1. Case Study
©Expense Reduction Analysts 2012
Established in 1714, this Three Century Old
Inn seeks to Validate Best Pricing Practices
Lowered food & merchant card costs improves Inn’s margins in highly
competitive industry
Project Information
Categories Total Project Savings
Food Service: $151,000 – 8.5%
Merchant Card Fees: $24,000 – 9.8%
“ERA’s process was painless. They performed
as originally stated. Their monthly audit
reports are timely and give me the confidence
that our pricing is the best in the industry”
Peter R. Friedrich, Owner
“Their reports allow me to track the monthly
prices for my main food products which are
highlighted with graphs”
Jeff Bell, Head Chef
Trimming the Fat
The William Penn Inn is the oldest continuously operating
restaurant/inn in the state of Pennsylvania. Around 1700,
Governor William Penn and his 22 year old daughter, Letitia,
spent time at the Inn after visiting the Quaker Church across
the street on their way to Philadelphia.
The owners’ success comes from a menu based on high
quality products. The objective was to maintain that quality
at the best industry pricing available.
They brought Food Service and Merchant Card Consultants
from Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA) to the table.
ERA: Advisors, Analysts and Advocates
ERA helps organizations improve profitability through cost,
purchase and supplier management. What makes ERA
different is a proven process and industry-specific knowledge
that drives savings and growth.
ERA Food Service experts thoroughly analyzed the client’s
purchases and prepared a “market basket” representing 80%
of their spend. This information was included in a detailed
Request for Proposal sent to broadline suppliers that allowed
like-for-like pricing comparisons in specific categories,
including dry grocery, meat/poultry, dairy refrigeration,
frozen and seafood.
With Merchant Card Fees, ERA was able to reduce pricing and
eliminate downgrades while remaining with their current
processors/POS provider.
As in every ERA project, Consultants seek the best value-for-
money offer to find the “best fit” for their clients.
Expense Reduction Analysts provide executives with
more time, money and opportunities so they can focus
their efforts to improve processes in other areas.