Two of Martin's Famous Potato Rolls' highest-volume foodservice SKUs — the Sandwich Potato Roll and the 4 Inch Potato Roll — have earned the Superior Taste Award from the International Taste Institute, cleared through a structured blind-tasting panel composed exclusively of professional chefs and sommeliers. For foodservice buyers, it's a rare third-party quality credential on a commodity category that rarely gets formal sensory validation.
Why the Award Matters
The International Taste Institute's methodology covers first impression, visual appeal, aroma, taste, texture, and finish — evaluated without brand identification. Competing products come from across global markets, which means earning the award is not a domestic participation trophy. Laurent van Wassenhove, Managing Director of the International Taste Institute, noted that jury members carry the culinary expertise to assess not only how good a product tastes but also articulate why — a distinction that separates this credential from standard consumer satisfaction surveys.
For operators and procurement teams sourcing burger buns, sandwich rolls, or specialty bakery SKUs at scale, third-party sensory validation reduces specification risk. When a supplier can present an independent taste audit from a credentialed institution, it simplifies the internal justification for a premium-tier bun over a lower-cost commodity alternative — especially when menu engineers and culinary directors are involved in the sourcing decision.
What Operators Are Buying
Martin's positions its rolls around a specific ingredient story: high-protein wheat flour, non-fat milk, real cane sugar, and butter — no high-fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or sweeteners, no soy, and production in a peanut- and tree-nut-free facility. The brand also sources non-GMO ingredients throughout. That profile aligns with menu-labeling trends that have pushed better-burger and fast-casual operators toward clean-label bun specs over the past several years.
The rolls' signature pillowy texture and golden-yellow color have long made them a visible differentiator on elevated burger builds, where bun integrity under heavy toppings and sauces is an operational as much as a culinary requirement. Operators running high-volume sandwich programs — particularly in better-burger, BBQ, and chicken-sandwich segments — have historically specified Martin's partly for that structural performance.
Martin's foodservice products are available through distribution networks globally via foodservice.potatorolls.com. Operators evaluating bakery supplier consolidation or looking to upgrade a house bun spec should request samples alongside the Institute's sensory feedback report, which participating companies receive regardless of award outcome.
Sourcing Implications
Bakery and bread represent a procurement category where taste credentials are underused as a negotiating and specification tool. Operators who benchmark suppliers against third-party sensory audits — rather than price per unit alone — tend to reduce returns, customer complaints, and menu inconsistency over time. An International Taste Institute award on two SKUs gives Martin's a supplier-story asset that translates cleanly into buyer decks, menu-development conversations, and distributor sell-sheets.
For operators currently reviewing foodservice bakery sourcing or benchmarking clean-label ingredient standards across their supply chain procurement, this award is worth factoring into the next RFP cycle.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
