By Admin 
Smart restaurant operators know that food costs can make or break their business. With profit margins razor-thin and ingredient prices constantly fluctuating, finding reliable ways to reduce expenses without compromising quality becomes essential. The GFS weekly circular offers exactly that solution—a comprehensive guide to wholesale food savings that helps foodservice professionals stretch their budgets further.
Whether you’re running a bustling restaurant, managing a school cafeteria, or operating a catering business, understanding how to leverage weekly deals can significantly impact your bottom line. The GFS circular isn’t just about discounts; it’s a strategic tool that helps you plan menus, manage inventory, and discover new products that could enhance your offerings.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about maximizing the GFS weekly circular, from accessing the latest deals to implementing cost-saving strategies that successful operators use every day.
What is GFS Weekly Circular and its Benefits
Gordon Food Service (GFS) publishes a weekly circular featuring special pricing, promotional offers, and featured products specifically designed for foodservice operations. Unlike typical grocery store flyers, the GFS circular focuses on bulk quantities and commercial-grade products that meet the demanding needs of professional kitchens.
The circular typically runs from Monday to Sunday, giving operators a full week to take advantage of featured deals. Each edition highlights different categories, including proteins, produce, frozen items, disposables, and specialty ingredients that rotate based on seasonal availability and market conditions.
Key Benefits for Foodservice Operators
Cost Reduction: Featured items often provide savings of 10-30% off regular pricing, which can translate to hundreds or thousands of dollars in monthly savings for busy operations.
Menu Planning Support: Knowing which ingredients will be discounted allows you to build menus around cost-effective options while maintaining quality standards.
Inventory Management: Planning purchases around circular deals helps optimize cash flow and reduces waste from overordering at regular prices.
Product Discovery: Each circular introduces new items and seasonal specialties that could become profitable additions to your menu offerings.
How to Access the Latest GFS Weekly Circular
GFS makes their weekly circular available through multiple convenient channels to ensure foodservice operators never miss out on savings opportunities.
Digital Access Options
The fastest way to view the current circular is through the GFS website, where the latest edition is prominently featured on the homepage. The digital version offers interactive features like searchable products, clickable categories, and the ability to create shopping lists directly from featured items.
Mobile users can download the GFS mobile app, which provides push notifications when new circulars are available. The app also allows you to save favorite deals, set reminders for time-sensitive offers, and access your purchase history to track savings over time.
Email Subscriptions
GFS offers email subscriptions that deliver the circular directly to your inbox each week. Subscribers often receive early access to upcoming deals and exclusive digital coupons not available through other channels.
Physical Copies
Traditional paper circulars remain available at GFS marketplace locations and can be mailed to registered customers upon request. Many operators prefer physical copies for menu planning meetings or sharing with kitchen staff.
Featured Deals and Promotions This Week
While specific deals change weekly, successful circular users know what types of promotions to watch for throughout different seasons and market cycles.
Protein Promotions
Protein typically represents the largest expense category for most foodservice operations, making circular deals on meat, poultry, and seafood particularly valuable. Featured protein deals often include:
Case lot pricing on popular cuts like chicken breasts, ground beef, and pork tenderloin. These deals frequently offer the best per-pound savings when you can commit to larger quantities.
Seasonal specialties such as holiday roasts, summer grilling items, or back-to-school lunch proteins that align with typical demand patterns.
Produce and Fresh Items
Fresh produce deals help operators maintain quality while managing one of the most volatile cost categories in foodservice. Circular produce promotions often feature:
Seasonal fruits and vegetables at peak availability, when quality is highest and costs are most favorable.
Value-added items like pre-cut vegetables, prepared salads, and specialty produce that can reduce labor costs while maintaining freshness.
Frozen and Shelf-Stable Essentials
Frozen and dry goods promotions provide opportunities to stock up on items with longer shelf lives, helping smooth out budget fluctuations over time.
Tips for Maximizing Savings with GFS
Experienced operators have developed proven strategies for getting the most value from GFS circular deals.
Plan Around Promotions
Build your menu planning cycle around the circular release schedule. Review each new edition before finalizing weekly menus, allowing flexibility to incorporate featured deals into your offerings.
Calculate true cost savings by comparing circular prices to your typical supplier costs, not just GFS regular pricing. This helps identify which deals provide genuine value for your operation.
