Pat LaFrieda Beef Expands to Southeast via Inland Foods — Food & Beverage Magazine

For Southeast chefs who've spent years admiring Pat LaFrieda's beef from afar — the stuff that stocks some of the country's most demanding New York kitchens — the wait is over. The third-generation butcher is making its first full-scale distribution push into the region, and it's doing it through a partner that already knows the market cold: Atlanta-based Inland Foods. The strategic partnership between Inland Foods and Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors (PLMP) brings a new collection of premium LaFrieda beef to restaurants, independent markets, butcher shops, and specialty food retailers across the Southeast. It's a pairing of complementary strengths — PLMP's generations of butcher expertise meeting Inland's relationships, infrastructure, and regional know-how. Two Legacy Companies, One Natural Fit The LaFrieda family has been perfecting the butcher's craft since 1922. Today the company operates two USDA-inspected facilities totaling more than 150,000 square feet in North Bergen, New Jersey, and supplies approximately 2,000 restaurants nationwide — all while keeping the butcher-driven approach that built its name. Advertisement Inland's story runs parallel. Founded in Atlanta in 1977 as a seafood company, it earned its reputation sourcing exceptional seafood for chefs and food businesses throughout the Southeast. Over nearly five decades it evolved into Inland Foods, expanding into premium meats and artisan provisions. After a strategic realignment of its distribution footprint earlier this year, the company is now concentrating its resources in the Southeast — the region where its relationships and infrastructure give it the strongest footing for growth. "We know this market, and we spend a lot of time listening to what chefs, operators and independent retailers need," said Chris Rosenberger, President of Inland Foods. "We also pay attention to where there are gaps, and which producers are doing something exceptional. Our strength is connecting those dots for our customers. Pat LaFrieda & his company bring a level of expertise, quality, and reputation that we believe chefs and culinary professionals across the Southeast should have access to, and this partnership allows us to bring that directly to them." For LaFrieda, finding the right regional partner mattered more than simply planting a flag. "We've spent more than a century building our reputation one cut, one restaurant and one relationship at a time," said Patrick Lafrieda, fourth-generation butcher and CEO of Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors. "As we looked at expanding our presence in the Southeast, we wanted a partner that had built its business the same way. Inland has spent nearly 50 years serving this market and building lasting relationships with chefs, operators, and retailers throughout the region. They understand their customers, they understand the market, and they share our commitment to quality and consistency. That made this partnership a natural fit." What's in the Inaugural Southeast Assortment Together the two companies built an opening collection designed for the region's kitchens and retail counters. The lineup spans: Portion-controlled filets, ribeyes, New York strips and porterhouses Specialty bone-in cuts and dry-aged selections The Original LaFrieda Burger A 100% Black Angus program featuring Upper Choice and USDA Prime offerings A Prime 850 Club Porterhouse One detail savvy operators will appreciate: the collection was intentionally packed in smaller case sizes. That gives restaurant kitchens, independent markets, and butcher shops greater flexibility to manage storage, inventory, and food costs — without giving up access to premium cuts. Advertisement Chefs in the region are already taking note. "Pat LaFrieda has built a reputation among chefs for a reason," said Todd Ginsberg, Chef/Partner, Rye Restaurants. "There's a level of quality and craftsmanship behind the product that you can see in the cuts and, ultimately, taste on the plate. Having access to that kind of program here in the Southeast — through a distributor we already know and trust — is something I think a lot of chefs are going to be excited about." Why It Matters For Southeast operators, this partnership closes a genuine gap. A nationally recognized premium beef program that was previously hard to source in the region now arrives through a distributor many chefs already work with — meaning no new vendor to vet, no relationship to build from scratch, and a trusted local point of contact for a national-caliber product. The smaller case sizes are the quietly practical part of the story. In an environment where operators are managing tight food costs and limited cold storage, right-sized packaging lets independent restaurants, markets, and butcher shops carry Prime and dry-aged cuts without over-committing inventory or eating waste. That lowers the barrier to putting a marquee beef program on the menu — a real menu-differentiation play for smaller operators competing on quality. It's also a signal worth reading. Inland's decision to concentrate its footprint in the Southeast and deepen its premium meat portfolio reflects a broader distribution trend: regional specialists doubling down on the markets they know best and curating standout producers rather than chasing scale everywhere. For procurement directors and foodservice executives, that translates to distributors who function more like curators — and a smoother path to premium sourcing close to home. Advertisement