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