SAN FRANCISCO --A ccording to a recent industry survey, 86 percent of restaurant operators are eager to purchase restaurant equipment and supplies (E&S) online.(a) BigTray(SM), www.BigTray.com, launched a solution to an industry looking for a better alternative for purchasing E&S.

"BigTray has been built from the ground-up to develop an e-commerce business that provides the foodservice operator with a better, easier way to buy equipment and supplies," said Josh Weinstock, President, BigTray. "Currently, E&S accounts for three percent of operator costs but about a third of their hassle. BigTray is designed to reduce the hassle and allow operators to focus on what they love to do - run their restaurants."

BigTray is the first venture capital-funded restaurant equipment and supply company focused solely on delivering an e-commerce solution for restaurateurs. It is designed to be easy to use and does not require operators to go through a complicated registation process or get a reference check – a Web browser is all they need. BigTray's design allows users to click on the items they want, view the upfront, haggle-free prices and check out.

"We're on our computers already doing payroll and book-keeping so logging onto BigTray to buy equipment and supplies is really easy," said John Pepper, partner of The Wrap, a 9 unit Boston-based restaurant chain. "They have the supplies we need at good prices and they ship them right to our restaurants. Now we don't have to run around town to pick up the things we need. BigTray's just easier."

BigTray is the first venture capital funded business focused solely on the highly fragmented $13 billion E&S industry. More than 780,000 operators currently spend an average of $15,000 a year on equipment and supplies. According to a recent report, three-fourths of operators will likely be buying E&S on the Internet in the next two years.(b)

BigTray features leading brands and has five times the inventory of a typical E&S dealer. BigTray also warehouses its own inventory to effectively control fulfillment to the customer. "BigTray has built a business designed to make buying equipment and supplies easier for the customer," says, Henry Colletti, President of Vulcan-Hart, the leading manufacturer of cooking equipment. "We're pleased to feature our products on BigTray."

In addition to Vulcan-Hart, BigTray also features other leading restaurant equipment manufacturers: Metro, manufacturer of storage, shelving, carts and racks; Traulsen, manufacturer of commercial refrigeration products; TRUE, the leading manufacturer of commercial refrigerators and freezers; and Wolf, manufacturer of ranges, ovens and fryers.

BigTray is backed by Sequoia Capital, the venture capital fund behind Yahoo!, Webvan, Apple, and Cisco Systems. The management team of BigTray has extensive experience in E&S, foodservice and e-commerce.

Operators can visit www.BigTray.com to learn about product availability and prices or call customer support at 1-800 BIG-TRAY. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA and is located on the web at www.BigTray.com.

(a) Source: Vertical Net Survey, February 2000

(b) Source: American Express/FoodTrends on Purchasing Survey,

Rich Miller
415/522-5237
BigTray