake and eat it too. 3PLs have been around much longer than i have been in the industry. hire a 3PL to take care of all your logistics needs. all these 3PL companies open call centers overseas and pay people pennies to literally harass shipping companies on pickups and deliveries. its absurd. i literally just told a shipper yesterday that we couldnt make a delivery because the residential customer lived on a busy highway on a curve. driver cannot safely back into their driveway to deliver their freight. customer was (rightfully) not willing to block off traffic for the driver to get to him. 10 mins later the 3PL calls me, i explain the same thing to him, his response was "so what are you going to do to remedy the situation?" i just laughed, "sir if i knew how to remedy traffic i wouldnt still be working in this industry." crazy stuff. so now this customer gets to pay an extra $176 for a company with the right equipment to pickup the shipment from us and get it to the customer. all because a 3PL plugged some zip codes into some software and found the cheapest shipper to pickup and deliver. attention to detail be damned, let those mfers on the end figure it out.
9
SeanThatGuy Mar 31, 2026 +29
It drives me crazy how companies been able to acquire so many companies but they keep the name. And go well we’re just the parent company. How have we gotten to a point where the vast majority of things are owned by a handful of people. They can manipulate everything around us from what we eat , to what we see, and what we hear.
29
red23011 Mar 31, 2026 +9
We've been speed running Idiocracy. The only thing left is to rebrand the company as Brawndo.
9
Entire_Month9233 Mar 31, 2026 +2
John Spartan, all restaurants are Taco Bell.
2
SanDiegoDude Apr 1, 2026 +2
Ah Taco Bell, the w***** of the fast food wars. Fine dining!
2
thepianoman456 Mar 31, 2026 +7
Our current admin has been super pro-monopolies so far. It’s insane that Trump openly and blatantly sided with Paramount taking over HBO, but when Netflix wanted it he cried afoul. The corruption in America is off the charts rn.
7
Stunning-Crazy8400 Mar 31, 2026 +2
We all learned this a century ago with oil industries but decided that Reaganomics were better for whatever reason
2
LordHammercyWeCooked Mar 31, 2026 +2
We have all these laws on the books that are designed to fight this. This is what happens when nobody wants to enforce the damn rules. We can pass all the bills we want, but we can't have any positive progress when there's widespread regulatory capture and CORRUPTION.
2
jeffscience Apr 1, 2026 +1
I got my law degree from Costco.
1
jainyday Apr 1, 2026 +1
Exactly what "unlimited growth forever" cancerous neoliberalism looks like, and we've been enjoying 50+ years of it.
1
18voltbattery Mar 31, 2026 +1460
Oof this is likely a raw deal for consumers everywhere. Sysco will effectively control distribution to most American restaurants.
1460
chucchinchilla Mar 31, 2026 +428
Already does along with Performance Food Group and US Foods.
428
cornballerburns Mar 31, 2026 +133
Which were also in discussions about a merger late last year…wonder if those talks get rehashed
133
manachar Mar 31, 2026 +123
The book, Enshitification by Cory Doxtorow, digs into how industries have mostly all turned into a cabal of a handful of really big companies. These cabals then begin the process of making things worse every year.
123
xX420GanjaWarlordXx Mar 31, 2026 +42
I feel like farmers and other vendors could genuinely file a class action lawsuit. Because you know they're gonna pay less and less every year for the supply. 
42
manachar Mar 31, 2026 +45
Farmers hurt by this don’t have h to e money to fight this. Big farmers and vendors do well with cozy deals that create consolidation in their industry. Enshitification is like a prion disease. Everything it touches becomes like it.
45
RuthlessMango Mar 31, 2026 +27
Unfortunately the federalist society has spent the last 65 years bribing most judges, so good luck getting a ruling in your favor.
27
Comfortable-Bug7202 Mar 31, 2026 +4
Most farming is corporations now too
4
theuncleiroh Mar 31, 2026 +17
If only a German guy wrote about this very tendency and why it was innate to the laws of capitalism 150 years ago. We could've stopped this whole thing before the ones who benefit from it captured the whole of society!
