Restaurant Depot Open to Public

I felt this deserved its own thread. For those that do not know, you cannot go for “daily” needs, everything is in bulk that makes Costco etc look like novelty stores. For example boneless skinless chicken breasts minimum size is 10lbs per bag. Just don’t want people to trek out to one only to realize the bulk size is truly bulk size.

However if you have a family and / or plenty of freezer space then go get some!!

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Only 2.99 / lb this month for whole lamb carcass!

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Yeah they have them in a huge barrel in their meat department. Being the only lamb eater in my home it’s too much for me but if you can use it go for it buddy!

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US Foods and Sysco are diverting their inventory to grocery stores where possible. Tough times all around.

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With so many restaurants closed their inventories are backing up so they have to get things off their shelves.

The company I work for is in tight partnership with one of the food distributors mentioned in my post above. A number of my contacts at the company have been furloughed.

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FWIW, everything I have purchased that is their house brand - Supremo Italiano for example, has been very good.

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Wow! I have a membership, but it’s nice to know they are opening to the public. I just went to the Port Chester location yesterday and posted about it on the Cuisine of the Quarter (Quarantine) thread - it wasn’t terribly busy and they were fully stocked with paper products, etc. The cashier said business is okay but definitely not as busy as usual.

Given the lines at Costco, RD is a much better alternative, although as you mention many of the quantities are huge. We are a household of two at the moment but I have a freezer in the basement, so I don’t mind buying meat in quantity. It’s funny you should mention the chicken, because I bought one of the 10 lb bags of thighs and spent the better part of yesterday afternoon trimming them, rendering schmaltz from the trimmings and packaging the meat for the freezer. Wings too (along with a gallon of Frank’s Red Hot, LOL). However, there are some products you can buy in totally reasonable quantities as well - I bought a three-pack of Puffs tissues, a few cans of Chaokoh coconut milk, two quarts of half and half, two pounds of butter, two 19 oz packages of tofu, a 2-lb bag of frozen shrimp, one whole duck, one boneless leg of lamb, plus Leidy’s brand bacon, kielbasa and andouille (all in 1-3 lb packages). If they start attracting more “normal” quantity shoppers during this I suspect they will increase those offerings.

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Great to know…I also have a membership card but it’s just me and my regular fridge and freezer are all I have, and the freezer is still packed, so the only way I could consider a big purchase is if a few friends want to split it with me (which may happen…tbd). Then again, my mom lives in senior housing and used one of the local groups that have been shopping for seniors in her town and she called me cracking up because the young woman delivered a GALLON of milk to her this morning. “How the heck am I going to get through a gallon before it expires mid-month??” We concluded that it was the only size available for the kind she had requested…

I’m in to split an order.

I have a card as well, was thinking of going Monday morning when RD opens, grab chicken breasts if they have them.

I got some ribs last week, but I have a deep freezer in the basement

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Thanks! As of right now, I am full up with all kinds of food including me so it’ll be a couple weeks before I’m in need again, but I’ll let you know when I get to that point if I have space!

I grabbed boneless skinless breasts 2 weeks ago, 10lbs bag is their smallest size.

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The meat is always a great value. I usually grab several pork butts at $1.90 / lb on sale, smoke it and then vacumn (how DO you spell that word?) seal it and freeze it for later. Same with Brisket. Not to mention the BEST selection of dried Chilie Peppers – though the size of the bag almost doesn’t fit in my truck. I usually go to Neptune and it is truly amazing…

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& Neptune is a small store.

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Is it really? It’s the only one I have ever gone too, that surprises me, how much larger are they?

This is funny…when I was in FL in Feb, my dad commented on how small his Costco is. I was surprised, because it’s the same as the one here in Ocean–with the addition to a wine/spirits section! He said there’s one 25 miles west that’s much bigger. I had no idea!

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in FL, 25 miles away is like going from Asbury to Deal.

Not wrong! And 6-lane highways, to boot!

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I’ve been to 6 or 7 and they are all about 20% bigger. I find it means more variety of stuff that Neptune has but also they carry stuff Neptune doesn’t have. Try the South Plainfield branch. However, the stores to the north dont carry Clover Farms products. That’s a local dairy outside of Reading, PA and I am acquainted with the owners. Very good people and excellent products, and local.

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