At FS Foodservice Solutions, we believe great partnerships deserve the spotlight. Our Shining Star series highlights standout DSRs who go above and beyond to support operators, drive growth, and bring real value to every interaction, including by offering equipment financing as part of their toolkit. These stories showcase the energy, creativity, and hustle that make our partners shine, and we’re proud to celebrate them here!
Sometimes the universe has a funny way of bringing the right people together. While standing in line for a tarot card reading at a NAFEM after party a few months back, we struck up a casual conversation with a few others waiting and wouldn’t you know it, one of them turned out to be Mike Perrino, the very same DSR we’d been working with to get a deal across the finish line.
Talk about a cosmic coincidence.
As it turns out, Mike brings the same easy connection and positive energy he brought to our interactions to every project he touches. He’s not just great at building relationships, he’s also a pro at helping operators level up by helping them get the right equipment for their needs. He does that by always thinking about what pieces he’d want in his kitchen if he were the operator, and by reminding customers they have financing options, so that they don’t have to blow their budget to get the equipment that is the best fit! That’s exactly the kind of hustle and heart we love to highlight in our Shining Star series.
Mike is no stranger to the restaurant world. His family founded Home Run Inn Pizza, a true Chicago classic known for its pizzerias and frozen pizza. The frozen version is a staple in my house!
Mike loved the energy of the foodservice industry, but didn’t love the restaurant hours, so he took a position as a Route Salesman with Edward Don & Company in 1987 and has been a part of their team ever since! Mike is currently a Key Accounts Project Manager; he loves that his position allows him to help people and be a part of making their dreams come true. Growing up in his family’s restaurant gives Mike a unique perspective on every project, thanks to his deep understanding of day-to-day operations.
The people and the energy are what made Mike fall in love with foodservice. “It’s just a different type of industry,” Mike says. “People are down to earth, and it’s a ‘say what you mean, do what you say’ kind of business.”
When he’s not working, you can find Mike enjoying a round of golf or soaking up the sun on a boat!
KL: What’s one lesson you’ve learned in this industry that you wish you’d learned earlier?
MP: Everything always takes a little longer, and costs a little more than you had hoped!
KL: What advice would you give someone just getting started in foodservice equipment sales?
MP: Treat it like it’s your own business. Even if your name isn’t on the sign, treat it as if it is because to your customer, you are the business.
KL: How has having financing options impacted your ability to close sales?
MP: Restaurants are often undercapitalized. Financing allows us to give operators another alternative for making their purchases without depleating their capital so they can make their purchases.
KL: Can you share an example of where offering financing helped save or boost a deal?
MP: Yes! One big thing is that financing helps customers purchase new equipment, not used. Used equipment can be a risk, there’s no Carfax for a stove!
KL: What’s something your customers might not realize you do behind the scenes?
MP: I don’t think they realize how important the specifying we do is. They can go online and look at 1,000 things, but they often don’t really know what they’re looking at. It sounds simple, but they don’t understand how much it impacts their operation when their DSR properly specifies the project.
KL: What’s one thing people might not know about working in foodservice sales?
MP: All of the off-hours time that’s spent working on projects. People think that the time on sales calls is the extent of our involvement, but there’s so much that happens behind the scenes to make everything happen!
As a thank you for being part of our Shining Star series, we send each featured rep a gift card to a local restaurant of their choice. It’s our way of showing appreciation and supporting the local spots they love.
For Mike, that pick was 100 South Chop House and Grill. Mike loves that it’s a family run operation with excellent food. He gives the veal parm two big thumbs up!
Thanks, Mike, for being a FS Foodservice Solutions Shining Star!