17
Big-Permission1243 Mar 31, 2026 +36
Not to mention Us Foods bought Cash and Carry which is essentially the same thing as RD and rebranded them as Chef Stores. Wouldn’t be surprised if Sysco is doing this after what they saw US foods do.
36
No_Pound1003 Mar 31, 2026 +9
As someone who has worked with these vendors for years, the service is abysmal, but effect are you going to do, they are literally the only game in town.
9
xX420GanjaWarlordXx Mar 31, 2026 +105
Why the f*** are we not enforcing anti-trust laws
105
18voltbattery Mar 31, 2026 +83
Someone donated to the ballroom?
83
TailRudder Apr 1, 2026 +5
Hate to break it to you but it hasn't been just one bad administration that's responsible for this. 
5
halucigens Mar 31, 2026 +20
Sysco already got hit 10 years ago with anti trust when they tried to buy US Foods. 
20
R3D4F Apr 1, 2026 +5
These are the lawmakers.
5
ProofByVerbosity Mar 31, 2026 +57
They nearly do as it is. But really what's the difference since 70% of chain restaurants basically have the same menu. 
57
NoEmu5969 Mar 31, 2026 +66
It’s like iHeart Radio for food.
66
qzdotiovp Mar 31, 2026 +4
Lol. We just used iHeart Radio today for the first time, and I was like "Didn't we just hear this song?"
4
axonxorz Mar 31, 2026 +11
My family have been avoiding the chains for around a year now. It's wild how obvious some kitchens have just become "reheat packets [X], [Q] and add sauce [Y]" factories... and _still_ can't even have a meets-expectations dining experience. Wonder why business is down lmao.
11
ProofByVerbosity Mar 31, 2026 +7
I worked in kitchens for years, various types. And yeah even a lot of places that arent chains but are generic family restaurants, pubs, whatever. They are likely gettjng thier supplies from Cisco like everyone else and rhe processes often involve microwaves and deep fryers. Sure, some things are made in house, but the recipes are pretty generic because the dishes are too. I think part of not meeting expectations is because the product itself is microwaved whatever but also the cooks probably dont care because there's no inspiration or decent conditions. They are microwaving garbage for minimum wage.
7
PreparationFit6327 Mar 31, 2026 +8
Hate to break it to ya, but large majority of non chain restaurants also use Sysco or US foods
8
Metrofball52 Mar 31, 2026 +58
It’s turning into who can reheat Sysco the best
58
xiviajikx Mar 31, 2026 +28
Honestly I hate this narrative not because it is partially true but because the real problem is the monopoly they have over distribution of pretty much everything. One guy made some sensational video about Sysco and everyone’s takeaway was a bunch of restaurants use frozen food to diversify their menu. Meanwhile the real issue is their monopoly. Going forward the public will associate the issues with Sysco being frozen food, which won’t ever change, and then allows them to further monopolize the industry like they are doing with this acquisition. You’ve all been played.
28
axonxorz Mar 31, 2026 +13
> and then allows them to further monopolize the industry like they are doing with this acquisition. You’ve all been played. The assertion that public sentiment affects SysCo's M&A strategy is a bit silly. How did the narrative "allow" them to monopolize, or alternatively, how would public pushback on this have "prevented" them from doing it? This is a regulator concern, individual restaurants and conglomerate chains can't even move the needle here.
13
Vives_solo_una_vez Mar 31, 2026 +2
I can't imagine Sysco getting too much higher of a market share than what they currently have. Their national market share is 40%. PFG at 32% and US Foods at 19%. They've done a good job at making their brand associated with food distribution that people think they are more dominant than they really are. The industry is just way to competitive for one to eat up all the rest without owning them and we've already seen how that's gone. And as much as I can't stand Sysco, the idea that everything from Sysco is pre-made frozen is incredibly inaccurate. You can be a scratch made restaurant and order 100% from sysco or any of the other major distributors. It's like saying people who shop at the same grocery store all make the same food.
