Six checks that catch price creep
- 1
Use the price per unit, not per case
Divide the case price by what's in the case.
Example: "6/#10" at $55.65 is six cans, so $9.28 a can. "4 4/5#" at $64.80 is 20 lb, so $3.24 a pound.
- 2
Watch for a smaller case
The case price stays the same, but the case gets lighter. This is called pack shrink.
Example: a case goes from 40 lb to 36 lb at the same price. That's 11% more per pound, with no price change on paper.
- 3
Read the weight on meat and fish
Catch-weight items are billed on the weight shipped. Check the weight, not just the price per pound.
Example: 47.3 lb × $8.40 = $397.32.
- 4
Check swaps
If the driver brings a different brand or blend, compare its price per pound with what you ordered.
- 5
Look for new fees
Fuel surcharges, small-order fees and split-case fees can appear as new lines. Flag any new fee, or one that grows.
86% of Canadian operators report supplier fuel surcharges.
- 6
Compare with the price you were promised
Keep the quote or price list your rep gave you, and check the bill against it. Owners say in public reviews that promised prices never reached the invoice.
a year: what food costs rising by 1 cent per dollar of sales takes from a restaurant that sells $1 million. That restaurant keeps about $28,000.
National Restaurant Association, 2025 figures for US full-service restaurants.
Think in dollars a week
A percent is easy to ignore. Dollars aren't: "Chicken thighs: $3.24/lb, was $2.89. That's $14 more this week, about $730 a year." (Example.)
Start with the 10 or so items you buy most, and add the rest later.
CreditBack does this on every line.
It works out the real price per pound or per kilo, compares it with last time and with any price your rep promised, and tells you the cost in dollars.
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Sources
- Restaurant profit and food cost: National Restaurant Association, 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract (US full-service, fiscal 2024).
- Fuel surcharges reported by 86% of Canadian operators: Restaurants Canada surveys, 2026.
- Pack sizes, catch weights and pack shrink: formats from 2026 supplier price lists. The amounts are examples.