What Bun is Right for Me? (A Food Service Guide to Martin’s Potato Rolls and Bread)

The Importance of the Right Bun

Whether you believe it or not, the right bun matters—more than you think! From hamburgers to lobster rolls to hoagies, we’ve got you covered! Here at Martin’s, we’ve created the perfect buns for any sandwich, slider, or hotdog imaginable.

Martin’s signature bread and roll products are a top choice among head chefs at popular restaurants, sports arenas, hospitality venues, and a wide variety of other food service establishments. In fact, many culinary experts around the globe choose Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls & Bread to make their menu offerings stand out from among the crowd.

This article serves as a step-by-step guide to help foodservice professionals find the perfect rolls and bread for a multitude of needs. It will cover details of Martin’s product line, including differentiating factors and suggested usage occasions, as well as information about our distribution process and how to obtain Martin’s products for your foodservice location.

If you are interested in ordering Martin’s Potato Rolls and Bread for food service use, please complete our Contact Form to get in touch with our team. If you’d like to learn more about the products we offer and how to get them, continue reading!

Why Martin’s?

Here at Martin’s, we are dedicated to producing top-notch bread and rolls products that our customers can feel proud about serving to their friends and family. As such, we use high quality, premium ingredients to do just that.

Our signature rolls and bread are made with high-protein wheat flour, real milk, real butter, and potato flour. They are made without any artificial dyes or food coloring. In truth, the golden color of our rolls comes from turmeric powder and annatto seeds. All of these ingredients come together to create Martin’s unique taste and soft, fluffy texture that everyone knows and loves!

This quality standard and commitment to using premium ingredients has helped Martin’s develop a strong brand recognition all across the country and even internationally. In fact, both home cooks and celebrity chefs alike are fans of the brand, and many choose to use our rolls in their cooking.

Martin’s Potato Rolls and Bread are also used by award-winning restaurants including Kasama, a Michelin Star restaurant, and The Loyalist, previously crowned “The Best Burger in Chicago.”

Our products are available in over 50 countries worldwide through our network of distributors. To learn more about these distribution areas or to connect with a distributor near you, please visit our Distribution Page.

Tip: Read our Who We Are blog post to learn more about our brand, product accolades, and product categories.

What Are You Serving? (Choose Your Category)

Burgers, Chicken, and BBQ Sandwiches

When evaluating what type of roll to use for burgers or chicken sandwiches, the first step is to consider the size, texture, and flavor desired. For these specific menu offerings, we recommend choosing between Martin’s Slider Potato Rolls, Sandwich Potato Rolls, 4-inch Potato Rolls, 5-inch Potato Rolls, and Big Marty’s Rolls.

Size Matters

Ideally, the amount of protein (e.g., ground beef) and number of sandwich toppings should be proportional to the size of the roll. (We call this the “meat-to-bun” ratio.) This is why we offer numerous roll sizes to fit a variety of needs!

Our most popular product, Martin’s Sandwich Potato Rolls, are 3.5 inches wide; however, for food service use, we also offer 4-Inch and 5-Inch Potato Rolls which allow customers to create and serve even larger burgers using our famous potato rolls.

On the smaller side, we also offer the option of our Slider Potato Rolls, which are 3-inches wide and perfect for miniature sandwiches or “slider” sized burgers.

Finally, we have our Big Marty’s Rolls, which are large white rolls topped with sesame seeds. They are famously named after our co-founder Lloyd Martin whose nickname was “Marty” and who liked “big” sandwiches. These rolls are approximately four inches in diameter, providing plenty of room on the bun for a hefty burger with lots of toppings!

Menu Item	Suggested Roll	Diameter
Slider burgers & mini chicken	Slider Potato Rolls	3 in / 76 mm
Classic ¼-lb burgers	Sandwich Potato Rolls	3.5 in / 89 mm
Gourmet ⅓-lb burgers	4-Inch Potato Rolls	4 in / 102 mm
Hefty half-pound stacks	5-Inch Potato Rolls	5 in / 127 mm
Signature “big” builds	Big Marty’s Rolls (seeded or unseeded)	3.75 in / 95 mm

Texture Preference

While Martin’s buns are widely acclaimed for their pillowy-soft texture and squishy consistency, some customers choose to enhance the texture by steaming or toasting the buns. (Learn more tips and techniques in our Bun Preparation Guide.)

