CHEF’STORE

What CHEF’STORE does

CHEF'STORE is a wholesale warehouse-format food and restaurant supply retailer operating 90+ stores across 14 U.S. states, organized into West Coast, Mountain West, Southwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions. Founded in 1955 as United Grocers Cash&Carry in Oregon City, Oregon, the chain has operated under the names Cash&Carry Smart Foodservice, Smart Foodservice Warehouse Stores, and since 2020, US Foods CHEF'STORE following acquisition by US Foods (NYSE: USFD). The company serves foodservice operators (restaurants, caterers, delis, coffee shops, food trucks, event planners), home cooks and families, and tax-exempt institutions (schools, churches, nonprofits) through physical warehouse retail, a proprietary online ordering and pickup system (CLICK&CARRY, $100 minimum), and same-day delivery partnerships with Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.

The core product is 1,200+ SKUs across 21 departments including produce, meats, seafood, dairy, bakery, frozen foods, canned goods, beverages, disposables, and kitchen equipment, differentiated by 20+ exclusive brands (Monarch, Glenview Farms, Harvest Value, Patuxent Farms, Monogram, Harbor Banks Seafood, Stock Yards, Cattleman's Selection, and others) sourced through US Foods' national supply chain. The technology stack is centered on warehouse retail operations, the CLICK&CARRY online ordering platform, and third-party delivery integrations. Adjacent services include the CHECK Business Tools suite (Toast POS, BentoBox website design, ChowNow online ordering, ExpandShare staff training), the CHEF'STORE Customer Card for tax-exempt purchasing, and the Cool and Carry food safety education program.

Revenue is generated through direct retail sales (no membership fee, no minimum in-store purchase), case/wholesale pricing with volume discounts, third-party delivery transaction fees, and professional services via CHECK Business Tools. Pricing is pay-as-you-go at the point of sale (or pickup), with additional discounts on case purchases, weekly and bi-weekly promotional specials, and tax exemption for foodservice operators holding the CHEF'STORE Customer Card. Existing US Foods broadline accounts can charge CHEF'STORE purchases to their US Foods account via Charge-to-Account integration. The company self-describes as one of the largest wholesale food distributors in the nation.

Name

CHEF’STORE

Legal name

US Foods CHEF'STORE

Website

https://chefstore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

CHEF'STORE is a wholesale warehouse-format food and restaurant supply retailer operating 90+ stores across 14 U.S. states, serving foodservice operators, home cooks, and institutions with bulk foods, kitchen supplies, and 20+ exclusive brands under US Foods ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Food and Restaurant Supply Retail

NAICS

Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244), Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511), Warehouse Clubs, Supercenters, and Other General Merchandise Retailers (45521), Food and Beverage Retailers (445)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Foodservice Supply Cash-and-Carry (Chef Stores) (CRAHAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cash-and-Carry Wholesale Stores (Business-Focused) (CRAHAMAC), Warehouse-Style Bulk Grocers (Membership/Non-membership) (CRAHAMAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale food distribution
• Restaurant supply retail
• Foodservice wholesale
• Bulk grocery warehouse
• Kitchen equipment supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

West Linn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices97 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. In-Store Retail Sales: Direct retail sales of wholesale food and restaurant supplies through warehouse-format stores across 14 U.S. states. Customers pay at point of sale with no membership required.
2. CLICK&CARRY Online Pickup Orders: Online ordering with minimum $100 purchase for next-day or scheduled in-store pickup. Payment processed at time of pickup.
3. Third-Party Delivery (Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub): Delivery partnerships generating revenue through third-party platforms for same-day delivery services.
4. Business Services (CHECK Business Tools): Additional services including POS systems, website design, online ordering platforms, and staff training for restaurant operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHEF'STORE operates warehouse-format retail stores selling wholesale food and restaurant supplies directly to the public without membership requirements. The assortment spans over 1,200 products across 21 departments including fresh produce, meats, seafood, dairy, bakery, frozen foods, canned and dry goods, beverages, disposables, cleaning supplies, and kitchen equipment, with both unit and case pricing. Customers can shop in-store, place online pickup orders (CLICK&CARRY with $100 minimum), or use third-party delivery through Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.

