BRIEFING

Grant here. When you sit down at a restaurant, there's usually the assumption that the ingredients they're feeding us are equivalent or at least somewhat superior to what we have sitting in our pantries. But unfortunately, that assumption is wildly innacurate most of the time. Turns out the restaurant supply chain has a dirty little secret. Let’s break it down.

An X post claims that more than 725,000 restaurants and foodservice operators across the United States get ingredients from Restaurant Depot, which is like a subpar Costco, where seed oils and artificial flavorings run rampant.

In the clip, the creator points to blended “extra virgin olive oil” that's mostly soybean oil and then a butter-flavored oil, where instead of real butter, it's all just "butter" flavoring. There's corn syrup in pasta sauce, corn oil in pizza sauce, dressings with soybean oil, high-fructose corn syrup and dyes, mashed potatoes with emulsifiers, and a whole array of food coloring to replace the color given by real ingredients like egg yolks or tumeric.

SOURCE

Over 725,000 restaurants and foodservice operators across the United States get their ingredients from Restaurant Depot

The vast amount of their foods and ingredients are highly processed, ultra-processed, and full of additives

- Bulk coffee creamers with Titanium Dioxide and loaded with industrial seed oils

- Fake olive oil, it’s only 1% EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil blends) Mostly soybean/canola seed oils with artificial coloring and flavoring to mimic real olive oil

- Pre-fried Fries that are already deep-fried in seed oils (soybean, canola) before arriving at the restaurant. The fryer oil choice becomes irrelevant since the damage is pre-done

- “Grilled” and Binderized Chicken (pre-marinated/pre-cooked) basically frozen chicken products pumped with seed oils, binders, fillers, and additives. Marketed as healthy grilled options but heavily processed

- Egg Shade / Yellow Food Coloring
Intense yellow dye added to fried rice, scrambled eggs, or dishes to make them look fresh and vibrant (mimicking turmeric or real eggs). No ingredients transparency on many bulk versions

- Butter-flavored oils or “Butter” alternatives
Cheap seed oil blends with artificial butter flavoring used in breakfasts, sauces, and cooking. Common in “high-end” looking dishes.

- Deli Meats with Nitrates/Nitrites & Fillers
Pre-sliced processed meats high in preservatives, often used in sandwiches and salads.

- Fake “Premium” Sauces & Dressings
Bulk salad dressings, marinades, and sauces made primarily with seed oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors/colors.

The list goes on and on and on

Against these items are being sent to over 750,000 restaurants. If we want to Make America Healthy Again we have to take down toxic supply chains like this

Over 725,000 restaurants and foodservice operators across the United States get their ingredients from Restaurant Depot

The vast amount of their foods and ingredients are highly processed, ultra-processed, and full of additives

- Bulk coffee creamers with Titanium Dioxide and… pic.twitter.com/ivjHz9DN5X

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) May 15, 2026

The X post states that 725,000 restaurants and foodservice operators are using Restaurant Depot for their supplies, which does line up with Sysco’s own announcement about its planned acquisition of Restaurant Depot. Sysco describes Restaurant Depot as operating 166 warehouse stores across 35 states and serving more than 725,000 independent restaurants and foodservice operators.

Clearly, a majority of restaurants aren't using this supplier because they offer a quality product. Nope, they're doing this to help their bottom line. Reuters also covered Sysco's acquisition of Restaurant Depot and described it as a "cash-and-carry" supplier serving price-conscious independent restaurants.

DEBRIEFING

A lot of us can clearly see that most modern restaurants are built around margin before quality, but still, seeing a video like this is disturbing.

This isn't to say that every restaurant is cutting corners, but clearly, there's a lot of shortcuts happening. Cheaper oils stretch the budget, pre-made sauces save labor, and artificial colors and flavors make food look fresher and tastier than it actually is. All of these bulk dressings, frozen sides, processed meats, and “butter-flavored” substitutes help restaurants move faster, spend less, and keep plates looking "good enough."

Once people understand how many “premium” dishes can be built from cheap industrial items, the whole restaurant experience starts to look cheap as well.

NOW YOU KNOW

The plate may look homemade, but the ingredients may have come from an industrial shortcut aisle.