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Foodservice Independent Restaurant Case Volume Growth

measures case-volume growth from independent foodservice customers, a strategically important customer group that often carries higher service intensity and gross profit per case.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 29, 2026
Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date
Sep 29, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context
10 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Foodservice Distribution Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples
2 reviewed companiesRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.
  1. Independent growth can include acquired volume
  2. Independent customers can carry richer gross profit and higher service cost
  3. Part of the Foodservice Distribution Economics
  4. See It in Company Research
  5. Continue Research

Foodservice independent restaurant case volume growth measures the change in cases sold to customers the distributor classifies as independent restaurants or independent foodservice accounts.

US Foods reported 5.1% independent restaurant case growth for the 13 weeks ended June 27, 2026. PFG reported 10.2% total independent Foodservice case growth for fiscal 2026.

Independent growth can include acquired volume

PFG's total independent case growth includes acquisition effects. Its organic independent case growth was lower at 5.9% for fiscal 2026.

That distinction matters when M&A is a meaningful part of distributor growth.

Independent customers can carry richer gross profit and higher service cost

PFG says independent customers generally use more value-added services and more Performance Brands products, producing higher gross profit per case. It also says these customers carry higher supply-chain costs.

Independent case growth therefore should be read with independent sales mix and margin conversion rather than treated as a pure volume-quality score.

Primary sources: US Foods Q2 2026 Form 10-Q and PFG fiscal 2026 Form 10-K.

Part of the Foodservice Distribution Economics

Connect case-volume growth and acquisition-normalized demand with local and independent customer mix, proprietary-brand penetration, food-cost inflation, gross margin, and adjusted EBITDA conversion.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →
Where this concept fits
  • Case growth and acquisition normalizationCurrent relationship
    Total case growth measures physical volume before acquisition normalization, organic case growth removes recently acquired operations under issuer policy, and local or independent-customer measures reveal where that volume is coming from. Local and independent definitions remain issuer-specific rather than interchangeable.
    Independent Restaurant Case GrowthCurrent conceptLocal Case Volume GrowthOrganic Case Volume GrowthOrganic Independent Case GrowthTotal Case Volume Growth
  • Customer, brand, and inflation mix
    Independent sales mix shows customer composition, proprietary-brand case mix shows product composition, and food-cost inflation shows the pricing input moving through the distribution model. Each can affect gross profit without representing the same economic lever.
    Food Cost InflationIndependent Sales MixProprietary Brand Case Mix
  • Gross profit and operating conversion
    Gross margin captures sales less product cost, while adjusted EBITDA margin carries the analysis through distribution, selling, administrative, and issuer-defined adjustment layers. Margin conversion therefore depends on both upstream mix and downstream cost productivity.
    Adjusted EBITDA MarginFoodservice Gross Margin

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

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Compare independent-customer growth

Compare reported independent-restaurant or independent-foodservice case growth without treating local, independent, chain, and national customer definitions as interchangeable.

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