Another way to add textural excitement is with our classic Big Marty’s Rolls, which are completely coated on top with plenty of sesame seeds.

Whichever method you pick, your customers are sure to love having a choice of unique options!

Flavor Profiles

The flavor of our potato rolls is unmatched. These buns have a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with a wide variety of both sweet and savory options.

However, if you’d like more of a classic white roll, you can opt for our Big Marty’s Rolls, which come in two options for food service: with sesame seeds and without.

Hot Dogs, Lobster Rolls, and Hoagies

Our Long Potato Rolls and Hoagie Rolls are both a fan favorite for seafood rolls, deli subs, gourmet hot dogs, and much more. We offer three different types of rolls in this category: Long Potato Rolls, Top-Sliced Long Potato Rolls, and Hoagie Rolls. Both Martin’s Long Potato Rolls and Top Sliced Long Potato Rolls are made with our potato dough recipe, whereas our Hoagie Rolls are slightly larger and made with our white dough recipe.

Features: Hinge or Top-Slice

Our Long Potato Rolls and Hoagie Rolls are both created with a sturdy hinge to make sure your sandwich or hotdog stays intact while you are eating. With this hinge, you can load up your sandwiches and hotdogs with all the toppings without fear of your bun falling apart.

While retail customers can buy Long Potato Rolls and Hoagie Rolls, our Top-Sliced Long Potato Rolls are exclusive to foodservice customers. These rolls have a vertical slice through the center with the hinge being at the bottom. This unique feature allows them to stand up straight, making them perfect for delicious lobster rolls and gourmet hot dogs!

Quick Links: Long | Top-Sliced | Hoagie

Sandwich Loaves (Deli, French Toast & More)

We offer three types of bread loaves: Potato Breads, Butter Bread, and Swirl Breads. These pre-sliced breads work well for deli meat sandwiches, grilled cheeses, French toast, and even a good old slice of toast.

Potato Bread & Texas Toast

Our Potato Bread uses the same beloved dough as our Potato Rolls, delivering softness plus a slight sweetness that toasts beautifully. Texas Toast Potato Bread—a thick-cut, food-service-only version—stands up to BBQ platters and hearty melts.

Butter Bread

An old-fashioned white loaf made only with butter (no oils). Kids love the nostalgia; chefs love its simple, classic flavor for BLTs, club sandwiches, and breakfast service.

Swirl Breads

We offer three unique flavors of swirl breads: Maple Brown Sugar Swirl Potato Bread, Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl Potato Bread, and Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Potato Bread. All three are excellent for French toast, sweet and savory grilled cheeses, and even bread pudding!

Sweet Rolls & Catering Solutions

If you like our classic potato rolls, imagine how much you’ll love the sweet versions:

Roll	Size	Highlights	Applications
Sweet Party Potato Rolls	2 in	Unsliced sheet; slice all at once for bulk sliders	BBQ sliders, hors d’oeuvres
Sweet Dinner Potato Rolls	2.5 in	Slightly larger, individually pull-apart	Buffet sides, mini bread bowls

Pro tips:

Top-slice or hollow out for creative canapé bases.
Bake or griddle the entire sheet for ultra-efficient prep.
Serve warm as a side for your main entrées.

Where and How to Order Martin’s

Domestic Orders

For foodservice professionals in the U.S., Martin’s delivers fresh institutional product to locations in the shaded area of the above map. If you are located outside of this area, Martin’s will deliver frozen institutional product to food service locations through third party distributors. For more information about our distribution process, please visit our U.S. Food Service Distribution List.

International Orders

If your food service establishment is based outside of the United States, Martin’s partners with a selection of exporters and distributors to deliver our products to numerous countries around the globe.

Please visit our Distribution Page to learn more about our international areas of distribution or to get in touch with a distributor near you.

Tip: If you are located in one of the below regions, you can learn more at the link below.

Note: if you would like to learn more about our availability in a specific country or region, please fill out our Contact Form to get in touch with a team member.

Let’s Get You Started

With the best buns and the right distributors, foodservice customers across the country and around the world are seeing the difference that Martin’s Potato Rolls can make. From our Sandwich Potato Rolls to our Long Potato Rolls to our Sweet Rolls, Martin’s quality products are able to elevate all types of menus and enhance your customers’ dining experiences.

Bonus: Explore our newly revamped Food Service Website to find more information about our products as well as other helpful resources!