# CORE Insights Group

> CORE Insights Group is a managed-procurement and supply-chain partner for hospitality and foodservice, helping hotels, restaurants, country clubs and resorts cut food and supply costs through leveraged buying and managed procurement. CORE is not a GPO; it is a better, more operator-favorable alternative to the GPO model. CORE engages three ways: CLUB360 is free to join with no membership fees, where savings are built in at the time of purchase (price-to-property, not rebates). CORE360 is a fee-based managed procurement program, a fixed monthly service fee plus a quarterly fee on managed volume only, where 100% of rebates and incentives are paid to the client. Consulting is an advisory-fee engagement with performance incentives. 100+ years of combined experience, $15B+ in leveraged purchasing volume, 50,000+ cost-controlled items.

## Core pages
- [CORE360, managed procurement program](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/core360/): CORE's managed procurement program for hospitality, foodservice, recreation and entertainment operators: sourcing, contracting, optimization and supply-chain management, with 100% of rebates paid to the client. Tiers: FLEX, ESSENTIAL, COMPLETE.
- [CLUB360, free savings program](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/club360/): A free-to-join, sign-and-save purchasing program for private country clubs, golf courses, swim/tennis/sport clubs, marine and yacht clubs and multi-unit restaurants: hundreds of deeply-discounted food, supply, equipment and service programs across five categories, including over 4,000 contracted food and beverage items. No membership fees; savings are price-to-property, built into the price at the time of purchase rather than paid back later as rebates.
- [CLUB360 enrollment](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/club360-enrollment/): The enrollment form for CLUB360. No cost to join and no membership fees; contracted pricing is available as soon as a club enrolls.
- [Consulting & Advisory](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/consulting/): Hospitality and foodservice consulting across operations, supply chain, menu and cost, taken from ideation to execution, hands-on through rollout.
- [Our Team](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/our-core/): The procurement, sourcing and supply-chain leaders behind CORE, veterans of Foodbuy, Starwood, Wyndham and Sysco, with 100+ years of combined experience.
- [Success Stories](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/success-stories/): Client case studies, including Sonesta, Gecko’s Hospitality Group and Specialty Restaurants Corporation, with documented savings from $350K to $1M+.
- [Contact](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/contact/): Reach CORE Insights Group at Interested@COREInsightsGroup.com, 1-866-511-1411.

