Insights / Insights

Expand Your Foodservice Supplier Access and Cut Costs with Buyers Edge Platform

Expand Your Foodservice Supplier Network and Cut Costs with Buyers Edge Platform

A strong foodservice supplier network can be the difference between absorbing rising costs and staying one step ahead of them. Foodservice operators are no strangers to pressure. Rising costs, tight labor markets, and ongoing supply chain uncertainty have made it harder than ever to protect margins. And every January, that pressure comes into sharper focus.  January is planning, budgeting, and forecasting season. It’s when operators sit down with last year’s numbers, take a hard look at spend, and start asking tougher questions about what needs to change. In those conversations, one theme comes up again and again. Many teams are still buying from the same short list of suppliers they’ve relied on for years. Not because it’s the best setup, but because it feels safe. What often gets overlooked is how much that comfort quietly costs over the course of a year.  Expanding your foodservice supplier network isn’t about adding complexity. It’s about gaining flexibility, improving leverage, and unlocking opportunities to

Restaurant Supply Chain Management

Restaurant Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Guide

If you work in restaurants long enough, you learn one thing pretty quickly: when the supply chain is off, everything feels harder. Prep takes longer. Orders get creative in the wrong way. Managers scramble. Margins take a hit.  Restaurant supply chain management sits behind almost every operational win or headache. It’s not flashy, and guests rarely see it, but it determines whether kitchens run smoothly or constantly feel like they’re playing catch-up.  This guide breaks down how the restaurant supply chain actually works, where operators tend to feel the most pressure, and what it takes to manage it in a way that supports consistency, cost control, and growth.  What Is Restaurant Supply Chain Management?  Restaurant supply chain management is everything that happens before food ever hits the plate. It covers how products are sourced, purchased, stored, delivered, and tracked across the operation.  That includes ingredients, beverages, packaging, smallwares, and the systems used to manage them. It also includes the decisions behind the scenes, like

Buyers Edge Platform Acquires NCB Foodservice

Buyers Edge Platform Acquires NCB Foodservice, Expanding European Fresh Produce Capabilities

Second fresh produce acquisition in Europe strengthens Buyers Edge Platform’s UK footprint WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 2, 2026: Buyers Edge Platform, a leading digital procurement network and solutions provider for the foodservice industry, today announces the acquisition of NCB Foodservice, a UK-based specialist in fresh produce and broader fresh categories serving foodservice and hospitality operators nationwide. The transaction advances Buyers Edge Platform’s European growth strategy and represents the company’s second acquisition in the fresh produce management category. This acquisition marks a significant step for Buyers Edge Platform in building a pan-European fresh network. The company is combining local market expertise with its technology and buying scale to deliver greater value and supply chain resilience for operators across the UK. “Buyers Edge Platform is a clear leader in the U.S. produce management space and we are ready to deliver that same value to the UK,” said Buyers Edge Platform CEO John Davie. “NCB is recognized for its exceptionally high level of service to its many stakeholders in

United Fresh Consortium

Buyers Edge Platform Makes Its First European Fresh Produce Acquisition with United Fresh Consortium

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Buyers Edge Platform, a leading digital procurement network and solutions provider for the foodservice industry, announces its acquisition of the United Fresh Consortium (UFC), a UK-based platform for fresh produce. This strategic move marks the launch of Buyers Edge Platform’s Fresh division in Europe. John Davie, CEO of Buyers Edge Platform, expressed his excitement about the acquisition, stating, “Our U.S. Fresh Division has evolved into a clear leader in produce management, delivering compelling value to our customers across the nation. With a proven model and strong results, we are well positioned to replicate that success in the European market. The acquisition of UFC is the first step for Buyers Edge in establishing our network of growers and local fresh distribution partners across the region to drive massive value for our members.” With the acquisition of UFC, Buyers Edge Platform takes its first step toward scaling out

hospitality industry challenges

Biggest Hospitality Industry Challenges and How to Solve Them

Running a hospitality business has never been easy, but let’s be honest, the pressure right now feels heavier than it did even a few years ago. Costs are higher. Labor is tighter. Guests are more selective. And operators are expected to juggle all of it while still delivering great experiences, every single day.  The good news? These hospitality industry challenges are real, but they’re not unsolvable. The key is knowing where the pressure points are and taking a smarter, more connected approach to managing them.  What Are Hospitality Industry Challenges?  Challenges in the hospitality industry are the operational, financial, and strategic problems that make it harder for hotels, restaurants, casinos, and other businesses that rely on hospitality to run smoothly and make money.  Some problems are easy to see, like rising food prices or not having enough staff. Some things, like inconsistent pricing, disconnected systems, or not being able to see where money is

