Restaurant Operator's Cooperative
A member-owned purchasing cooperative since 1992
Saving the independent restaurant operator.
Independent restaurants compete with an ever-growing number of chains. ROC pools our members' purchases so independents can negotiate national account pricing with manufacturers, brokers and vendors. The result is lower food costs and higher profit margins.
What is ROC?
Our combined purchasing power works for you.
The Restaurant Operators Cooperative is a food purchasing group started in 1992 with one purpose: saving the independent restaurant operator. We use our members' combined purchases to negotiate pricing no single independent could get alone. Because we offer a wide range of programs, often with several vendors in a category, members save without giving up what makes their restaurants unique.
Food, beverage & supplies
National account pricing on food, beverage, paper and chemicals through our approved distributors and manufacturers.
Beyond the kitchen
Programs for the other services restaurants rely on, including credit card processing, linen and uniforms, janitorial supply, workers' compensation and property insurance, and kitchen equipment.
Stronger together
The more programs you use, the more you save on the things you already buy. Every member's support also gives ROC more negotiating power, so everyone saves more.
See ROC in action
Major benefits. Excellent quality. Extraordinary savings.
Hear from the Capital Region's Restaurant Operator's Cooperative.
How ROC saves you money
Up to six ways to save.
ROC negotiates directly with the vendors, manufacturers and distributors of the products and services you already use. When you buy through our approved programs, you save on the invoice and again with rebates.
Negotiated mark-up
Approved vendors charge a fixed mark-up over their actual cost across food, beverage, paper and chemicals. ROC audits distributors' costs, so you consistently pay the best possible invoice price and no longer have to "spreadsheet" your orders.
Off-invoice allowances
Programs with several manufacturers give you additional allowances deducted directly from your invoice line items.
Rebates
Most of our vendors pay rebates to ROC on your behalf. That can add up to 7% in savings to your individual ROC account, year after year.
Volume incentives
Many of our programs include extra savings when the membership reaches certain volume thresholds. The more we buy together, the more we all save.
Drop-size incentives
Consolidate purchases into fewer deliveries and save more. With our broadline distributors, for example, that can mean up to an additional 3½% off larger deliveries.
Prompt-pay incentives
Our main distributors let you take up to ½% off your invoice for paying within 7 days, and up to 1% for paying by cash, ACH or check on delivery.
How ROC operates
Owned by members. Working for members.
ROC is a true cooperative. We represent our members' interests, not our vendors'. We negotiate on your behalf, and if a vendor isn't treating you fairly or an issue isn't being handled in a timely way, the ROC office steps in. We represent a substantial part of our vendors' business, so your concerns carry the weight of the whole organization.
- You're an owner: every full member receives a share of stock, which is their vote at the annual meeting.
- Member-elected board: 12 directors, elected by and from the membership.
- Open and transparent: all board meetings are open to the entire membership.
- Savings go back to you: accumulated rebates, less operating expenses, are redistributed to members every year.
Rebates and the monthly fee
Your fee is paid from your rebates.
ROC's office and operating costs are covered by a simple monthly fee. Instead of billing you each month, we deduct it from the rebates you've accumulated when rebates are paid out at the end of the year. For most members, rebates more than cover it.
Rebates build all year
Purchases from most approved vendors earn rebates in your individual ROC account.
About $100 per active month
The fee is charged for each month each location's membership is active. It's currently estimated at about $100 a month, so one location for 12 months comes to roughly $1,200. The rate can vary, but has historically averaged between $85 and $100.
Year-end payout
We subtract the fee from your accumulated rebates and pay you the rest. If your rebates don't cover the fee, you'll be asked to pay the difference to keep your membership.
How it works out (at an estimated $100/month)
| Example | Rebates earned | Months active | Monthly fee | Year-end result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full year | $6,500 | 12 | − $1,200 | $5,300 paid to you |
| Joined mid-year | $3,000 | 6 | − $600 | $2,400 paid to you |
| Low rebate year | $900 | 12 | − $1,200 | $300 due from you to keep your membership |
Own more than one restaurant?
The monthly fee applies to each location, but your rebates are pooled across all your restaurants that share the same Federal ID number. If one location's rebates are more than enough, the extra covers the fees for your other locations.
Example: at the estimated rate, two locations under the same Federal ID for 12 months have fees of $2,400 ($1,200 each). Location A earns $4,000 in rebates and Location B earns $700. Combined rebates of $4,700 cover both fees, and $2,300 is paid to you.
Examples are for illustration. In 2025, members using ROC programs for a full year earned an average of about $7,100 in rebates before the fee. The more ROC programs you use, the more your rebates outweigh the fee.
Joining ROC
Joining is simple.
Start with a free price check to see what ROC could save you. Then choose the membership that fits: join as a full member, or try ROC first with a 6-month associate membership.
Full membership
Member-Owner
$500 one-time
A one-time fee for your share of stock in the cooperative.
- Lower contract pricing and vendor incentives
- Rebates accumulate in your ROC account
- Voting rights at the annual meeting
- Your $500 stock certificate is refundable if you resign as a member in good standing*
6-month trial
Associate Member
Free for 6 months
Try ROC free before you commit.
- Lower contract pricing and vendor incentives
- No voting privileges or rebates during the trial
- Become a full member ($500) after the trial, and the rebates you would have earned during the trial are added to your account. Monthly fees are counted from the day your trial started.
Both options also require a $100 non-refundable application fee.
