Thousands of shoppers find HungryPotato.com each month when searching for authentic, regional or cuisine-focused merchandise. And, because we sell on commission (tips!), you know we work hard to keep our Customer Service – for both our Restaurant Partners and shared customers - top notch! If you cannot find the answer to any of your questions below, please email us: partnership@hungrypotato.com, or call: 877-8-POTATO  (877-876-8286) Toll Free.

 

Why Authentic Restaurant Merchandise? Why now?
Why not?! Let's face it - it’s harder than ever to stand out in the crowd and to maintain profitability. Yet your unique merchandise can add revenue to your bottom-line while simultaneously advertising your restaurant. Why not let your customers (past and present!) brag about you by selling them more merchandise?! Think about all the customers that wish they'd bought your products before they left! Selling products on HungryPotato.com is a great way to capitalize on your restaurant's success, without risking any of it.

Why shouldn't your place and its products go from Local Legend to Nationwide Sensation? Multi-million dollar companies Old Navy, J. Crew, and JC Penney have seen the profits from t-shirts and/or mugs with made-up restaurant logo designs. Food packages in supermarkets now indicate “Restaurant Style” to help them sell. HungryPotato.com gives your restaurant a new marketplace for your products while giving customers access to authentic goods from around the nation!

What kinds of establishments can sell merchandise on HungryPotato.com?
Cafes, Pizzerias, Diners, Donut Shops, Steak Houses, Ice Cream Shops, Breweries, Bistros, Bakeries, Night Clubs, and more: ALL THOSE SERVING FOOD OR BEVERAGES ARE WELCOME IN THE HUNGRY POTATO RESTAURANT PARTNER PROGRAM.

How much does it cost to have a HungryPotato.com web storefront?
We charge a low, one-time set-up fee of $79 and no monthly fees. After your webstore is online, we sell your merchandise On Consignment.

What is Consignment Sales and why does HungryPotato.com sell 'On Consignment'?
With Consignment Sales, your restaurant retains complete ownership over your merchandise (even when it's in our warehouse), and we sell the items on your behalf and take a fixed rate percentage of each sale. We've run the numbers, explored the options, and for Restaurant Merchandise this makes the most financial and business sense. You get access to more customers for your products, and we have an incentive to market and sell them! And, best of all, there's no surprises - you know exactly what you will be paid for each sale.

With this arrangement our restaurants pay no monthly costs for storage and web marketing, and we pay no upfront costs such as the wholesale price or manufacturing of your items. And, because it is often more cost-effective for you to order in larger merchandise quantities than you may need on-hand, it makes sense to free-up space and let us help you sell more!

We charge a 20% Consignment Sales Commission on merchandise and 10% on Gift Cards/Certificates. Remember, this includes all web Credit Card and Gateway Fees, as well as Order Processing, Packing, Shipping and Customer Service. Our Restaurant Partners know that Hungry Potato’s services translate into time-savings and additional sales - which more than outweighs our commission. You may even choose to raise the regular price of your goods to offset our cost. The cost-differential will be minimal to your customer who appreciates the convenience of buying online, and will allow you to sell on HungryPotato.com without risking your profit margin.

I already have a website with our merchandise – should I still list items on HungryPotato.com?
Yes! Our ability to demonstrate HungryPotato.com as THE web resource for Authentic Restaurant Merchandise from around the nation allows you access to more customers.

How long does it take to get a web storefront on HungryPotato.com?
Your merchandise can be available for sale online in as little as 3 weeks!

Does my restaurant have to pay for shipping to customers?
Nope. With HungryPotato.com, your restaurant never needs to calculate or pay for shipping. When your merchandise is ordered Hungry Potato calculates the correct shipping and charges the customer.

Will HungryPotato.com handle order fulfillment for my orders (packing, shipping, & delivery confirmation)?
Yes, we handle fulfillment for all of your merchandise orders. This way your restaurant can have its own webstore without the hassles (or extra storage space!) HungryPotato.com will take care of all the details, leaving your restaurant with an attractive revenue source that doesn't commit valuable time, space, and staff resources.

How does fulfillment for Gift Cards/Certificates work?
When an order for your Gift Card/Certificate is received we'll send you, via email, a completed Order Summary with the amount, and a Pre-paid, Pre-addressed Postage Label. Once you issue the card/certificate, just place it with the summary in an envelope and print, peel and stick on the label! Then just give it to your Mail Carrier or drop at the Post Office.

