Sysco, the largest food distributor in the country, wants to buy Restaurant Depot, the biggest cash-and-carry wholesaler. The price tag is about $29 billion. The cost to your neighborhood restaurants could be much higher.
We're independent restaurant and bar owners, operators, and workers across the country. Here's why this deal scares us.
Right now, Sysco and Restaurant Depot compete for our business. When delivery prices climb, we drive to the warehouse. When warehouse prices climb, we lean on delivery. That back-and-forth is one of the only ways small businesses keep costs in check. Put both under one owner, and that leverage vanishes — leaving fewer discounts, higher fees, and rising prices we can't absorb on razor-thin margins.
When independent restaurants close, the damage spreads. We're the main customers for small farms and local producers who can't sell to national distributors. We employ millions. We're where communities gather. Lose us, and neighborhoods lose jobs, culture, and stability.
There's precedent for stopping this. In 2015, the FTC blocked Sysco's merger with US Foods for reducing competition and raising prices. The same logic applies now — even more strongly. This deal doesn't just remove a competitor; it erases the only real pricing check independents have.
The FTC is reviewing the merger right now, and public pressure matters most while the decision is still open.