Own several restaurants? You submit one application and pay one application fee for all of them. Restaurants under one tax ID share one stock certificate; each additional tax ID needs its own $500 stock certificate.
Apply
Complete our short questionnaire and application, choose a full or associate membership, and pay the $100 non-refundable application fee.
Meet the board
We'll invite you to a board meeting so we can answer each other's questions. You'll also see how the board works.
Get approved
Full members receive a stock certificate representing their vote at our annual meeting.
Start saving
We contact all our vendors on your behalf, and they set up your accounts to reflect your ROC membership.
FAQ
Common questions
What is your current vendor list?
ROC members buy through these approved vendors:
| Type of service | Vendor |
|---|---|
| Main distributors | Ginsberg's Foodservice / Sysco Foods Driscoll Foods |
| Baked goods | Bimbo Foods (Freihofer's) Rockland Bakery Formisano Bakery |
| Chemicals / detergents | Ecolab Ginsberg's / Sysco Imperial Brady (Hill & Markes) Driscoll Foods |
| Class action recovery firm | K.M. Steven & Company |
| Coffee | Ophelias Pantry (formerly Gama Foods) Capital City Coffee Roasters |
| Credit card processing | Global Payments (formerly Heartland Payment) |
| Dairy / ice cream | Crescent Creamery |
| Duct cleaning | Nationwide Maintenance Service Daigle Fire Solutions |
| Energy | Mirabito (gas & electric) |
| Equipment | B & G Foodservice Equipment Singer Kittredge Equipment Company |
| Insurance | Bishop & Associates HMS Agency |
| Legal services | Whiteman Osterman & Hanna |
| Linen | Morgan Linen |
| Office / paper / janitorial supplies | W.B. Mason |
| Oil management | Restaurant Technologies, Inc. |
| Paint / supplies | Sherwin-Williams |
| Paper | Imperial Brady (Hill & Markes) |
| Payroll | Recalibrate |
| Potatoes / appetizers | McCain Foods |
| Potatoes / frozen vegetables | Simplot |
| Pest control | Attention Pest Solutions |
| Produce | AC FreshCo / Carioto Produce |
| Produce & seafood | Antonucci Wholesale Produce, Inc. |
| Sexual harassment training services | Benetech Advantage |
| Soda & juices | Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. |
| Waste oil management | Western Mass Rendering Co., Inc. |
| Waste disposal | County Waste |
Who can join?
Independent restaurant and foodservice operators, single-unit or multi-unit. Typically, a restaurant needs to be able to purchase a minimum of $2,000 per week from at least one of our mainline vendors to be considered for membership. If you're not sure you qualify, fill out the price check form and we'll be in touch.
What does it cost to join?
Full membership is a one-time $500 fee for your share of stock in the cooperative, which gives you voting rights at the annual meeting and lets you earn rebates. You can also start with a free 6-month associate membership. Either way, there's also a $100 non-refundable application fee.
I own more than one restaurant. What do I pay?
You submit one application and pay one $100 application fee, however many restaurants you have. If all your restaurants are under one federal tax ID, you buy one $500 stock certificate. If they're under different tax IDs, each tax ID needs its own $500 stock certificate. The monthly fee (currently estimated at about $100) applies to each location, and rebates from all your locations that share the same Federal ID number are combined to cover those fees.
What is the associate (trial) membership?
Associate members get 6 months of ROC's lower pricing and vendor incentives free, without voting privileges or rebates. If you become a full member after the trial by paying the one-time $500 membership fee, the rebates you would have earned during the trial are added to your account. Monthly fees are then counted from the day your trial started and deducted from those rebates, the same way as for any full member.
Is the price comparison really free?
Yes. There's no cost and no obligation. Your savings report is yours to keep whether or not you join.
How do rebates work?
Purchases from most approved vendors earn rebates in your individual ROC account. The more programs you support, the more you accumulate. Vendors may withhold rebates from members if they are outside of payment terms. At the end of the year, ROC deducts the monthly fee and pays you the rest.
How is the monthly fee calculated?
The fee covers ROC's office and operating expenses. Each year, those expenses are divided by the total number of member months (every active location, every month) to set the monthly rate. It's currently estimated at about $100 per location per month. It can vary from year to year, but has historically averaged between $85 and $100. If you own several restaurants, rebates are combined across those that share the same Federal ID number to cover the fees. It's deducted from your accumulated rebates at the end of the year. If your rebates aren't enough to cover the fee, you'll be asked to pay the difference to keep your membership.
Example (illustrative numbers)
- Set the rate: ROC's office and operating expenses for the year are $216,000. Members had 200 active locations for 12 months each, or 2,400 member months. $216,000 ÷ 2,400 = $90 per location per month.
- Your fee: you own two restaurants, one active all 12 months and one that joined in July (6 months). That's 18 member months × $90 = $1,620.
- Your payout: your two locations earned $5,200 in rebates combined. $5,200 − $1,620 = $3,580 paid to you.
If your combined rebates had been $1,400 instead, you'd be asked to pay the $220 difference to keep your membership.
What if I have a problem with a vendor?
Contact the ROC office. We represent our members, not our vendors, and we'll work with the vendor to resolve the issue.
What do you do with my invoices?
We use them only to prepare your price comparison. They're stored securely and are never shared with other members or sold.
Ready to see your numbers?
A free price check takes about two minutes to start. Already decided? Apply for membership.