AI in Hospitality

AI in Hospitality: How Smart Technology is Redefining Guest Expectations

Hospitality has always lived and died by the guest experience. What’s changed is how quickly those expectations shift. Travelers want rooms that feel tailored to them, faster answers when they have questions, and fewer bumps in the road from check-in to check-out. Operators are feeling the weight of it, especially with tight labor pools and rising operating costs. That pressure is pushing hotels, restaurants, and resorts to look at artificial intelligence in a new way. AI isn’t coming to replace hospitality, it’s showing up to handle the repetitive work and surface insights people can act on. From smarter scheduling to personalized recommendations, these tools are already helping teams serve guests the way they want to be served.  The Rise of AI in the Hospitality Industry  AI hasn’t just quietly slipped into hospitality—it’s become part of day-to-day operations because operators need a better way to keep up. Guests want quick answers and perfectly clean rooms, and they want it without waiting in line

AI in Hotels

AI in Hotels: Enhance the Guest Experience

The hospitality industry has always been built on service, personalization, and consistency. But today’s hotel operators are navigating a much tougher operating environment. Labor remains tight. Costs are unpredictable. Guest expectations are higher than ever, and patience is shorter.  That’s where AI in hotels is starting to earn its keep. Not as a replacement for hospitality or human connection, but as a behind-the-scenes engine that helps hotels move faster, personalize smarter, and operate more efficiently without sacrificing service quality.  When applied thoughtfully, AI helps hotels deliver better guest experiences while protecting margins in an increasingly competitive market.  How AI Improves the Guest Experience  Hotel guests judge their stay on simple things: how fast they get answers, how smooth check-in feels, and whether the hotel seems to remember them. AI supports those moments by keeping small issues from turning into frustrations, especially when teams are stretched thin.  Guest Communication and Instant Support  Most guest questions are predictable. Check-in times, parking

AI for Quick Service Restaurants

AI for Quick Service Restaurants: Reduce Food Waste and Boost Profit Margins

Quick-service restaurants have always been built on speed, consistency, and volume. But today’s QSR operators are juggling more than just throughput. Food costs fluctuate weekly. Labor is tight. Guest expectations are higher than ever. And margins leave very little room for error.  That’s where AI for quick service restaurants is starting to make a real impact.  Artificial intelligence is no longer reserved for experimental tech labs or national brands with endless budgets. It’s showing up in useful, operational ways that help QSRs cut down on food waste, keep better track of their inventory, make their workers more productive, and protect their profits. Not by taking people out of the picture, but by giving operators better information and quicker help with decisions.  When applied thoughtfully, AI helps QSRs shift from reactive firefighting to proactive control.  How AI Is Reshaping the Quick Service Restaurant Industry  In the QSR space, AI isn’t so much about flashy robots as it is

AI in Food Technology

How AI Is Shaping the Future of Food Technology

Foodservice has never been short on challenges, but the pace of change right now is hard to ignore. Costs are volatile. Labor is tight. Supply chains are still anything but predictable. To keep up, operators and food manufacturers are turning to smarter tools that help them plan ahead instead of reacting after the fact. One of the biggest shifts happening behind the scenes is the growing use of AI in food technology, especially in areas like forecasting, purchasing, food safety, and menu planning.  Rather than replacing experience or operational know-how, AI is increasingly being used to support it. When applied correctly, it gives food businesses clearer visibility into what is happening across their operation and what is likely to happen next.  AI in Food Technology  AI in food technology uses operational data and past patterns to help teams make decisions earlier, not after issues have already surfaced. It goes beyond reporting what happened and

Simplify foodservice operations with buyers edge platform brands

Simplify Foodservice Operations with Buyers Edge Platform Brands

Running a foodservice operation today means juggling more than just menus and staffing. Between rising ingredient costs, complex distributor relationships, rebate programs, inventory challenges, payroll issues, and disconnected data systems, operators often feel like they’re managing ten businesses at once instead of one. Most operators aren’t struggling because they lack effort or experience. They’re struggling because the operational ecosystem has become fragmented. Pricing lives in one spreadsheet. Inventory counts sit in another system. Rebates are tracked manually. Accounting is handled in a separate back-office platform. And contract pricing? That might live in emails or PDFs no one checks regularly. This disconnect is exactly what creates margin leaks, wasted labor hours, and missed savings. Simplifying foodservice operations today isn’t about finding one magic tool. It’s about building an integrated support system. And that’s where Buyers Edge Platform comes in. The Buyers Edge Platform connects specialized brands, technology, and industry knowledge into