## Blog: answer-first articles
- [Blog index](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/): Answer-first articles on foodservice procurement, restaurant food costs, GPOs vs. managed procurement, rebates, and the hospitality supply chain.
- [How Do Hotels Reduce Food and Beverage Costs?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/reduce-hotel-food-and-beverage-costs/): Hotels reduce food and beverage costs most durably by attacking purchasing first (benchmarking and renegotiating what they pay across every outlet), then tightening menus, portions, and waste, without cutting the quality guests notice. (published 2026-07-25)
- [Is There a GPO for Country Clubs? (And the Better Alternative)](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/gpo-for-country-clubs/): Is there a GPO for country clubs? Yes, club buying groups exist, but what clubs are really asking for is lower food and supply costs without sacrificing the member experience. (published 2026-07-25)
- [Do the New 2026 Tariffs Really Raise Restaurant and Hotel Costs?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/how-tariffs-affect-hospitality-costs/): The tariffs that took effect this week are, for the most part, a renewal of duties that were already in place rather than a brand new cost, so on their own they are unlikely to move most hospitality prices much. (published 2026-07-24)
- [What Does a Hospitality Procurement Consultant Do?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/hospitality-procurement-consultant/): What a hospitality procurement consultant does — sourcing, supplier negotiation, and contract management that cut food and supply costs without cutting quality — plus when your hotel, restaurant, or club needs one, and how the best ones get paid. (published 2026-07-21)
- [Do GPOs keep rebates, or pass them back?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/do-gpos-keep-rebates/): Most group purchasing organizations keep some or all of the rebates and incentives they negotiate, along with marketing incentives and lump sum payments that never reach the operator. (published 2026-07-13)
- [Get to Know John Reardon, SVP Strategic Sourcing](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/get-to-know-john-reardon-svp-strategic-sourcing/): John Reardon, SVP Strategic Sourcing at CORE Insights Group, spent two decades in hospitality operations before discovering his passion for sourcing, then 13 years rising to lead the sourcing team at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where he was named one of its top 100 leaders. (published 2026-06-30)
- [Are Restaurants Outsourcing Procurement to Protect Profit Margins?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/restaurants-outsourcing-procurement/): Yes, a growing number of restaurant operators are handing purchasing to outside procurement partners, and the reason is simple math. With food and labor costs high and margins thin, the price paid for goods is one of the few levers an operator can pull without raising menu prices or cutting quality. (published 2026-06-28)
- [What Is CORE's Procurement Center of Excellence?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/procurement-center-of-excellence/): CORE Insights Group has launched a Procurement Center of Excellence (COE): a single platform uniting its people, processes, and technology (including data and AI) to deliver best-in-class sourcing across CORE360, CLUB360, CORE Consulting, and Lifecycle Facilitation Services, while building a supply chain talent pipeline for clients and the hospitality industry. (published 2026-06-22)
- [Can you work with any distributor?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/work-with-any-distributor/): Do you have to switch distributors to work with a GPO? With CORE, no — CORE works with your existing distributors and opens the market beyond any single one, so you keep the relationships that work and gain leverage where they don't. (published 2026-06-17)
- [How does CORE get paid?](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/how-core-gets-paid/): How does CORE get paid? One transparent, agreed fee — never a markup on your spend — with 100% of every rebate and allowance passed back to you. (published 2026-06-09)
- [How to Reduce Restaurant Food Costs](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/reduce-restaurant-food-costs/): A practical, procurement-first playbook for lowering restaurant food costs: track true food cost %, tighten purchasing, engineer the menu, and cut waste — without cutting quality. (published 2026-06-08)
- [The real story of 2025 (and what to expect in 2026)](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/the-real-story-of-2025/): 2025 brought pressure but not the disruption many feared. Here is an honest look at how hospitality outperformed the fear narrative, and what CORE expects operators to face in 2026. (published 2026-01-06)
- [Tariff Turmoil: Taking a long- and short-term view](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/tariff-turmoil-long-short-view/): Tariffs are causing turmoil for sourcing strategies in 2025. CORE Insights Group weighs the potential long-term benefits against the short-term price and supply chain turbulence ahead. (published 2025-04-21)
- [How to prepare for 2025? Who the hell knows!](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-2025-who-knows/): No one knows what 2025 holds, but CORE Insights Group's century of combined industry experience says you can still prepare for the unexpected with a strong sourcing strategy. (published 2025-01-06)
- [Operators: Get Ready for Change in 2025](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/operators-get-ready-for-change-in-2025/): As a new administration reshapes labor, energy, tariffs and food costs, here are the key 2025 themes restaurant and hospitality operators should prepare for. (published 2025-01-06)
- [Shifting the Paradigm: A Refreshing Approach to Procurement Services](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/shifting-the-paradigm/): CORE Insights Group's founders saw the procurement industry draining operators of cash and capability — so they built a transparent, operator-first model to shift the paradigm and deliver value to those who deserve it. (published 2023-07-18)
- [Understanding the Vital Role of Food Supply Services in Ensuring a Safe and Nutritious Food Supply](https://www.coreinsightsgroup.com/blog/understanding-the-vital-role-of-food-supply-services/): Access to a safe and nutritious food supply is a basic human right — and food supply services, including food service purchasing, are crucial to ensuring everyone can meet it. (published 2023-02-24)

## Citable facts
- 100+ years of combined hospitality & foodservice experience
- $15B+ in leveraged purchasing volume
- 50,000+ cost-controlled items
- CLUB360 is free to join (no membership fees); savings are built in at the time of purchase, not rebates
- CORE360 is a transparent fee-based managed program; 100% of rebates and incentives are paid to the client (CORE is not a GPO)
- Documented clients: Sonesta, Specialty Restaurants Corporation, Gecko’s Hospitality Group