2
Coldsmoke888 Mar 31, 2026 +20
This is the way in the US. Consolidate and monopolize industries to maximize shareholder value.
20
TheDukeofArgyll Mar 31, 2026 +8
Jokes on them, I can’t afford to eat at restaurants anymore.
8
Neversoft4long Mar 31, 2026 +2
Do they not already? I have never seen a non Sysco truck delivering to a place lmao
2
18voltbattery Mar 31, 2026 +9
They do, for places that order their supplies and food. Restaurant Depot is like Home Depot for restaurants - you go grab your own stuff (though they technically offer deliver just like Home Depot). The restaurant sends folks to pick what they need and bring it - think family owned business and mom and pop shops. This includes supplies and food. They and GFS Gordan(spelling?) Foods are the only real commercial focused outlets that do this. Some Costco centers might qualify as well. But if RD gets absorbed it’s almost certainly not going to be good for restaurants who used RD as an alternative to Sysco
9
JonBoy82 Mar 31, 2026 +1
Southern Wine & Spirits
1
Quinoawithrice Mar 31, 2026 +1
God and food has dramatically gone down hill because of Sysco.
1
EstablishmentFull797 Mar 31, 2026 +1
Unilever just bought McCormick too
1
TheDamus647 Mar 31, 2026 +648
So much for anti-monopoly laws
648
BigRoach Mar 31, 2026 +196
Soon we’ll all work for, and shop at, the single company store.
196
MissedApex Mar 31, 2026 +78
All restaurants are Taco Bell
78
captainwizeazz Mar 31, 2026 +19
As long as it's the fancy ones from demolition man.
19
Irregular_Person Mar 31, 2026 +14
fancy tablecloths, but still the same 5 ingredients in different permutations
14
Rich-Pomegranate1679 Mar 31, 2026 +4
No. Unlike Demolition Man, where it's all vegetarian, our current admin will require each ingredient to be beef.
4
BigRoach Mar 31, 2026 +6
I’ll be down in the sewers eating rat burger and smoking illegal, illicit tobacco cigarettes.
6
LordHammercyWeCooked Mar 31, 2026 +3
Beef-like product. Technically there's enough cow in it to be called beef as long as nobody happens to drop by the warehouse where it's being processed.
3
Foreign_Impress6535 Mar 31, 2026 +12
Buy'n'Large!
12
okwellactually Mar 31, 2026 +3
Beat me to it. It's amazing how many parts of that movie are coming true. The scene where the rocket blasts through all the satellites around earth comes to mind.
3
Wouldwoodchuck Mar 31, 2026 +4
America store! For American, buy American, not by American… oh, wait
4
ilike2makemoney Mar 31, 2026 +3
I owe my soul to the company store 🎶
3
tunabomber Mar 31, 2026 +8
We need to resurrect Teddy Roosevelt.
8
throwawaykayaker Mar 31, 2026 +5
We have Lina Khan. We need to elevate that woman.
5
Mathfanforpresident Mar 31, 2026 +4
You know, I think these rich people have forgotten that civility is a two-way street. I'm excited to remind the .01% that the planet doesn't have enough hiding places when the world's largest game of "tag" begins.
4
Buttermilk-Waffles Mar 31, 2026 +44
The enshitification of everything continues...
44
DaftPump Mar 31, 2026 +5
Yep. There is a silver lining tho. Food prices and corporate antics like this inspire people learn how to cook for themselves.
5
Pork_Chompk Mar 31, 2026 +161
Sysco Slop™ coming to *every* restaurant near you!
161
Syd_Vicious3375 Apr 1, 2026 +7
Things might improve if people stopped buying the garbage they are trying to sell us. Learn to cook quality food at home. Teach your kids. You won’t regret it!
7
TheUnderCrab Apr 1, 2026 +1
This is why I support local businesses that also keep their production streams local. I know which tests around me use produce and goods from local farms and I make it a point to go to these places even if they’re a bit more expensive. The food quality is better and the money I spend stays in the local community. 
