Sysco, one of the world’s largest restaurant food distributors, is piloting its first retail stores in Houston to attract small businesses seeking bulk food at wholesale prices, no delivery contract required.
The first Sysco to Go store opened this week near Memorial City in a former Bed, Bath and Beyond space at 10515 Katy Freeway. A second location is slated to open later this summer in a former Sprouts grocery store near NRG Stadium at 1212 Old Spanish Trail. The two stores would support 100 jobs, company executives said.
The 48,000-square-foot west Houston store is set up like a warehouse-style club, with bulk food and restaurant supplies stacked in towering racks and refrigerators stocked with seafood, dairy and eggs. A huge walk-in cooler replaced the Bed Bath & Beyond stocking room. Massive bags of rice and containers of flour, pasta and other staples are arranged along wide aisles designed to fit warehouse-style U-boat carts.
Sysco picked the west Houston location because of its high concentration of nearby restaurants, said Victoria Gutierrez, the company’s chief merchandising officer…