Come Back Shack

Come Back Shack is an independently owned and run family business founded by brothers Scott and Steven Prewitt in 2011. The company operates its flagship store in Boone, NC with a further two restaurants located in the Low Country of South Carolina. It is currently undergoing a period of expansion, with two new restaurants planned for South Carolina in 2024 and a further 4 locations across the Carolinas to follow. The product line-up centers around a traditional Burgers and Fries menu made from fresh ingredients and served in a fast casual environment, all prepared in-house by the Come Back Shack team. 

In seeking to grow the business, Come Back Shack needed to both transition its purchasing activity onto a greater scale, and also deliver improved supplier pricing deriving from the planned higher volumes of the business. To do this they enlisted the help of Procure4 to benefit from Procure4’s market-based knowledge, expertise in managing and conducting RFP’s, and ability to deliver optimal sourcing solutions with tangible financial benefits. 

In the first instance Procure4 conducted an ‘Opportunity Assessment’ of the Come Back Shack business looking at total spend, locations, and number of Suppliers, Categories, and SKU’s, and factoring in the future plans for growth. From this it was possible to develop individual ‘Approach Strategies’ by category with a forecast range of cost-saving opportunities. 

The next step was to implement the Approach Strategies which in the majority of cases involved some form of market-based assessment taking into consideration the projected higher volumes of the business. This also included Come Back Shack’s relationship with their Distribution partner through which all product deliveries were made. For potential new suppliers, sample testing days were held at the Distributor Test Kitchen to validate product specifications and obtain Client approval through a product tasting exercise. The goal of this activity was to find the best fit of Manufacturers and Distributor to meet Come Back Shack’s future business needs, and to facilitate direct contractual relationships between the parties where possible. Regular updates were provided to the Come Back Shack management team throughout this process in the form of a monthly ‘Steering Committee’ meeting where all key decisions were taken. 

The outcome of the study was that a Cost Base Reduction of 18% was achieved across all categories when compared to the ‘Baseline’ spend number developed as part of the Opportunity Assessment exercise. 

 

This involved some significant changes to the business including transitioning to a new Distribution partner as well as critical ingredients including the Beef Patty, Bun, Bacon, Cheese, and Seafood where Come Back Shack established direct commercial agreements with new supplier partners. 

 

Overall, the input from the Procure4 team delivered not only a significantly improved cost base and financial results, but also a platform for future growth partnering with market leading vendors to build upon this. 

If you are looking for a company to help reduce your costs in the foodservice industry then contact Procure4. Not only did they help to significantly reduce our product pricing, they also made a big difference to the service levels and efficiency of our supply chain, and are great to work with.