Product overview

CHEF'STORE is a wholesale warehouse-format food and restaurant supply retailer operating as part of US Foods. The offering consists of a core warehouse retail platform selling bulk foods and kitchen supplies at competitive wholesale prices without membership requirements. The product portfolio is organized around multiple product categories including fresh meats, seafood, produce, dairy, bakery, frozen foods, canned/dry goods, beverages, cleaning supplies, disposables, and equipment. The company differentiates through exclusive store brands (Monarch, Glenview Farms, Harvest Value, Patuxent Farms, Monogram, and approximately 15 additional proprietary brands) that offer quality ingredients and foodservice supplies. Business operations are supported by CHECK Business Tools (POS, website design, online ordering, training integrations), a Customer Card for tax exemptions, the Cool and Carry food safety program, and multiple fulfillment options including in-store pickup (CLICK&CARRY) and third-party delivery through Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHEF'STORE Wholesale Food and Restaurant Supplies Warehouse-format retail offering providing wholesale food and restaurant supplies directly to the public without membership requirements. Assortment spans over 1,200 products across 21 departments including produce, meat, dairy, seafood, bakery, frozen, canned and dry goods, beverages, disposables, cleaning supplies, and kitchen equipment, with both unit and case pricing.
• CLICK&CARRY Online Pickup Online ordering service with $100 minimum purchase enabling customers to schedule in-store pickup up to 14 days in advance, with next-day pickup available. Payment is processed at time of pickup.
• Third-Party Delivery Service Same-day delivery service for CHEF'STORE products through partnerships with four third-party delivery platforms: Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Available at most store locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19-minute average shopping experience
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• InstacartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSame-day grocery delivery partnership allowing CHEF'STORE customers to receive orders delivered to their location through Instacart's delivery network. Available at most store locations.
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOn-demand delivery partnership through DoorDash platform enabling customers to receive CHEF'STORE products without visiting stores.
• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partnership through Uber Eats providing same-day delivery options for CHEF'STORE customers.
• GrubhubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership through Grubhub for food and restaurant supply delivery services.
• Toast (Point of Sale)coreTechnology or IntegrationRestaurant point of sale platform partnership through Toast. Provides POS systems, handhelds, Order & Pay at the Table, and contactless payments. Helps restaurants manage operations including point of sale, payment processing, marketing, and labor management.
• US FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParent company acquisition in 2020. US Foods CHEF'STORE provides access to exclusive brands only available through US Foods. Charge-to-Account service integration allows existing US Foods broadline customers to consolidate billing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BJ's Wholesale Club: Membership-based warehouse club selling groceries, fresh produce, and household goods in larger pack sizes. While broader than CHEF'STORE in assortment, BJ's serves a comparable bulk-shopper customer and competes for both home cook and small business spend.
• US Foods: CHEF'STORE's publicly traded parent (NYSE: USFD) and one of the largest U.S. broadline foodservice distributors. Operates direct restaurant delivery nationwide with overlapping exclusive brands, and is closely tied to CHEF'STORE through Charge-to-Account integration and shared procurement.
• Sysco: The largest U.S. broadline foodservice distributor (NYSE: SYY), serving restaurants and foodservice operators with delivery. While primarily a direct-delivery model rather than retail, Sysco is comparable as the incumbent competitor defining how restaurants procure food.
• Sam's Club: Walmart-owned warehouse club offering bulk groceries and small-business supplies. Overlaps with CHEF'STORE on restaurant/foodservice operator purchasing but as part of a much broader general merchandise assortment.

Direct peers

• Costco Business Center: Costco's business-focused warehouse format targeting restaurants, caterers, and small businesses with bulk grocery and foodservice supplies. Overlaps directly with CHEF'STORE on customer base and product categories, but typically limited to select metro markets.
• Restaurant Depot: The leading U.S. cash-and-carry wholesale foodservice retailer, operating 170+ stores. Restaurant Depot is CHEF'STORE's closest direct competitor with a similar membership-gated model and product assortment spanning foodservice supplies, fresh produce, meat, and equipment.
• Gordon Food Service Store: Cash-and-carry retail stores operated by Gordon Food Service, serving the same foodservice operator and household customer base as CHEF'STORE with comparable bulk grocery and supply offerings. Directly comparable business model and target customer.

Emerging players

• Boxed.com: Online bulk grocery and household goods retailer targeting both consumers and businesses. Represents an emerging digitally-native approach to the same bulk-shopping use case CHEF'STORE serves via CLICK&CARRY and third-party delivery.

Regional players

• Trader Joe's: Specialty grocery retailer with a focused assortment and strong private-label presence. Overlaps with CHEF'STORE on the home cook segment seeking differentiated, value-priced food, but does not serve the foodservice operator/professional kitchen supply use case.

Others

• Instacart (Business/Retailer Services): Third-party grocery delivery platform that powers CHEF'STORE's delivery channel. Adjacent rather than competitive—enables CHEF'STORE's last-mile reach while competing for the same end customer's grocery spend through other retailers on the platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USFCHEFSTORE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usfchefstore

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHEF’STORE