1
no1scumbag Mar 31, 2026 +574
This is why most restaurants taste the same anymore.
574
choicetomake Mar 31, 2026 +342
I used to work for Gordon Food Service. What I notice with any food service distributor is the restaurant sets the quality of the food. They can order from many differing levels of quality. The reason restaurants all taste the same is they're all serving the same lowest-cost menu items. Restaurants could source high quality ingredients through any food service distributor. They just make the choice not to, for various reasons.
342
Still_Silver_255 Mar 31, 2026 +217
Various Reasons = Maximizing Profits
217
No_Profit2650 Mar 31, 2026 +168
I mean, let’s not act like restaurants are making a killing and just taking advantage of customers. Most of them are operating on razor thin margins as it is, and even good restaurants go out of business all the time. Restaurant business absolutely sucks
168
PrismaticHospitaller Mar 31, 2026 +91
Restaurant owner here can confirm. Most of my time is spent gauging the general perception of pricing to the demographics of my immediate area. The rest of my time is fighting rising costs of vendors such as fuel surcharges, unnecessary services, purposeful overcharging, and…. wait… Sysco bought Restaurant Depot?!? F*** !
91
TheDamus647 Mar 31, 2026 +40
I used to work in kitchens for about a decade. I have even been a sous chef with admin duties to show me food and labour costing. Because of that I have a very good idea of the business side of that industry. I now own an HVAC company. No way in hell would I ever accept profits margins of a restaurant.
40
Impossible_Leg_2787 Mar 31, 2026 +5
Difference being you work the HVAC. Unless the chef is the owner it’s a different scenario.
5
altimax98 Mar 31, 2026 +10
Yeah that Gordon foods comment is likely turfing for the brands. There are multiple high quality YouTube videos showing how this problem is created by the massive suppliers like Gordon and Sysco coming in and running smaller regional suppliers out of business and then hiking up prices. The options are basically conform to the basic bill of goods everyone is getting and hike up prices, or try and stay independent with a supplier that literally is getting choked out of the market (due to contracts suppliers make with companies like Gordon) and hike prices up even further. There is going to need to be a big reset of the industry in the next few decades for sure
10
Certain_Luck_8266 Mar 31, 2026 +2
There was one great video about how restaurants have all just adopted the shitty sysco jalapeno poppers instead of...you know...making them with ingredients. found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXQTzQXRFc
2
Still_Silver_255 Mar 31, 2026 +3
I’m not arguing against SBOs. This is what happens when companies grow too large and control large swaths of the market. Small fish end up pigeoned holed.
3
DogmaticLaw Mar 31, 2026 +22
I think it might be a bit more nuanced than that. Sure, it's about maximizing profits, that's running a business but it's also about what customers will pay for. Food costs have exploded in the last ten years while consumers have remained price-conscious due to stagnant wages (and a cratering economy.) Ironically, wage growth has disproportionately affected restaurants (This is a nuanced topic that I have a lot of conflicting feelings on...), primarily because they were paying lower than they should have been, heavily utilizing immigrant labor to make this feasible. So now, a restaurant owner/manager can afford fewer cooks in the kitchen, meaning fewer prep cooks, meaning more pre-prepared (kind of a funny phrase!) foods need to be brought in. Those pre-prepared foods are not c****, indeed it would be cheaper to prepare them fully from scratch... except for the labor problem. So you go for the cheapest pre-prepared items you can get.... which is what everyone else is doing. And you still have to charge an arm and a leg for this garbage because your rent went up again. Oh, and you're getting a bunch of middling to negative reviews because your food quality is middling (fair!) and the prices are bad (look at everyone else's menus... we're the same price! Because we're functionally the same restaurant). The casual restaurant owned by a local person is fucked.
