FAQ's - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where does Pro & Prime Foods source its food?
Pro & Prime Foods has chosen the very best, highest quality supplier products available for distribution. Our supply chain partner is a $60 billion global food service company with an impeccable reputation for quality controls, corporate governance and food safety. For the first time ever, due to coronavirus disruption, Pro & Prime Foods now sells and delivers highest-quality seafood & meat directly to finer homes.
Where do you deliver? When do you deliver? How much is delivery? What's the minimum order amount?
Pro & Prime Foods' online grocery store currently delivers to Miami, Sunny Isles, Aventura, Surfside, Miami Shores, Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay, Florida. Grocery shopping online in Miami has never been more convenient.
There is a minimum order amount of $100. For orders under $250, there is a $19.99 delivery charge. For orders $250 and up, delivery is free.
We typically deliver Tuesdays and Fridays. Weekend deliveries are sometimes possible for larger orders.
What is Pro & Prime Foods' "no contact" delivery process like?
On your delivery day, which is typically 24-72 hours after the time your order is received, you'll receive a call, text or email with a time window of delivery. As we approach your home or building, you'll receive a phone call or text from our delivery driver just prior to the unloading of product to your front door or front desk.
What is the packaging like? Will 10 or 30 pounds fit in my freezer?
Yes. The cases are often surprisingly small because the product inside is not individually boxed or in trays - there's zero packaging waste. Each portion of meat or seafood is typically individually vacuum sealed and ready to be placed in your freezer. Because the portions are "loose", they can be easily placed on freezer shelves, freezer drawers, or even tucked away in freezer doors. You'll be surprised how little room multiple cases of food packaged in this manner actually takes up. Because the products are portioned, only use what you need on any given day, with zero food waste.
Why frozen product is often much better than "fresh" product
What is "fresh" seafood and meat versus frozen seafood and meat? Fresh seafood means it was caught and immediately begins the process of being a perishable good. Fish and shellfish placed on ice certainly slows the deterioration, but it is degrading by the moment. Fresh meat means it was processed and, immediately begins deteriorating and perishing as well. Both fresh seafood and meat begin their journey from processing plants to trucks, from trucks to warehouses, from trucks to distributors, then from trucks to grocery stores. Consumers then purchase these fresh products, transport it home and often keep it for days or a week before cooking and eating.
Frozen seafood and meat, however, takes a very different journey that Pro & Prime Foods believes is inherently fresher. Our seafood is caught, processed, vacuum sealed (read: zero air inside the packaging) and flash frozen to -5 below zero within moments of harvesting aboard the fishing vessels. Our meat is vacuum sealed (read: zero air inside the packaging) then flash frozen to -5 below zero within days of being processed. This commercial blast / flash freezing takes place within minutes, freezing the product so quickly that ice crystals do not form between the meat fibers and seals in nutrients and juices - an exponentially different process than residential freezers taking hours to freeze meat and seafood, which allows ice crystals to form between fibers, which actually breaks the fibers, leading to inferior product and freezer burn. Pro & Prime Foods' transportation model is much shorter, too - from processing facility to warehouse to your house. Our "freezer to freezer" model means our products are inherently fresher than "fresh" products.
Why might the outside of my box contain the words "Not intended for retail sale"?
Again, due to the unprecedented disruption of the restaurant industry due to coronavirus, restaurant-grade food from the country's top suppliers is being made, exclusively via Pro & Prime Foods , available to the general public for the first time ever. Pro & Prime Foods is pioneering this new supply chain to consumers, but keeping cases intact. We do not sell individual portions.
I ordered a 10 lb. case of food but the outside of the box says it weighs less than 10 lbs. Why is that and what do I do?
In terms of weight, meat suppliers do their very best to create consistent cases of product. Rather than focus on the number of portions inside, they focus on total case weight, and ship cases around the country on a randomized basis. The number of portions inside any given case may fluctuate by 1-3 portions, but each case will always basically weigh the advertised weight. Miami Food Co. cannot anticipate whether a case we receive is precisely 10 lbs. The problem is that every animal is naturally different, and every hand cut of meat is slightly different. This is why some 10 lb. cases we display and sell might ultimately weigh 10.2 lbs or 9.9 lbs.
