A man who learned about and was therefore excited about Restaurant Depot’s existence discovered it’s possible to get a day pass there.
The info came from popular TikTok creator Jordan the Stallion (@jordan_the_stallion8) in a video put up on Thursday afternoon that’s already drawn more than 1.4 million views and 194,200 likes.
It begins with a stitch from Miami Cougar (@jesstheprequeldoesmiami), who recorded a video of a massive box of hash browns that allegedly only cost her $5.49, delivered to her from a Restaurant Depot.
In the TikTok video, she declares it to be “an unreasonable amount of hashbrowns,” and of course, commenters came in to disagree.
While the delivery turned out to be what one commenter termed an Instacart-related mishap, with $100 worth of hashbrowns delivered to Miami Cougar for much less, Jordan found himself intrigued by the prospect of what’s available at Restuarant Depot.
According to its website, Restaurant Depot is a “Wholesale Cash & Carry Foodservice Supplier … supplying independent food businesses with quality products from large cash and carry warehouse stores since 1990.”
“We became the leading low-cost alternative to other food service suppliers,” the site goes on to say, “by eliminating the overhead of a traditional distributor, focusing on the needs of independent food service operators and offering free membership.”
Jordan begins his video with the hashbrowns stitch and then says, “I called Restaurant Depot. I said, ‘Hey, I saw somewhere that someone ordered, like, $5 worth of hashbrowns that came in a gigantic box.’”
He continues, “This guy told me, ‘No, we’re not like a regular grocery store.’ And I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘Unless you want to go to a place where you can get five pounds of tater tots and seven pounds of mozzarella sticks … or 120 cases of David’s Chocolate Chunk cookie dough, you might not want to be here.’”
He then says, “I said, ‘Sir, you should be a salesman because I’m already on the way to Restaurant Depot.’”
The employee tried to head him off at the pass, saying that you need a membership or a day pass. This info is confirmed on the website, though there’s no information about what it costs.
But Jordan noted, “Look, if you’re trying to deter me, you’re not doing a great job—because I’m in the car right now.”
He then shared, “I don’t think you guys understand just how much this man was trying to get me to not go to this Restaurant Depot. He was saying, ‘First off, we don’t sell fresh seafood, and we don’t make any returns.’ I’m saying, ‘You don’t need to worry about the seafood; I’m not getting any.’”
“And second, if I walk into an establishment where I can get a three-pound bag of cookies for $14, I promise you the last thing in my mind is returning it. The next time you’re going to see me is to just get another three-pound bag of cookies—I’m on a mission.”
@jordan_the_stallion8 #stitch with @Miami Cougar #fypシ ♬ original sound – Jordan_The_Stallion8
An Allrecipes article on shopping at the store, dating back to 2021, implies it’s free to get a day pass.
Regarding the day pass, the article says, “To do this, simply walk up to the front desk at the entrance of your Restaurant Depot location, and tell them you need a guest pass. They’ll print you up a one-time use card, which allows you to check out once you’re done shopping.”
Some commenters endorsed the message.
“I have a membership for Restaurant Depot,” one said, “Best decision ever made in my life.”
Another warned, “As someone who had to shop at Restaurant Depot for work…they do have everything you might want but it’s like the Wild West in there. It’s chaos.”
Several people mentioned the walk-in freezers, with one advising, “When going to Restaurant Depot……. always bring a winter coat because the cold section is like Siberia no matter what season it is.”
And one person, claiming to work there, added a relatable note to crystallize it further for viewers: “Its literally a Costco for restaurants in my opinion.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jordan and Restaurant Depot via email.
