What to look for in a GPO partnership

Bennigan’s owner shares insights to help you evaluate restaurant group purchasing organizations.

Paul Mangiamele knows what it takes to run a successful restaurant business with 30+ years of experience under his belt in the hotel, restaurant, education, franchising and retail industries.

Paul is CEO of Legendary Restaurant Brands, an International, multi-brand franchisor of Bennigan’s, Steak & Ale — the pioneers of casual dining — as well as the non-traditional brand, Bennigan’s On the Fly restaurants. Get his take on selecting a GPO to help you maximize your purchasing power in the video below.

The value of working with Entegra for efficient, affordable food and supplies purchasing

During his time in the industry, Paul Mangiamele has developed relationships with many restaurant suppliers and learned the value of leveraging a group purchasing organization. GPOs help to protect his margin while still delivering the quality his customers have come to love. And he found that a relationship with Entegra proved vital for himself and his franchisees.

“It became key for me to find a supplier partner who would live up to the same work ethic, with the same passion for the business,” said Mangiamele. When asked what his top selection criteria were, he said, “to help my franchise partners make money and provide the services that would help with their unit economics, lowering food costs enough and actually helping them with margin improvement and profitability.”

And for that, he turned to Entegra. “Entegra became, not a vendor, but family. And that’s key for me,” Mangiamele said. “From a revenue generation standpoint, Entegra will probably help in the future as well as be able to provide us with the opportunity to save more money on the volume of products that we purchase.

Unlock a great relationship with your GPO

Once Mangiamele made the call to work with Entegra, he discovered the key to creating a successful partnership with your restaurant supplier. “The pleasant surprise was the speed of transition: the meetings, the setup, the professional preparation, the execution and communication,” he said. “The rollout was flawless. We immediately picked up ground. The follow-up was pro.”

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^{“Communication was key, and it went up to senior management. When you have that kind of relationship with senior management, then you know there is that family component to it where you’re really working with one another.” – Paul Mangiamele}

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What’s the one takeaway that Mangiamele wants to leave everyone with? He said, “When you’re looking for a partner, strategically and from a business standpoint, Entegra is someone you should speak with.”

Start a conversation about your restaurant purchasing goals with an Entegra representative today by calling us at 833-977-1765 or filling out our contact form.