86Deadstock LLC

86Deadstock is a restaurants-to-restaurants marketplace to buy and sell excess food, paper goods, and equipment—turning deadstock into cash while saving others money.

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Company Overview

Company Name: 86Deadstock
Website: www.86deadstock.com
Product Link: https://linktr.ee/86DeadStock
Category: Marketplace
Location: Toledo, Ohio

B2B/B2C Marketplace for Hospitality Inventory
Restaurants selling to Restaurants
Product & What We’re Building
What 86Deadstock Does
86Deadstock is the first peer-to-peer marketplace built exclusively for the hospitality industry. It enables restaurants, bars, hotels, distributors, and operators to buy, sell, and trade excess inventory or quickly source products when there’s an urgent need.

When owners or managers unexpectedly run out of product—or find themselves overstocked—86Deadstock allows them to buy directly from other hospitality businesses locally or nationwide. Instead of overpaying through traditional suppliers or losing revenue due to shortages, operators can keep service running smoothly while controlling costs.

Buyers benefit by purchasing unused or unwanted inventory at discounted prices, helping reduce food and supply costs at a time when margins are under constant pressure. With rising prices across food, paper goods, and equipment, 86Deadstock gives operators a practical way to protect their bottom line without sacrificing quality or reliability.

Only verified hospitality businesses can list inventory, ensuring trust and quality across the platform. Purchases are open to both businesses and consumers, allowing for both B2B and B2C transactions. This also opens the door for consumers to access restaurant-quality products for catering events, home bars, patios, pop-ups, and large gatherings.

By reducing waste, unlocking trapped cash, and lowering costs for buyers, 86Deadstock creates a smarter, more efficient supply network for the hospitality industry—especially when every dollar matters.

Key Features
  • Deadstock Marketplace: Turn unused inventory into revenue instead of waste.
  • 86 Urgent: Geolocation-based alerts allowing restaurants to source items same-day when they’re “86’d” an item.
  • Public Wishlist: Businesses can post exactly what they’re looking for—ideal for new owners and suppliers.
  • Smart Inventory Feed: Personalized listings based on location and needs.
  • Logistics Support: Pickup, drop-off, or shipping, including same day shipping directly on the app
  • Technology Advantage
    All transactions are powered by blockchain technology, providing transparency, security, and permanent transaction records. This builds trust across the marketplace and differentiates 86Deadstock from traditional resale platforms.
Future Vision
We are building a hospitality-focused social network within the app—allowing operators to connect, share resources, ask questions, post jobs, and find industry specialists. Our goal is for 86Deadstock to be the central hub to Buy, Sell, and Connect in hospitality.

Progress & Traction
Launch & Growth
  • Launched: March 2025
  • Initial Market: Northwest Ohio & Southern Michigan (soft launch)
  • 4,000+ app downloads
  • 700+ registered users
  • 1,200+ active listings
  • 1,500+ Facebook followers
  • Growth driven primarily by organic word-of-mouth
Current Status
  • Mobile app live
  • Web app in development (launching January 2026)
  • AI-powered smart search and personalized feeds in development
  • Working with a publicist and marketing firm to scale nationally and improve SEO
Problem & Why We’re Solving It
The restaurant industry experiences one of the highest failure and turnover rates of any major sector. When restaurants close, remodel, or pivot concepts, millions of dollars in usable inventory and equipment are left behind. Today, that inventory is typically:

  • Lost or discarded, despite having real resale value
  • Liquidated through auctions, often with high fees and limited buyer reach
  • Sold on unsafe or disorganized platforms (Facebook groups, eBay, Craigslist) that lack verification, industry context, or trust
This inefficiency results in significant financial loss for operators already operating on thin margins.

86Deadstock was built to solve this problem from firsthand experience. Our founding team, led by Jeremy Fitzgerald, has spent a lifetime in hospitality—owning and operating restaurants and hotels—and has personally faced the frustration of excess inventory, rushed closures, and inefficient liquidation options.

As food, labor, and operating costs continue to rise, restaurants can no longer afford waste or idle capital. Efficient, secure, and industry-specific inventory exchange is no longer optional—it’s critical. 86Deadstock exists to give operators a better solution built by people who have lived the problem.

Competition
Direct Competition
There is currently no true direct competitor offering a dedicated, restaurant-to-restaurant secondary marketplace built exclusively for the hospitality industry.