I'm not receiving Order Confirmation or Out For Delivery emails. Why is that?
Shopify Ecommerce, which powers Pro & Prime Foods, is the world's most secure and ubiquitous enterprise ecommerce platform, yet Apple servers bizaarly view automated emails generated by Shopify merchants as spam. If you have an @mac.com, @me.com or @icloud.com email address, we strongly encourage you to use a different email address during checkout. Pro & Prime Foods has repeatedly attempted to fix this problem to no avail and apologize for any inconvenience.
I'm having difficulty checking out. Why is that?
We require a $100 minimum purchase. If you can't get past the Shipping portion of the Check Out process, it means you don't have at least $100 in your cart.
How do I share food with loved ones and neighbors?
Social distancing and avoiding grocery store crowds means that Pro & Prime Foods' meat and seafood isn't just the perfect and easy solution, but can help loved ones and neighbors also easily get the beautiful food they deserve and need. Consider giving a Pro & Prime Foods gift card. Consider ordering extra, then consider splitting the costs with others in your family, neighborhood or building. Sharing this food expense with friends and family is made easy with an app like SplitWise www.splitwise.com.
How can I deliver food to others in Miami (that I pay for)?
When making a purchase, you can input a different shipping address than the billing address. When inputting the mandatory phone number field, you can input the person's number who will be receiving the delivery, and we will coordinate directly with them. Bear in mind that your personal email address will still be used to receive your sales receipt. Or consider giving a Pro & Prime Foods gift card.
Can I order high-quantity pallets of food to be delivered to my condominium?
Yes. Communities such as condominiums that organize a large purchase and wish to share one delivery can uniquely benefit from Pro & Prime Foods' service. Large quantities can be palletized and delivered to loading docks for distribution to participating residents. Sharing this bulk food expense with neighbors is made easy with an app like SplitWise www.splitwise.com. Building managers or resident organizers can inquire about this service by emailing misterdirk@gmail.com
Why should I order larger quantities of food?
Everything on our website it in stock now and our customers enjoy having an abundance of their favorite foods onhand. Like milk, eggs or other household staples, our customers keep ahi tuna, premium burgers and branzino onhand.
And because you love food, what better way is there to inspire your inner chef? It's time to test out lots of amazing recipes from your favorite cookbooks and really utilize your kitchen. Now is the time to stock up, and now is the time to hone your food skills. Pro & Prime Foods now makes that dream uniquely possible.
What is Pro & Prime Foods?
Miami Food Co. is owned and operated by food industry insiders. Inspired by the unprecedented impact of coronavirus on the restaurant industry, Pro & Prime Foods has partnered with seafood, meat, artisanal pasta and other suppliers to bring restaurant-grade ingredients directly to consumers for the first time ever.
What's the difference between restaurant-grade and. grocery grade?
Restaurant-grade is a much higher quality standard than grocery grade. For example, meat sold at grocery stores isn't aged for tenderness and deliciousness, nor is it professionally trimmed. Restaurant-grade seafood is harvested from waters, professionally trimmed and immediately flash frozen for peak freshness and flavor. Our quality of product simply doesn't exist at grocery level.
How is Miami Food Co.'s pricing compared to grocery stores?
Our superior products are at or below grocery pricing because we only sell food by the case. This volume allows us to keep pricing closer to wholesale pricing than retail pricing. And even better for our customers, the quality of our products vastly surpasses what's available in grocery stores.
What's the best way to defrost the meat and seafood?
We do not recommend defrosting in a microwave. For peak quality, texture and flavor, we recommend the product be placed in the refrigerator until thawed, which will require up to 24 hours. The FDA recommends cooking red meat within 3-5 days of refrigerator thawing, while poultry and seafood should be cooked within 2 days. Another thawing method is submerging the vacuum sealed packaging in cold tap water (do not use hot tap water!), changing the water every 30 minutes - this method may thaw your food in 1 hour or less.
Is my order tax-free?
Yes. Grocery items like steak and seafood are not subject to sales tax.
Do you ship meat and seafood by mail?
No. Our service is only available in South Florida by vehicle delivery.
How do I contact Customer Service?
Shoppers and existing customers can email misterdirk@gmail.com for additional questions about products or our service. Or feel free to fill out our Contact form.