When will I get paid for my orders?
Hungry Potato pays its Restaurant Partners on the 15th of each month for all sales in the previous month. Checks arrive with a Sales Summary, which outlines the orders and sales amounts.

How do I know HungryPotato.com will pay me?
For everyone’s protection, HungryPotato.com signs an Agreement with each Restaurant Partner who lists on our site. In a nutshell, our Restaurant Partner Agreement: 1) protects your establishment from improper usage of your images/logo and intellectual property 2) commits HungryPotato.com to payment to you for your sales less consignment commission, 3) obligates us to ship your merchandise directly to the customer, and 4) requires you to ship any Gift Card/Certificate Orders (with our printable, pre-paid, pre-addressed postage!) within 3 days of Order Notification.

How will I know when I have orders?
Because many restaurants like to be notified of sales as they come in, we send you Order Notifications in the way you choose! When we created Hungry Potato we spoke with hundreds of busy restaurant owners who told us they didn't have time to keep checking their email for orders - and we listened. So we not only email you, we fax you Order Notifications if you'd like as well.

Do you have requirements about which suppliers produce my merchandise?
Not at all. Shop and negotiate with the vendors you choose - local or otherwise - to be certain you are getting the best price and quality of merchandise to represent and promote your establishment.

How will you get my merchandise?
You can ship your items to us, or have them shipped directly from your supplier/manufacturer. When you complete your Restaurant Partner Agreement it comes with a Product Submission Inventory form so we know what items to expect. When we receive your merchandise, we review the contents and confirm shipment by signing the Inventory form and returning it to you.

What if you run out of stock of my products?
If an item runs out of stock, we let you know to reorder and change your Restaurant Partner web page within 72 hours to reflect the information. Because our chief goal is to retain your sale, we notify customers if an item is on back-order and ask them if they would like to wait for the merchandise.

How do I get merchandise pictures on your site?
Hungry Potato will take pictures of all your merchandise for display on your webstore - this is included in the $79 set-up fee!

Can I use the merchandise pictures on my restaurant's website?
HungryPotato.com retains the rights to all of merchandise photography displayed on our site. We do offer thumbnail (125 x 125) .jpg images of your merchandise to you at the cost of $1.99 each for display on your site.

How do the reciprocal links to and from my restaurant's website work?
If your establishment has a website, we link your Hungry Potato webstore directly to your site. And, in order to fully maximize Search Engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.) crawls, we also require that you have a link to your HungryPotato.com webstore on your site. Most of our Restaurant Partners take full advantage of our services by linking their establishment’s Home Page or Merchandise Page directly to their HungryPotato.com storefront. This way you can capture customers when they're ready to buy, and utilize our credit card processing for sales!

Can I sell merchandise from more than one restaurant on my web storefront?
You can sell items from an unlimited amount of locations, but only One Restaurant Name per Partnership storefront is allowed. Additional partnerships will need to be purchased for each restaurant name.

How many products can I sell?
You can sell from 1 to 10 products on HungryPotato.com - though additional Sizes, Colors and Flavors do not count as additional products! We do have minimum of 12 (one dozen) and a maximum of 144 (twelve dozen/four cases) for each product due to storage factors.

I'm not sure if my items will sell, so how many should I send?
We know there's a broad market for your merchandise, but if you're unsure you can start with the minimum - just 12 of each item (in assorted sizes, if applicable). This way you can begin without diminishing your stock, and we can demonstrate our ability to help you sell more of your products.

What if I decide I don’t like working with HungryPotato.com?
We certainly don’t anticipate that happening! However, should you be dissatisfied for any reason, our Restaurant Partner Agreements are easily dissolved. Upon receipt of your submission in writing to withdraw from your Restaurant Partner Agreement, your establishment and its products will be removed from our website within 72 hours.

How do I get started?
It takes just 3 Easy Steps to join the HungryPotato.com Restaurant Partner Program:

1. Complete your Partner Questionnaire
2. Review and sign your Partner Agreement
3. Send us your merchandise

We'll have your storefront ready for your approval in 3 weeks!

What about...?
If you have any more questions, please email us: partnership@hungrypotato.com. Or, if would like to ask questions or sign-up over the telephone, call: 877-8-POTATO  (877-876-8286) Toll Free.

We look forward to working with you!