The Groupex Advantage: How membership can unlock huge savings with Canadian Linen & Uniform Service

Brian Reinhardt has always been involved in the foodservice industry—directly or indirectly. His early days were spent working in restaurants and the connections he made there led him to a years-long role representing Canadian Linen & Uniform Service, Canada’s oldest linen services company. For the past five years, Brian has added new dimension to his industry experience as Key Account Consultant with Groupex Canada, working with their members to find cost savings on many of the essential products and services restaurants can’t operate without.

We connected with Brian to learn more about Groupex Canada’s program with the national linen company.

MM: Can you tell us a little bit about your career and why you joined Groupex Canada?

Brian Reinhardt: I have been in and out of the restaurant industry since I was 18 years old. I would leave and then get dragged back in—so I love it. I can’t get away from it. When I left restaurants, I worked at Canadian Linen for 15 years, delivering to restaurants and making connections. Later, I went into sales for Canadian Linen, and I brought in Groupex Canada. I loved that they are a non-profit and how transparent they were with their partners and members compared with others Canadian Linen was working with at that time. Now, Canadian Linen has been with Groupex for decades and they only have one linen provider, and that’s Canadian Linen, with over 1,100 national members using their services.

MM: What types of operations does Canadian Linen serve under Groupex?

BR: Pretty much every foodservice operation—there’s really nothing that isn’t a fit. We’ve got everything from little coffee shops that’ll have just two mats and some aprons and towels all the way to big fine dining restaurants that will go through thousands of napkins, tablecloths, chef coats and washroom services, and everything in between. There’s an option for any independent.

Because we only have one linen supplier across the country, we are able to negotiate an industry-leading pricing structure. We’ve only had one pricing increase in the last seven years. We also offer a rebate, and if you reach out to Groupex, we’ll do a cost analysis that will show the savings in comparison to their current linen provider.

MM: You’re confident you can beat the price of other established providers for restaurants?

BR: I do a lot of the cost analysis across the country for Groupex, and I can count on one hand the amount of times where our program wasn’t better. People aren’t going to switch for two, three or four percent savings. We walk in the door of some of these places and save 15 to 50 per cent.

In today’s landscape, the cost of everything is increasing. If you’re a high linen user, you may be spending $10,000 to $15,000 more a year. Some are seeing increases of up to $40,000 a year. So, if you can cut their bill by 15 to 50 percent, just by having a different company name on the tag of a chef coat, that’s huge. Our cost analysis we do is fact-based and will show savings down to a percentage and a dollar value, both by invoice and annually.

MM: Does Canadian Linen offer other services beyond linen rental and delivery to restaurants?

BR: They also offer full washroom management supply, including toilet paper, paper towel, hand soaps, and air fresheners. They also offer health and safety compliant first aid kits and reflective vests for staff who may have to walk across facility parking lots to drop off waste. Items like these are available through the direct sale program, which is also eligible for Groupex rebates.

MM: What level of customization does Canadian Linen offer to restaurants?

BR: If a restaurant has seasonal fluctuations in their business, they can adjust product orders—they’re not forced into a volume commitment. In terms of brand customization, restaurants can get custom floor mats created with their logo, at a similar cost to a plain mat. Logos can be screened or embroidered on chef coats too. Direct sale coats and cloths are available in a range of colours, and rentals are generally black and white.

MM: What are the benefits of a uniform program for restaurants, as opposed to simply managing linen in house?

BR: One of the biggest advantages is that you know your staff will always work in clean, crisp uniform garments. Soiled garments are picked up weekly with clean garments delivered on hangers at the same time. The uniform program also protects staff members’ personal clothing from damage from stains and grease. They have fresh uniforms waiting for them when they arrive and then they leave them at the end of the day, so you don’t have to worry how staff are going to look if they’re in front of customers.

MM: How does the service reduce costs and how does it all work?

BR: There is no up-front cost to set up a program, and Canadian Linen will purchase or provide all of the linens a customer will need on the operator’s behalf. Restaurants start with the weekly rental, choosing how many of each product they need and start the service, which includes the rental, pickup and delivery.

MM: Would foodservice operators get the same pricing through Canadian Linen if they contacted them directly, as opposed to through Groupex membership?

BR: No. With over 1,100 Groupex members using the service, we have negotiated national pricing based on our volume for independent restaurants. They also take advantage of our price surety and our rebate on top of that pricing. Canadian Linen’s been around for over 125 years. They know what they’re doing. They’re the industry leaders in Canada for sure, and a lot of our members appreciate that Groupex deals with a Canadian-owned linen company.

MM: When you meet with your clients, are they surprised by the total value membership with Groupex offers?

BR: Yes, it’s funny, but that’s my biggest hurdle to signing a new member. They say it sounds too good to be true and ask, “What’s the catch?”. And then, when I throw in that Groupex is owned by a not-for-profit, that we’re transparent, we’re here for our members, and that any profits we do make goes to our parent company, Restaurants Canada to lobby the government on the industry’s behalf, it’s very meaningful. We’re not a multinational company making money for international shareholders. Every dollar we make stays in Canada to support the hospitality industry.

Established in 1984 by a small group of independent restaurants, today, Groupex is the largest foodservice account in Canada with some of the leading branded suppliers such as Pepsico, Diversey, Canada Bread and Gordon Food Service. Groupex uses the buying power of its national membership base to negotiate savings on essential restaurant supplies and services. Members save thousands of dollars on beverages, food, operational and financial programs.

Learn more at: groupex.com