Strategic Purchasing
Consider storage capacity and turnover rates when evaluating bulk deals. A 20% discount means nothing if products spoil before you can use them.
Coordinate with other local operators for group purchasing on large case quantities when individual storage is limited. Many successful operators form informal buying cooperatives for high-value deals.
Track Performance
Maintain records of circular purchases and their impact on food costs. This data helps identify which types of deals provide the best returns for your specific operation type and volume.
Recipes and Meal Ideas Using Circular Products
Smart operators don’t just buy featured products—they build menu items around them that maximize profitability while maintaining customer satisfaction.
Protein-Forward Options
When featured proteins appear in the circular, develop limited-time specials that highlight these ingredients. A discounted ribeye promotion might become a weekend steak special, while featured chicken thighs could inspire a new comfort food entrée.
Cross-utilize proteins across multiple menu applications. Featured ground beef works equally well for burgers, meatballs, tacos, and pasta sauces, providing flexibility in portioning and preparation.
Seasonal Menu Development
Use produce promotions to create seasonal menu items that feel fresh and current while leveraging cost savings. Featured asparagus in spring might inspire new side dishes, salads, or pasta preparations.
Value-Added Applications
Transform basic circular ingredients into higher-margin menu items. Featured potatoes become loaded potato skins, specialty fries, or artisanal gnocchi with proper preparation and presentation.
Overview of GFS Services and Resources
Beyond the weekly circular, GFS provides comprehensive support services that help foodservice operators succeed.
Business Solutions
GFS business consultants work with operators to analyze purchasing patterns, identify cost-saving opportunities, and optimize ordering processes. These services often reveal additional savings beyond circular deals.
Menu engineering support helps operators design profitable menus using GFS products, including cost analysis and pricing recommendations.
Technology Integration
GFS ordering systems integrate with many point-of-sale and inventory management platforms, streamlining the purchasing process and helping track circular deal performance.
Online ordering platforms allow you to quickly add circular items to regular orders, with automatic price adjustments applied at checkout.
Training and Education
GFS offers culinary training programs, food safety certification, and business management workshops that help operators maximize the value of their product purchases.
Customer Testimonials and Success Stories
Successful GFS circular users report significant improvements in both cost control and operational efficiency.
Restaurant owners frequently mention monthly food cost reductions of 8-15% through strategic circular purchasing combined with menu planning adjustments.
Catering operators appreciate the ability to bid more competitively on large events by incorporating circular pricing into their cost calculations.
School nutrition directors often highlight how circular deals help stretch limited budgets while maintaining nutritional standards and student satisfaction.
Stay Updated and Save with GFS Circular
Consistency is key to maximizing circular savings. Successful operators develop weekly routines around circular review and menu adjustment.
Set specific times each week to review the new circular, ideally before finalizing orders or menu plans. Many operators find Monday morning reviews work well for planning the upcoming week.
Train key staff members to recognize circular opportunities and suggest menu modifications that could incorporate featured deals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does the GFS circular update?
The GFS weekly circular updates every Monday with new deals running through the following Sunday, giving you a full week to take advantage of featured pricing.
Can I combine circular deals with other GFS promotions?
Most circular deals can be combined with volume discounts and other ongoing promotions, though specific restrictions may apply to certain manufacturers’ offers.
Do circular prices apply to online orders?
Yes, circular pricing automatically applies to online orders when you’re logged into your GFS account, making it easy to capture savings through digital ordering.
How far in advance can I see upcoming circular deals?
GFS typically releases circulars one week at a time, though registered customers sometimes receive preview information for major promotional events.
Are circular deals available at all GFS locations?
While most deals are system-wide, some promotions may be region-specific based on local market conditions and product availability.
Transform Your Food Costs with Strategic Circular Use
The GFS weekly circular represents more than just a collection of deals—it’s a strategic tool that can fundamentally improve your foodservice operation’s profitability. By incorporating circular review into your regular planning process, training staff to recognize opportunities, and building flexibility into your menu development, you create a systematic approach to cost control that compounds over time.
Start this week by reviewing the current circular with fresh eyes, looking beyond obvious deals to identify ingredients that could inspire new menu items or replace higher-cost alternatives in existing recipes. Track your savings over the next month to quantify the impact, and adjust your approach based on what works best for your specific operation type and customer base.