22
MixtureSpecial8951 Mar 31, 2026 +9
I work in the food distribution industry on the accounting side. Margins are razor thin for us too. The past 5-6 years has seen enormous pressure; 1. Industry capacity increased by low double digits driven by “wildcatters” building facilities and then selling them to the large players who are trying to preserve market share. The wildcatters also would take customers by giving insanely low rates. 2. More worryingly is that over the same period demand has decreased by ~15%. The drop has been driven primarily in low to middle income households. Basically, those people are spending a lot less than they used to. So high industry capacity, declining demand = massive downward pressure on rates and decreased margins. I am curious what the unfolding crisis will mean for us all. Once again there is accelerating inflation which will further squeeze consumers.
9
Enzo_Gorlahh_mi Mar 31, 2026 +5
This ^^ Sysco makes like 50 bucks a delivery, especially to smaller customers. We’re not out here dragging customers through the mud. We wouldn’t want that, bc then they wouldn’t buy from us. At least in my area, we really do try to help the customer as much as we can, with rebates and customer incentives and lowing pricing to beat the competition. Source : I work for Sysco.
5
Synth_Ham Mar 31, 2026 +5
Dude I was talking to the owner of a mom and pop shop and there's no way they can afford anything other than the basics. This isn't even a choice. And I don't even have the opportunity to get anything local because they would just go out of business because they would have to charge so much.
5
Sideview_play Mar 31, 2026 +9
I feel like .... This is such over simplification and in a dishonest way. Yes the one company has a few options. Through their monopoly they took out all the competition which vastly reduces the choice overall and then lets them up the price even on the lowest quality stuff in many markets because now they are the only choice. 
9
twopacktuesday Mar 31, 2026 +5
Yes! I visited a Restaurant Depot once in Maryland. They had tons of Maryland Jumbo Lump crab meat ready to sell at like $25/lb. The c**** stuff from Asia was nearly sold out, and like $6/lb. After that visit, I stopped ordering “Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes” at most restaurants.
5
GustavGuiermo Mar 31, 2026 +23
Ah, the positive anymore! A rare sighting
23
kwangqengelele Mar 31, 2026 +6
Unfortunately, it's not so rare anymore.
6
Puppy_Breath Mar 31, 2026 +2
Yep. As my wife and I try new restaurants, a frequent comment is “tastes like Sysco number A” which means, like every other restaurant without culinary talent.
2
darthjeffrey Mar 31, 2026 +2
Recycled food, it’s good for the environment and okay for you.
2
KopOut Mar 31, 2026 +1
[A good video about this.](https://youtu.be/rXXQTzQXRFc?si=Hw-bd5LqW_Cxm6yA)
1
DaftPump Mar 31, 2026 +1
I worked in an organic grocery store. I stuck a page on the office wall that had a pic of a microwave oven and it simply said "SYSCO head chef" It stayed there for a few years.
1
Li_liminal_spaces Mar 31, 2026 +98
A similar deal was blocked previously, the Trump regime probably required a small bribe to let it go through.
98
HyruleSmash855 Mar 31, 2026 +27
The only difference the Reuters article mentioned was that the deal blocked was between Sysco’s No. 2 and No. 3 direct competitors in the exact same sector, this technically is a different field so slightly more favorable circumstances
27
IzzyIsMyQueen0604 Mar 31, 2026 +13
That deal wasn’t blocked. USFD/PFGC explored a deal last year and didn’t come to an agreement. It’s possible they didn’t because they thought the regulatory hurdle would be too high. The deal that was blocked was SYY (#1) trying to buy USFD (#2 or maybe #3 at the time) which I believe was 2014. Restaurant depot is also a very different business model. That said, it does consolidate a lot of the market, even if it’s different “parts” of the market.
13
TintedApostle Mar 31, 2026 +89
Everything tastes the same everywhere. Soylent Green is back on the menu boys!
89
h0twired Mar 31, 2026 +29
They are the Ticketmaster of the restaurant industry
29
TintedApostle Mar 31, 2026 +8
I eat out very rarely now. The cost isn’t the only issue. It’s the value for the cost. Everything tastes the same unless you go higher end. It’s better to just cook at home now.
