Restaurants including Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut could face shortages if staff at their supplier vote to strike.
Around 600 workers at Best Food Logistics, which supplies fresh food to many restaurants including Zizzi and Wagamama, have rejected a pay offer.
The workers, part of the GMB union, voted 93% against the 6% pay offer, and 85% voted for a strike ballot.
A ballot is a union vote to decide on taking strike action.
The GMB union said that "Britain's best-loved family restaurants face severe disruption to their food deliveries this Christmas".
GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: “These workers bust a gut to deliver fresh, just in time food to some of the biggest names in the business.
“Bestfood’s parent companies Booker and Tesco are making incredibly healthy profits and paying large dividends, while leaving these workers crushed by cost of living.
“Now some of their biggest clients may well be left short this Christmas because they won’t meet GMB’s reasonable request for a pay deal that protects our members through this year and into next with a genuine cost of living increase.”
Best Food Logistics has been approached for comment.
Earlier this week The Mirror reported that more than one million workers may strike in a coordinated action this winter to get fair pay.
Poor pay during a cost-of-living crisis means workers must join forces to demand fair wages, says Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham.
She is talking with other union bosses about joining forces to secure the best deal for workers who are “fighting to stand still”.
She said: “You’ve got ourselves, Unison, GMB – and already you’re talking over a million workers.
“The aim is not to strike, the aim is to get money in the hands of workers who are doing a fair day’s work and expect a fair day’s pay.
“You’ve got this crazy situation where you’ve got Liz Truss saying ‘let’s have a bigger pie’. There’s no point having a bigger pie if the same people divide it.
“We’re trying to get money into the hands of workers as this Government is trying to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
“We need to give workers the best chance of getting more money in their pockets so they can feed their families and don’t have a situation like they’re in now. Part of that is unions working together.”
There has been widespread industrial action this summer, including rail strikes. The Royal College of Nursing is balloting members over a potential walkout over pay, following a decade of real-terms wage cuts.
Ms Graham said: “It’s sad the people have to go on strike are workers and the people affected tend to be workers. We don’t want those people to be affected.
“But if unions don’t put a stake in the ground, what else do you do when you’ve got companies making billions and their workers can’t feed their families? You’re left with no alternative.”
