Food: Buying in Bulk
Some of you may remember the classic shopping list from Sesame Street: “A quart of milk, a loaf of bread, a stick of butter.” Well, imagine getting groceries for a whole restaurant. What might that list look like? To find out, we asked John Smiley, director of sales at food distributor Y. Hata & Co., to name the top 10 items he sells to Hawai‘i’s restaurants. Based on his response, here’s what you’d put in your cart:
![]() |
photo: istock
|
1. 30 dozen large eggs
2. 30 pounds of unsalted butter
3. A 35-pound pail of all-purpose vegetable oil
4. 11 pounds of New York State striploin
5. Two 20-pound containers of frozen eggs
6. 50 pounds of sugar
7. 70 pounds of pork butt
8. 30 pounds of salted butter
9. 50 pounds of rice
10. Four 5-pound bags of shredded Cheddar cheese