How to Take Your Restaurant Products to Retail

Tex-Mex concept On the Border has done it. And so has self-described "China bistro" P.F. Chang's.

That is, bringing its food -- or at least its brand -- to the supermarket aisle.

Oh sure, these restaurant chains have the resources to make the leap to retail, but you might have a nagging thought in your head: "Could my independent expand its business by bringing our great barbecue sauce, salsa, empanadas, etc., to market -- even just a specialty grocer?"

How does that work, anyway? "If you're going to sell your product, there are FDA regulations, USDA guidelines, nutritional labeling requirements, co-packer considerations, and in some cases, specific bottling and packaging needs," says Mary Valentino-Carter, owner of Food Trade Consultants in Capistrano Beach, California, a consultancy that helps restaurants and individuals take their products to retail -- legally and safely.

Every product is different, with a different set of rules, Valentino-Carter says, and on top of that, there isn't a whole lot of information out there in terms of the steps to follow to package and sell your product in the commercial market. But, with the right resources and information, it can be done, and quite successfully.

The impetus to bring restaurant food to retail is not entirely ego driven -- especially in this economy. "Restaurants have been hit really hard over the past few years and have been searching for alternative revenue streams," Valentino Carter says. "Many don't realize how easy it can be to get their product in a bottle and start making money quickly, within four to six weeks even. Unfortunately, there is very little information out there on how to do this."

Valentino-Carter understands this frustration; 12 years ago after having a brain tumor removed, she revisited her career, realizing that bottling and selling her grandmother's family recipes was something that had always interested her. "I wasted $20,000 of my own money believing people who led me down wrong roads and told me to do things that weren't necessary," Valentino-Carter says. After finding out what was truly needed to bring a food product to the retail market, she realized she could help other restaurateurs, chefs and professionals with big dreams do the same.