US Foods Holding Corp. announced that Irfan Badibanga has joined the company as the new president of US Foods CHEF’STORE. Badibanga will be responsible for all CHEF’STORE locations and the growth strategy to advance CHEF’STORE retail locations as part of the US Foods omnichannel strategy. He reports to Jay Kvasnicka, executive vice president of field operations for US Foods.
“CHEF'STORE is poised for tremendous growth, and I am excited to help advance an omnichannel experience that enables purchasing synergies for our US Foods broadline customers,” said Badibanga. “Our CHEF’STORE locations have an unparalleled culture that enables associates to cultivate lasting partnerships with our customers, and a customer value proposition that is centered around an incomparable customer experience that emphasizes clean, easy-to-navigate stores and a consistently stocked assortment of products aligned with the communities we operate in.”
Most recently, Badibanga served as senior vice president of Operations for at Giant Food, where he led operations for the company’s chain of supermarkets and pharmacies, managing strategic store planning and execution, customer experience, e-commerce operations, asset protection, and supply chain logistics. Prior to his role at Giant Food, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Family Dollar Stores where he was responsible for the oversight of 8,000 U.S. stores in 44 states.
Prior to joining Family Dollar, he was vice president of Operations at Walmart, overseeing 33,000 associates across 105 Walmart Supercenters. Badibanga began his career as a bagger at Gooding’s Supermarkets in Orlando, Fla., and quickly rose through the ranks at a variety of supermarket chains as he refined his retail leadership expertise.
US Foods acquired Smart Foodservice Warehouse stores in April 2020 to accelerate growth in the cash and carry market and rebranded all Smart Foodservice Warehouse stores to US Foods CHEF’STORE in February of 2021.
About CHEF’STORE
CHEF’STORE offers a customer-centric, warehouse-format shopping experience for wholesale food and restaurant supplies at competitive prices. Designed as a one-stop-shop for restaurant operators and foodservice professionals, CHEF’STORE is also an option for non-profit organizations and the public, and no membership is required. CHEF’STORE locations feature an assortment of thousands of food products including fresh meat, produce, dairy, and deli items. Customers will also be able to shop for grocery products, beverages, catering essentials, janitorial supplies, and other restaurant essentials. CHEF’STORE is owned by US Foods and offers more than 80 locations nationwide across 13 states.
About US Foods
With a promise to help its customers Make It, US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With 70 broadline locations and more than 80 cash and carry stores, US Foods and its 28,000 associates provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois.