Indirect / Generic Alternatives
Restaurants today are forced to rely on fragmented or ill-fitting solutions, including:

  • eBay
  • Facebook Marketplace & Groups
  • Amazon Liquidation Auctions
  • Liquidation.com
  • B-Stock Solutions
  • Restaurant Depot
  • WebstaurantStore
  • Bulq, QuickLotz, Wholesale Central
While these platforms serve broader resale or supply needs, none are designed for hospitality-specific inventory exchange, time-sensitive sourcing, or operator-to-operator transactions.

Why 86Deadstock Wins
86Deadstock is purpose-built for hospitality, creating advantages generic platforms cannot replicate:

  • 100% hospitality-focused — every listing, category, and workflow is designed for restaurant operators
  • Verified sellers only — increasing trust, safety, and transaction quality
  • 86 Urgent — same-day, real-time sourcing for critical inventory gaps
  • Community + marketplace combined — operators transact within a trusted peer network
  • Industry-specific workflows — built by operators who understand perishables, equipment turnover, local pickup, and operational urgency
Because hospitality is a high-velocity, margin-sensitive industry, general marketplaces fail to meet operator needs. 86Deadstock is the only platform focused solely on solving this problem, positioning us as the default resale and sourcing marketplace for restaurants.

Financial Projections & Success Vision
Market Context & Comparable Benchmarks
86Deadstock operates in a highly fragmented, underserved market — the $1.5 trillion U.S. restaurant and hospitality industry. Comparable vertical-specific marketplaces demonstrate the potential for significant revenue and valuation growth:


 | Marketplace | Vertical | Current Valuation / Revenue Highlights
| StockX | Sneakers & collectibles | $3.8B+ valuation, billions in GMV
| Poshmark | Fashion | $3.0B+ valuation at early stage
| Reverb | Musical instruments | $275M+ acquisition by Etsy
| SidelineSwap | Sports equipment | $250M+ valuation
| OfferUp | General peer-to-peer | $1B+ valuation
These platforms illustrate that category-focused marketplaces can scale rapidly by capturing high-frequency transactions within a defined niche and leveraging network effects.

Technology Stack
  • Mobile App: React Native
  • Backend: Node.js
  • Database: MongoDB
  • Admin Portal: AdminJS
  • Blockchain Token: ERC-1155
  • AI: Smart search, personalized feeds, and marketplace intelligence (in progress)
Who Writes the Code?
Core development and architecture are handled by tech co-founders Archie and Ranjan. Freelancers are used for specialized support, but all key technical decisions and implementations are founder-led.

Founding Team & Background
Founder Summary – Jeremy Fitzgerald
Jeremy Fitzgerald is a lifelong hospitality operator and entrepreneur with over 20 years of hands-on experience building, owning, and scaling restaurants, hotels, and entertainment-driven food concepts. He earned a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Hospitality from Bowling Green State University and has owned and operated multiple successful businesses across Ohio.

Jeremy is currently the Founder & CEO of 86Deadstock, a restaurant-to-restaurant marketplace built to solve a problem he experienced firsthand throughout his career. He is also the 100% owner of Fast Eddies Sports Park Bar & Kitchen, a 6,200 sq. ft. destination restaurant and entertainment venue, and Commodore Perry Inn & Suites, a 67-room resort with multiple food and beverage operations.

Previously, Jeremy founded Bar 145, a restaurant concept he grew from startup to eight total locations (four franchised, four corporate), overseeing concept design, construction, and operations. He has also owned and operated Subway and Moe’s Southwest Grill franchises, earning Moe’s New Franchisee of the Year (2019) recognition. In 2025, he was named Ottawa County Businessman of the Year, Ohio’s top tourism county.

While Jeremy does not come from a technical background, he has built and scaled complex real-world businesses across hospitality, entertainment, and tourism. His career has been driven by a long-term philosophy of learning the business end-to-end—prioritizing operational mastery over short-term gains. This operator-first mindset directly led to the creation of 86Deadstock, a platform designed to solve a widespread, costly industry problem.

 Founder Summary – Archie Heinl
Archie Heinl is a seasoned technology executive and SaaS founder with nearly three decades of experience building, scaling, and operating enterprise software companies. He holds an MBA in Information Systems and a BA in Information Systems from The University of Toledo.

Archie is the President & CEO of Double A Solutions, a bootstrapped technology company founded in 2003 that has grown into a multi-product SaaS and services organization with over 100 employees. Under his leadership, Double A Solutions has successfully launched and scaled multiple cloud-based platforms, including Janitorial Manager, an enterprise work-management system used by universities, hospitals, stadiums, airports, municipalities, and large institutions nationwide. The company has also expanded through acquisition and operates an integrated call center business.