8
depthninja Mar 31, 2026 +7
Rule of thumb is if I can make it at home as good or better, I don't eat at that restaurant. 
7
TheAmorphous Mar 31, 2026 +3
Yeah, I only go out for things like ramen or pho where it takes days to do the broth properly. And those are almost always locally owned and run family businesses. Not much else is worth it these days.
3
ellsego Mar 31, 2026 +7
Where do y’all live that this is true.. maybe I’m spoiled living in a big city with a ton of variety and food options but I really don’t find this to be true at all outside chain restaurants…funnily enough Sysco’s HQ is within a mile of my house.
7
TintedApostle Mar 31, 2026 +3
I live in NYC and you would be surprised how many restaurants supply from the same large company. The starting food quality is the same. That being said to eat out in NYC is expensive to do all the time.
3
rockoutyo Mar 31, 2026 +2
And you would be surprised how many restaurants refuse to use Sysco. There are more food distributors in NYC than you think. I used to work for Sysco in NYC and it was a tough gig.
2
PrismaticHospitaller Mar 31, 2026 +2
Kind of fortunate we have plumped up our citizens so well. We should do a nationwide fitness movement for a day or two for proper marbling.
2
novusopiate Mar 31, 2026 +39
Yay, already tight margins are going by to get tighter. Food industry is already rough enough without Sysco having to pump up their profits due to lame wholesale service
39
Riptide360 Mar 31, 2026 +35
Sysco going to put the squeeze on the small food truck and ma and pa restaurant owners who rely on inexpensive food to survive.
35
plotholesandpotholes Mar 31, 2026 +13
That is exactly what will happen and to independent bakeries and shops as well. The Walmart effect all over again. At least all of our chicken tenders will taste the same.....
13
Gone213 Mar 31, 2026 +6
My guess is we'll see a whesale distributor box store (Costco) start to fill in and target those small business owners even more to fill in the gap that Sysco will be leaving.
6
dave_campbell Mar 31, 2026 +9
Vertical integration! Yay stock go up! Quality… not so much.
9
SpringValleyTrash Mar 31, 2026 +11
At Whole Foods 20 years ago I had over 20 vendors I ordered food from the bigger ones being UNFI, Saladino’s, Viking, Falcon Trading, TAMA Trading, Golden Farms, Diestel, Pitman Farms, Del Monaco, Kehe, the notorious Bunzl, and a few other smaller specialty operations. In 10 years UNFI pretty much became our sole supplier the year before Amazon took over. While the quality standards were still being adhered to, some of the quality of the product was definitely homogenized Sysco style. What used to be scratch made mac and cheese in the hot bar started coming in frozen bags we just popped in the steamer Panera style.
11
Orwells_Roses Mar 31, 2026 +7
Sysco is a big part of the reason so many restaurants are nothing but expensive c*** now. They are a key part of the enshittification of the restaurant industry.
7
ThatOneMartian Apr 1, 2026 +8
There is compelling evidence that the consolidation of distribution companies has been behind a big chunk of the price hikes in the food service industry. I’m sure this buyout will help.
8
Couchman79 Mar 31, 2026 +6
Over the next 3 years Americans will see more mergers like this because there is little to no oversight remaining. End game is 3-4 major suppliers who will control the US food chain from vegetable/fruit, poultry and beef production to packaging and distribution. That control will dictate what we see in supermarkets.
6
Element_905 Mar 31, 2026 +8
Sysco is destroying the restaurant industry. F*** them and f*** their products.
8
Solax636 Mar 31, 2026 +24
let the blandness of the future continue!
24
Bar_Sinister Mar 31, 2026 +15
In an era of "ghost" kitchens we get a "ghost" supplier.
15
manningthehelm Mar 31, 2026 +6
Get ready for more of the same food at every “different” restaurant.
6
DaftPump Mar 31, 2026 +6
Yayy more bland overpriced food for everyone.
6
Simmangodz Mar 31, 2026 +4
I swear there are like 15 companies left on the planet. The consolation is crazy.
