If you run a hotel, resort, casino, country club, or restaurant, you’re juggling rising costs, labor pressure, and the constant “do more with less” drumbeat. The good news: you don’t have to white-knuckle procurement alone. Two Buyers Edge Platform brands, Source1 and Dining Alliance, help operators convert day-to-day purchasing into measurable gains in margin, time, and consistency.
This guide started as a recap of what operators asked us for at the Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Supply Show. We’ve expanded it into an evergreen playbook you can use all year to benchmark your operation, tighten purchasing, and find quick wins.
Why This Matters Right Now
- Visibility drives margin. When line items, contracts, and rebates are scattered, money is left on the table.
- Standardization lowers chaos. Fewer SKUs and better compliance shrink waste and speed up training.
- Data beats guesswork. Category trends and real invoice data help you negotiate confidently and act faster.
For Hotels, Resorts, Casinos, and Clubs: Source1
Luxury and lifestyle properties need procurement that matches the guest experience: precise, consistent, and quietly efficient. Source1 specializes in hospitality—from guestrooms to spa, from banquet kitchens to pool decks—so you can protect GMV and guest satisfaction without inflating overhead.
Hospitality Procurement Data and Technology
Turn fragmented purchasing into clear, actionable insights. Source1 technology surfaces:
- Price accuracy and variance by property, category, and item
- Contract utilization and compliance at a glance
- Category benchmarks to spot outliers and negotiate with confidence
- Consolidated reporting for corporate and regional roll-ups
Purchasing Solutions
- Nationally contracted pricing across food, supplies, and services
- Dedicated account management to align bids and brand standards
- Category strategy support for everything from linens to chemicals
- Menu and banquet alignment to protect food cost during seasonal swings
Indirect Spend & OS&E
Your guest never sees the procurement plan, but they feel the outcome. Source1 supports:
- Rooms & Housekeeping: linens, amenities, paper, small appliances
- Spa, Golf, Pool: towels, furniture, umbrellas, chemicals
- Culinary & Catering: smallwares, disposables, equipment, tabletop
Quick win checklist (OS&E):
- Replace similar SKUs with a single spec
- Move high-velocity consumables under contract
- Tie reordering to par levels by outlet
- Track backorders and substitutions against guest-facing impact
Supply Chain Management
- Distribution optimization to balance cost, fill rate, and service
- Risk mitigation through alternates and spec adherence
- Bid and RFP support when it’s time to formalize or switch
Produce Management
Fresh is fickle. Source1 brings produce expertise to keep consistency high:
- Specification control by cut, pack, and grade
- Seasonal planning to smooth cost and availability
- Quality issue resolution routed quickly through the right partners
For Independent Restaurants: Dining Alliance
Independent operators need buying power, clarity, and programs that respect the realities of a busy kitchen. Dining Alliance makes savings simple and repeatable—without red tape.
CashBack Rebates That Add Up
Earn cash back across over 175,000 rebated line items and hundreds of manufacturer contracts. You buy what you already use; Dining Alliance makes sure you get paid for it and see it clearly in one place.
What operators love:
- Automatic rebate capture and tracking
- Quarterly and annual views to plan cash flow
- Clear eligibility so teams buy the right item the first time
Beyond Broadline Programs (Your Quiet Profit Protectors)
Food cost matters, but so do the bills around it. Dining Alliance connects you to Beyond Broadline Programs that reduce spend on:
- Uniforms and linens
- Cleaning and sanitation
- CO₂ and beverage gas
- Waste oil and grease collection
- Payment and merchant services
- Smallwares and equipment support
MyDiningAlliance Portal (Your Command Center)
Everything you need in one login:
- Rebate tracking and earnings forecasts
- Price transparency to validate invoice accuracy
- AI-powered switch-and-save suggestions to move to more profitable SKUs
- Program enrollment so new savings don’t slip through the cracks
Maximize Your Membership with Premium Upgrades
Dining Alliance isn’t just about everyday savings—it’s about helping operators unlock even more value through premium add-on upgrades. These exclusive programs are designed to enhance your restaurant’s technology stack, simplify your supply chain, and reveal new ways to earn CashBack that flows straight to your bottom line.
Available upgrades include:
- Back Office Technology – Automate recipe costing, streamline inventory and ordering, and gain real-time financial reporting—all in one platform that integrates seamlessly with your restaurant’s operations.
- Produce Savings Programs – Control costs and improve consistency in one of your most volatile categories. Our produce programs give you expert support, seasonal planning, and spec adherence that keeps quality high and waste low.
- Supply Chain Solutions – From contract utilization to distribution management, these programs optimize your supply chain end to end, ensuring you spend smarter while reducing risk and complexity.
Think of these upgrades as a way to supercharge your Dining Alliance membership—taking the foundation of rebates and buying power and layering on the tools and insights that keep your restaurant running lean, profitable, and future-ready.
Not Sure Where You Fit? Use This Quick Guide
- You manage rooms, outlets, and amenities, and care about brand standards and OS&E at scale → Click here to start with Source1.
- You run one or more restaurants and want immediate savings with clear cash-back visibility → Click here to start with Dining Alliance.
- You’re a multi-concept group with both lodging and restaurant footprints → Click here to use both and let us align programs to your org chart.
The Buyers Edge Platform Advantage
Working with Source1 or Dining Alliance plugs you into a broader Buyers Edge Platform ecosystem designed to magnify results:
- Cost Savings At Scale: Access 175,000+ rebated items and 350+ manufacturer contracts to unlock meaningful price improvements across categories.
- Enhanced Visibility: Industry-leading data and technology replace spreadsheet sprawl with clean dashboards and clear ROI.
- Streamlined Operations: Centralized purchasing strategies drive consistency, reduce waste, and simplify training.
What to watch every month:
- Rebate earnings and projected payouts
- Contract utilization percentage
- Price accuracy rate on invoices
- SKU rationalization progress by outlet or concept
Ready To See Real Savings And Better Control?
- Join Source1 to bring hospitality procurement data, OS&E control, purchasing solutions, supply chain management, and produce expertise under one roof.
- Join Dining Alliance to turn everyday purchasing into cash-back rebates, add Beyond Broadline Programs, and run your operation from the MyDiningAlliance portal.
Small changes in what you buy and how you buy can unlock big results. Let’s make those changes easy.
Optional FAQ (Great For SEO)
What is OS&E in hospitality?
Operating Supplies & Equipment are the everyday essentials that keep operations running: linens, amenities, smallwares, disposables, tabletop, and more.
Do rebates really move the needle for independent restaurants?
Yes. Rebates turn routine purchases into cash back. When you track earnings in the portal and buy eligible SKUs consistently, the payout becomes a reliable income stream.
How is this relevant outside trade-show season?
The same categories that generated interest at the show—produce, OS&E, linens, chemicals, and core menu items—are where you can capture savings year-round with visibility, contracts, and standardization.