Previously, Archie held senior engineering and management roles at Fiserv (Intelidata / CheckFree / Corillian), where he managed development teams, bank integrations, and online banking platforms, as well as earlier roles as a software developer at Owens-Illinois (O-I).

Archie has a proven track record of bootstrapped SaaS execution, including product development, scaling operations, acquisitions, and long-term profitability. His companies have been recognized as a Top Workplace in 2023, 2024, and 2025, reflecting strong leadership and culture.

As a technical co-founder of 86Deadstock, Archie brings deep expertise in enterprise software, marketplace architecture, and scalable SaaS infrastructure, complementing the operator-led hospitality experience of the founding team.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aheinl/
Companies & Products:
Founder Summary – Ranjan Soni
·        Ranjan Soni is a seasoned technology leader, product architect, and marketplace builder with over 20 years of experience spanning enterprise software, SaaS platforms, data science, and emerging technologies. He holds an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix and a formal hospitality education from the Institute of Hotel Management—giving him a rare blend of deep technical expertise and industry domain knowledge.
·        Ranjan is the CTO and Co-Founder of 86Deadstock, where he moved full-time in January 2025 to lead product development, platform architecture, and technical execution. His background includes building and scaling complex systems across marketplaces, payments, AI/ML, blockchain, IoT, and large-scale SaaS platforms.
·        He is also the Founder & CEO of Bryt Solutions, a product development firm specializing in mobile apps, AI, blockchain, data science, and custom software, with a strong focus on marketplace backends, payment gateway integrations, and in-app wallets. Previously, Ranjan founded Bennett Technologies, where he led a distributed team of 50+ engineers across the US, Canada, and India, delivering enterprise products such as HRMS, CRM, insurance platforms, and compliance systems.
·        In parallel, Ranjan serves as Head of Engineering at Janitorial Manager, one of the most comprehensive work-management platforms in its industry, leveraging AI, ML, IoT, NLP, and blockchain to serve large institutional clients.
·        Ranjan has a proven track record of rapid execution and capital efficiency, including recently building and deploying a full billing and finance system with AWS and QuickBooks integration in under five days using AI-assisted development. His experience optimizing systems—such as improving a least-cost routing engine by nearly 1,000x efficiency—underscores his ability to deliver scalable, high-performance solutions.
·        At 86Deadstock, Ranjan brings deep expertise in marketplace architecture, payments, AI-enabled workflows, and scalable infrastructure, complementing the hospitality and SaaS leadership of the founding team.
 
Founder Summary – Jake Guthrie
·        Jake Guthrie is an experienced operations leader, team builder, and systems thinker with a unique background spanning hospitality operations and large-scale organizational leadership. He holds a Master of Education in Special Education from Bowling Green State University and a BS in Communication and Media Studies from the University of Mount Union.
·        Jake most recently served as Special Education Coordinator for Worthington City Schools, where he led over 200 staff members delivering educational services to students with special needs. His role required managing complex workflows, compliance requirements, staffing, and performance across a large, distributed organization.
·        Prior to returning to education, Jake was Director of Operations at Bar 145, where he oversaw daily operations of a flagship gastropub and played a key role in franchising and opening two additional locations. He led the hiring, training, and management of 150+ employees, including onboarding and developing general managers at new locations—giving him deep experience in scaling operations and maintaining consistency across units.
·        Jake is recognized for his resourcefulness and operational creativity, exemplified early in his career by identifying inefficiencies in campus textbook resale systems and building a simple, effective collection process to fund his education. Beyond business, he has demonstrated exceptional discipline and leadership as a two-time Boston Marathon finisher with Team Hoyt and a two-time National Champion in college football.
·        At 86Deadstock, Jake brings strengths in operations, people leadership, process design, and execution, helping bridge the gap between hospitality operators and scalable platform adoption.
Founder Relationships & History
  • Jeremy Fitzgerald & Jake have known each other for over 20 years, having met while working together in the hospitality industry.
  • Archie & Ranjan have also known each other for more than 20 years and first teamed up to start a SaaS company in 2004.
  • Jeremy & Archie met through mutual friends in Toledo, Ohio in 2022 and later partnered to form 86Deadstock.
  • All founders have met and worked together in person.



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Key Facts

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