4
JuDGe3690 Mar 31, 2026 +4
https://theonion.com/just-six-corporations-remain-1819564741/
4
monkeypickle8 Mar 31, 2026 +4
Isn't it crazy how literally everything is getting worse
4
Time-Industry-1364 Mar 31, 2026 +4
Oh great. As if there wasn’t already enough Sysco food everywhere. Ugh.
4
Main-Requirement-521 Mar 31, 2026 +7
The comments in this thread are all pretty ignorant of what products Sysco actually has available or how restaurant supply actually functions.  You can buy like 30 different kinds of hamburger buns from them, or you can buy 30 different kinds of flour to make your own from scratch.  Two pizza restaurants that both source their food using Sysco could make food that is totally different in quality. One could order imported Italian caputo 00 flour and one could use preformed frozen pizza crusts.  There are a lot of valid reasons to not use Sysco but it's not because you can't get quality foods from them, they carry the same things every other supplier has and usually far far more.   
7
Perfect_Opposite2113 Mar 31, 2026 +7
I work for one of Syscos main competitors. Our warehouse has an aisle close to 200 feet long with one side different kinds of lettuce from different suppliers in the U.S. as well as Mexico. This is just one example of how you are correct other words you are correct.
7
WaterFriendsIV Mar 31, 2026 +3
So much for U.S. Anti-trust Laws. There are several federal and state laws, but here's just one of them that lawmakers are ignoring. Clayton Antitrust Act (1914): Prohibits mergers and acquisitions that may substantially lessen competition, and restricts interlocking directorates.
3
salesmunn Mar 31, 2026 +3
This sort of control of the supply chain shouldn't be possible
3
Certain_Luck_8266 Mar 31, 2026 +3
Absolutely terrible for small or independent restaurants. Yet another step toward every restaurant being a 'Darden Restaurants Inc' imitation of a restaurant. edit: here is a great video on how sysco ruins restaurants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXXQTzQXRFc
3
Applekid1259 Mar 31, 2026 +3
Sysco needs to have its reach broken up. This isn’t a good deal for anyone but Sysco
3
minus_minus Mar 31, 2026 +16
Corporate management is seeing the Paramount shit-show and realizing nobody will stop them from monopolizing markets.  All because too many Americans trusted a reality show huckster over a competent woman of color. 🤦🏻‍♂️ 
16
Reasonable_Ticket_84 Mar 31, 2026 +3
She did absolutely nothing to make me call her competent. Just a seat warmer of a pick by the Dems as usual. Still better than the orange one.
3
Azznorfinal Mar 31, 2026 +5
Correct on both counts. Biden should have fucked off earlier and there should have been a much better showing from the blue side of the Republicans, oh well it's murica after all, can't expect competence from idiots.
5
Nissir Mar 31, 2026 +13
If you see a place using Sysco, find a new place to eat. If everyone in the car knows the name of the place from a commercial, chances are they use Sysco. Find yourself a nice place owned by immigrants :)
13
brandt-money Mar 31, 2026 +6
My wife and I aren't immigrants, but we serve bangin cafe food. We do get basics (veggies, pickles, cream cheese, etc) from RD, so this worries me.
6
Numarx Mar 31, 2026 +6
They supply the same c*** to nursing homes and jails lol
6
AmbushK Mar 31, 2026 +2
sweet now the quality they supply to restaurants can get even worse
2
ThePensiveE Mar 31, 2026 +2
How will this screw the poor in America?
2
SamuelYosemite Mar 31, 2026 +2
Jiminy Cricket. I feel like this is going to be bad
2
drevolut1on Mar 31, 2026 +2
Noooo, f*** this so hard sideways. Sysco is terrible. And should not be a monopoly.
2
Fiedor Mar 31, 2026 +2
So much for anti monopoly laws. Sigh
2
Clem_de_Menthe Mar 31, 2026 +2
Guess it’s Costco for everything now.
