Otter Rebates

Overview

Otter has partnered with Foodbuy, the nation’s largest foodservice Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), to help restaurant owners using Otter earn cash-back and savings on eligible purchases placed through food distributors—with no operational changes required.

Included Food Distributors

Currently, the following food distributors are available to link through Otter Rebates:

  • Sysco
  • Gordon
  • US Foods
  • PFG (Performance Food Group)
  • Shamrock Foods
Rebates Illustration

 


 

Types of Rebates Savings

Otter Rebates allows you to stack rebates with three different types of savings. Check out the different ways you can earn using Otter Rebates below.

  • Cash-back Rebates

    Rebates cash-back is a 1-3% of purchase total earned in cash-back— received as a cash payout each month.

    Once you're signed up for Otter Rebates, no extra steps needed from you to earn cash-back rebates. Just shop as you normally would and earn cash-back on eligible purchases.

    Cash-back amount display

    Displayed % possible to earn in cash-back in Otter Dashboard

  • Flash Discounts

    Discounts are automatic discounted pricing applied at checkout while buying preferred ingredients on the food distributor's website.

    Rebates Discounts

    Discount notification for item while on distributor site

  • Opportunities 

    Opportunities are recommendations shown to make sure that you’re getting the best prices for ingredients. These are similar items that are potentially from another supplier, but are more affordable. This can also increase your qualifying total purchase spend, thereby increasing your cash-back rebates!

    Item Optimization shown in Rebates in Otter Dashboard

 


 

Signing up for Rebates

Before you can start saving, you’ll need to sign up for Rebates, connect your food distributor, and add your banking information. 

Follow the steps below to sign up for Otter Rebates.

  • Step Process Image
    1 From the Otter Dashboard, click Apps > Inventory.
    Inventory App
    2 Click [Start saving today].
    3

    Confirm if you’re currently enrolled in another GPO program.

    Click [Continue].

    warning-notification.svgOtter Rebates Enrollment Eligibility
    If you are currently in another GPO program, you will not be eligible to earn rebates through Otter.

     

    4 Confirm your company’s information to register and click [Confirm Info] 
    5 Click [Connect] next to the corresponding food distributor you use/would like to use.
    6 Use food distributor credentials to sign in and connect for Rebates. Click on [Submit credentials]
    7 Agree to the terms to connect your distributor. Enter your full name to agree and click on [Add signature].
    8 Click [Finish] to complete the signup.
    9

    Once successfully connected, you will receive a confirmation pop-up and a Connected confirmation will show next to the listed distributor.

     You will have the option to add more by hitting  [Connect] on another distributor. 

    Click [Confirm].

    10 On Rebates homepage, click [+Add banking account] in order to receive cash-back payouts.

    Add bank account prompt

    Adding bank information window

InfoDon't see your current distributor listed?
While connecting your distributor for Otter Rebates, if you don't see your current food distributor listed, you can click [+Add Distributor] to send a request for that distributor to be added in the future for Otter Rebates.

 



Adding Bank Information

After connecting food distributors during Rebates sign-up, click [+Add bank account] from the Rebates homepage to link a bank account for cash-back payouts. 

Add Bank Info Button- Rebates

warning-notification.svgCash-back Payouts cannot be sent without connected bank account
Earned cash-back will not be paid out until bank account information is added for the Otter Rebates program. Currently, Stripe is not an option to receive payouts for the Rebates program. 

 



Manage your Rebates

Within the Inventory App in the Otter Dashboard, you can view:

  • Rebate Opportunities 
  • Total cash back earned for the year so far 
  • Last month's earnings 
  • Spend reports 
  • Connected Distributors: This is where you can manage your distributors by adding or removing eligible partners 

Rebate Opportunities 

Recommendations are provided to help you secure the best possible pricing on ingredients you’re already buying. By choosing lower-cost, rebate-eligible items, you can both save money and increase your qualifying purchase total—ultimately boosting your cash-back rebate.

You will receive personalized suggestions based on your past purchasing history, highlighting items that offer better pricing and higher rebate potential. You can also browse a list of rebate-eligible alternatives that may deliver greater savings or a higher rebate compared to their current selections, with clear indicators of the potential savings for each switch. 

Learn more on how to use Otter Rebate Opportunities below: 

Navigating Rebate Opportunities 

Step Process Image
1 Hit [Review] on the Rebate Opportunities tile
2 View the available list of recommended opportunities
3

By selecting an item, you can view detailed information about the recommended product.

If you are interested in making the switch, download the product list and send it to your distributor. Your distributor will complete your purchase and increase your savings!

warning-notification.svgTip:
If you are downloading multiple product lists, you can combine them into a single CSV. 

 

Spend Reports

A spend report is a monthly summary that shows how much money you’ve spent on ingredients that qualify for rebates and the savings generated through the program. Each report is posted for every connected distributor and includes key information such as:

  • Distributor name
  • Report date
  • Qualified spend
  • Savings percentage
  • Total savings ($)

You can filter the report by distributor or date to quickly find the details most relevant to your business.

 


 

Cash-back Payouts

Qualified purchases for cash-back will show in the Otter Dashboard once purchased items are confirmed as eligible by the food distributor partners (typically 60-90 days after purchase date). This time frame leaves allowance in case of returns, cancellations, exchanges, or changes to the order. 

 

Cash-back Payout Schedule

Confirmed earned cash-back is automatically applied monthly to the bank account connected for the Otter Rebates program. The first monthly rebate payment should be expected 90 days after the date of your first purchase after enrollment.

InfoCloudKitchens Customers Rebates Payouts
For CloudKitchens customers, confirmed earned cash-back is automatically applied monthly to your CloudKitchens License Fee.

You will receive your first rebate 90 days after signing up, and once a month after that. 

Next Rebate Date

 


 

FAQs

  • From the Rebates homepage in the Otter Dashboard, under Distributors click [Manage]. Click the X next to a connected distributor that you wish you disconnect.

  • A Rebates payout will show as:
    From: Otter
    Line Item (description): Foodbuy Credit
  • While shopping, items that qualify for discounts will have an indicator shown (shown below).

    Rebates Discounts

    For earning cash-back, there may be exclusions set by the food distributors. Keep in mind that any items returned, cancelled, or refunded will not be eligible to earn rebates.

  • It can take up to 90 days to process your purchase eligibility and funnel through our system from the food distributor partners. If you don’t see your purchase listed on the Rebates homepage after 90 days, reach out to our team here for help.
  • No— You can connect as many food distributors you currently use from the list of distributors provided for Otter Rebates.

 

 


 

Updated

Was this article helpful?

0 out of 0 found this helpful

Have more questions? Submit a request

Comments

0 comments

Article is closed for comments.