NAVIGATING THE SUPPLY CHAIN STORM
How mid-sized dealers Culinary Depot, HAFSCO and BRESCO are forming new relationships and rethinking inventory to better serve customers during the global supply chain crisis.
Since the start of 2021, the restaurant industry has witnessed a tremendous swing back toward recovery. As of July 1, 325,164 restaurants were open for dine-in services, according to Datassential, an increase of more than 105,000 since March. That influx is certainly a good sign for the overall foodservice industry – and all the businesses that support it – but the sudden rise in activity has strained the supply chain, leading to longer lead times, higher prices and more uncertainty for operators looking for equipment replacements or opening new businesses.
The situation is prompting both operators and equipment distributors to become a lot more flexible. When a refrigerator needs replacing, customers need a solution right away. They can’t wait for the preferred model to be available at the pre- pandemic price. Tom Capobianco, CEO of HAFSCO, hears the same refrain from many of his customers: “Price isn’t even an issue right now. I need it.”
For the 80-year-old Connecticut- based dealer, the last few months have been the busiest in 48 years. HAFSCO’s 15 trucks have been out on call providing service and repairs seven days a week and Capobianco himself often works 20-hour days, driving to visit customers in person as much as possible. “We’ve never seen a boom like this,” he says.
Part of the surge in activity can be attributed to projects that were put off in 2020 and are now going forward in 2021. Like many dealers, Birmingham Restaurant Supply (BRESCO) in Alabama did everything it could to ride out the pandemic without laying off staff. “We experienced a slow down last March, April and May just like everybody else,” says George Tobia, president of BRESCO. “Restaurants couldn’t open. Things really slowed down. Nobody wanted to take a chance at starting a new restaurant – very few anyway.” The company focused on its backlog and stayed aggressive to plan out future projects for when business returned to normal. With that moment now here, BRESCO is racing to keep up. “It’s exploding with activity. So many people postponed 2020 plans
By Tim O’Connor 14 FEDA News & Views
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