Leading hotels, restaurants and caterers queued up at the Bypass store of German wholesaler Metro Cash & Carry when it opened on Wednesday.

Representatives of Bijoli Grill, Nakur and Bhojohari Manna said Metro products were of better quality and more affordable than those in wholesale markets in the city.

“It’s stupid not to buy from Metro,” said Siddharth Shankar Bose, the director of restaurant chain Bhojohari Manna.

The fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products that pleased Bose or Tapan Barik of Bijoli Grill, however, are not for retail buyers. Stores and restaurants have to register showing their trade licence to shop at Metro.

The eatery owners and caterers promised to pass on the benefit to customers. “If my cost is less, I can certainly consider reducing prices,” said Barik, the proprietor of Bijoli Grill. Bose said he would not have to compromise on the “size of the fish” after shopping at Metro.

For Prashanta Nandi, the owner of sweet shop Nakur, steady supply of raw material is the draw. “I often find it difficult to procure Hershey’s chocolate sauce. Metro has promised to provide us as much of the chocolate sauce as we want and when we want,” he said.

Nandi also plans to buy milk and sugar from Metro even though his shop in north Calcutta far away from the store.

The 100,000sq ft store, inaugurated by Sourav Ganguly in the presence of the managing director of Metro Cash & Carry India, Martin Dlouhy, and minister Kanti Ganguly, stores 18,000 items.

Naren De and Murtaja Hussain, ministers from the Forward Bloc, which had tried to stop the store from opening, did not turn up despite being invited.

A Forward Bloc leader said the party was unhappy with Metro as it had not complied with the terms and conditions laid down in the agreement between it and the government.

Forum Against Monopolistic Aggression agitated in front of the office of Agricultural and Rural Development at Ultadanga on Wednesday to protest the opening of the store.