2
lurkyloowhoo Mar 31, 2026 +1
And WebstaurantStore
1
KaputtEqu1pment Mar 31, 2026 +2
So... Guess everything is going to taste the same bow
2
ericdag Mar 31, 2026 +2
Restaurants? That’s for the rich.
2
Sweaty_Marzipan4274 Mar 31, 2026 +2
Food version of AI slop
2
Memitim Mar 31, 2026 +2
Shit. I just created a Restaurant Supply account since we have one nearby. Time to find a new source.
2
13lueChicken Mar 31, 2026 +2
Oh aren’t these the guys who use prison labor(slavery)?
2
Skyden- Mar 31, 2026 +2
I thought monopolies were illegal...
2
USDXBS Mar 31, 2026 +2
Lot's of restaurants are going to get considerably worse.
2
snuuginz Mar 31, 2026 +2
Yikes, I'm not sure if it would be possible for Restaurant Depot to get worse, but I'm pretty sure it will somehow.
2
Stressisnotgood Apr 1, 2026 +2
Haven’t heard the name Sysco since “The Thong Song”
2
Formal-Low6888 Mar 31, 2026 +3
Ever notice that restaurants all taste the same? That's because they all buy from the same handful of suppliers. Most soups, sauces, and salad dressings in restaurants especially after the pandemic are premade even in places that charge $100+ per plate. 
3
roller_coaster325 Mar 31, 2026 +2
Now in addition to my burgers being made out of the same low quality meat at every restaurant, all the other Sysco defrosted food I’m eating at these places will be the same garbage too. This is my wake-up call to eat out less and be more healthy
2
dm_me_cute_puppers Mar 31, 2026 +3
Surely this won’t pass the FTC as being a monopoly, right, right?
3
uresmane Mar 31, 2026 +2
More restaurants are going to taste like bland shit now!
2
Icy-Impression-3416 Mar 31, 2026 +2
Brawndo it’s got Electrolytes 🤓
2
Entire_Month9233 Mar 31, 2026 +1
Brought to you by Carl's Jr.
1
[deleted] Mar 31, 2026 +2
These monopolies have to stop.
2
FrenchBulldozer Mar 31, 2026 +2
This is why all the food tastes the same and getting shittier.
2
guydoestuff Mar 31, 2026 +1
Yet another reason not to eat at restaurants.
1
ID_Poobaru Mar 31, 2026 +1
I might need to switch to Sysco if I want constant local CDL work then I haven’t seen US Foods, McLane, or Shamrock Foods as often as I see Sysco
1
JuDGe3690 Mar 31, 2026 +2
Shamrock still does their annual Expo at the Boise Center (worked setup/teardown as a stagehand a few times), and I've seen their trucks delivering to 8th Street pretty often when I worked downtown at my previous firm.
2
BoxYeti Mar 31, 2026 +1
Anti monopoly for you and me not for thee
1
DasaniFresh Mar 31, 2026 +1
That account executive is going to do a lot of cocaine once this deal is signed.
1
Goszzy Mar 31, 2026 +1
Ah, someone who has clearly worked for the depot. I swear they still thought it was the 80's
1
ax255 Mar 31, 2026 +1
We get a lot of our food from Costco and Bake Mark
1
Iohet Mar 31, 2026 +1
RIP Jetro. It was nice knowing you.
1
Goszzy Mar 31, 2026 +1
No it wasn't
1
djphatjive Apr 1, 2026 +1
It’s why every restaurant tastes the same.
1
OysterHound Apr 1, 2026 +1
Food monopolies. RFK Jr. Where you at bro?? Why aren't you going after the large corporations that sell the highly processed unhealthy food to a huge portion of the US population. These people are a joke This merger shouldn't be allowed
1
Dangerous-Tap-8636 Apr 1, 2026 +1
So when does it become a monopoly?
1
Sargash Apr 1, 2026 +1
Something something monopolies are bad something something government oversight?
1
nvmenotfound Apr 1, 2026 +1
in more US news big companies by other big companies leaving fewer companies. soon you’ll have no choice what so ever. eventually like 10 companies will rule most of the planet. 
1
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