Campus Cooks
Learn how Campus Cooks, a national food service provider serving Greek Chapters, is saving members up to 15% on food costs through Una’s food cost reduction program.
Introduction
Campus Cooks is a food service management provider dedicated to serving fraternities and sororities on college campuses around the United States. The organization works directly with Greek housing chapters to provide on-site chefs to create and cook meals for students and staff.
Campus Cooks currently serves over 150 Greek chapters in 26 states, working to provide custom contracts to meet their members’ needs and provide the food they love. They personally match chefs based on Chapter values to foster a sense of community during meal times.
With a constant need to purchase and supply meals for dozens of locations around the country, Campus Cooks was looking to work with preferred vendors to secure favorable pricing, quality ingredients, and superior service. They partnered with Una (and our former sister company, Culinary Consultants Purchasing Alliance) to make it happen.
Read on to learn more about their success with Una’s food cost reduction programs.
CASE STUDY
Campus Cooks
Campus Cooks is a national food service provider dedicated to serving fraternities and sororities around the country.
HEADQUARTERS:
Wheeling, IL
INDUSTRY:
Food & Food Service Management
FOUNDED:
1995
Supporting a way of life
Fraternities and sororities, together referred to as “Greek Life,” are undergraduate organizations associated with colleges and universities. Greek chapters support students academically, and provide a way for them to further develop social and leadership skills. Each year, approximately 750,000 students across the nation join a fraternity or sorority and participate in Greek life.
It’s this way of life that Campus Cooks has been supporting since it’s inception. They’re experts in delivering professional staffing and foodservice experiences, taking care of everything behind the scenes so each chapter can get the most out of everything Greek life has to offer. Their set of core values, referred to as their “ALPHA,” translate seamlessly to the Greek space. These beliefs are personified by their employees’ commitment and passion for great service and even greater experiences.
Along with developing menus and providing daily meals, Campus Cooks chefs and staff members are pros when it comes to servicing larger recruitment nights, fundraising events, and socials. Campus Cooks is also committed to sourcing sustainable food options from local vendors whenever possible, and is dedicated to providing safe and healthy food options at all times.
Challenges
Campus Cooks revolutionized the food service space with it’s unique carveout dedicated to helping Greek houses run efficiently in the kitchen. They work with recruiting partners and attend industry trade shows to find their talented chefs, train each on on the aspects of Greek life, and encourage staff members to collaborate with their chapters to create tailored experiences.
Campus Cooks had nearly every aspect of the business perfected, including having built strong relationships with local food vendors in various regions. At times, however, it is necessary to source items and ingredients from larger national distributors. It was here that Campus Cooks ran into roadblocks securing favorable prices and being able to count on reliable customer service.
Many Greek chapters operate on a set budget and have been riding out dramatic fluctuations in food costs over the years. Campus Cooks knew they needed a partner to help keep quality products in stock at reasonable prices. Forming a partnership with Una helped Campus Cooks combat these challenges.
Why partner with Una?
Michael Scagnoli, the Procurement Manager for Campus Cooks, is responsible for sourcing the best food from local and regional vendors to meet their clients’ needs. He’s also tasked with negotiating prices and nurturing relationships with suppliers to ensure the highest quality products are being delivered.
Before joining Una, he was unfamiliar with how a food service GPO could take their procurement efforts to the next level. Our team walked Michael through the streamlined connection process and provided market baskets to show potential cost savings. Una worked with companies like US Foods and Sysco to get Campus Cooks members connected to contracted pricing quickly.
Michael’s industry expertise, coupled with Una’s expansive contracts with larger national food distributors, secured discounted pricing and improved customer service experiences for Campus Cooks.
What’s more, the relationships Campus Cooks have in place with local vendors remain intact. Chapter chefs now have access to additional contracts through Una to support their ordering needs. Una’s contracts can be used free-of-charge as they see fit, with no long-term commitments or product limitations.
The trusted partnership between Una and Campus Cooks means that Greek houses around the country are saving up to 15% more on food costs.
"The process of partnering [with Una] has been pretty seamless. We bring an account to them, they help push through the account set up, [members] get the established contracted pricing loaded onto our ordering portal, and off we go to savings."
Food Market Basket
To help Campus Cooks members visualize the savings that are possible with Una, our team runs custom market baskets to compare food costs. These are based on real invoice and product data to show true cost comparisons.
Market baskets are completed as part of the discovery process prior to joining Una. We have the ability to cross reference multiple national distributors and pre-negotiated contracts to find the best solutions for your organization.
Una members also have access to quarterly pinpoint reports to identify other savings opportunities. Our contracts have built-in price protections and we resources in place to help circumvent supply chain disruptions and product shortages.
Helping members source smarter and faster
Una’s mission is work alongside our members to increase their organization’s profitability. We’re dedicated to this mission whether we’re working with a partner like Campus Cooks or with individual businesses looking to join and save more money, time, and effort.
We accomplish this by following the same streamlined process for each category, including food, and providing value beyond cost savings:
Free Membership
Una membership is always free to join and free to use. There are never any purchasing requirements, contract obligations or exclusivities.
Save Money, Time & Effort
Contracts with an average savings of 18-22% means no longer having to shop around or spend extra time negotiating contract terms on your own.
Speed to Savings
We work to identify areas of opportunity and connect members to pre-negotiated contracts quickly, allowing you to start saving right away.
Transparency & Trust
Building trust and operating with full transparency means we share results regardless of outcome, and won’t stop until we find a solution.
Supplier Relationships
We’re dedicated to supporting and nurturing our supplier relationships in a way that reduces maverick spend and enforces purchasing compliance.
Cost Savings Analysis
Avoid the lengthy and complicated RFP process with cost savings analyses based on real spend data and real contract terms from our supplier portfolio.
Consulting Services
Results-based consulting at the direction of our members, without the hefty fees that normally comes along with hiring a third party consultant.
Member Experience
Our dedicated Member Experience team provides unmatched customer service to ensure we, as well as our suppliers, are meeting your needs.
Campus Cooks has been aligned with Una for several years now. They continue to see value in the relationship thanks in part to Una’s commitment to providing comprehensive savings solutions and superior service.
With Una working in the background to ensure our food vendors are meeting their needs, Campus Cooks can remain focused on what’s most important: supporting the vision of the Greek chapters they serve.
Additional resources
Find more GPO case studies here.
Ready to become the next success story?
Whether you’re needing help with a single category or are looking for ways to implement a cohesive procurement strategy, the Una team is here to help.
Membership is always free and there are never any purchasing requirements or exclusivities.
Get started with a no-obligation discovery call to learn more.