Owning your own restaurant requires that you buy large amounts of food without paying a huge price for it. From gallons of pasta sauce to pounds of fish, veggies, fruits and meat, your restaurant's food service provider must be inexpensive yet professional and must provide high quality food items that you can use to cook delicious meals that will make customers return for more. Choosing a food service provider is therefore one of the most important decisions you must make for the future of your restaurant. If you own a small restaurant that does not have a large amount of business, you may be able to buy food from the supermarket or from bulk stores such as Costco.
Instructions
1. Review your accounting records and reservation book to determine what would be the most cost-effective way to buy food based on your customer volume. Large, busy restaurants that serve hundreds of people per week will lose money buying food from the supermarket, while smaller or less busy restaurants that serve less than a hundred people per week may be able to purchase food at the supermarket or at a farmer's market without having to raise prices or lose profits.
2. Contact your local grocery store or farmer's market, if you decide you can still purchase food at your local grocery store or farmer's market. Some stores will give you a great deal on buying large amounts of items. Also ask about discounts on items that are about to go bad, such as produce or meat that you can prepare and serve in the same day as purchase. Local farmers may also give you a good deal on large amounts of fresh produce or meat. You can buy bulk amounts of nonperishable items, such as condiments, from stores such as Walmart or Costco.
3. Attend a trade show or restaurant conference if you own a large or very busy restaurant. Trade shows and conferences often feature food service providers as vendors. You can meet some of the staff, try different food items and ask questions of the providers to get a better idea of how their company is run and what the quality of their items are. If you are unable to attend a trade show or conference, you can see the Resources Section for a list of food service providers.
4. Sign a contract with the food service provider. Oftentimes restaurants will need to contract with multiple food service providers to cover all their needs; many providers only supply specific types of food, such as produce, meat or organic goods. Most providers accept cash or checks until you build a relationship where credit can be trusted, which can take years depending on the specific provider. Most often you can place orders online and have the food delivered directly to your restaurant within a few days. Some providers accept recurring deliveries. For example, you can set up your account so that fresh produce is delivered every Monday and Wednesday.
Tags: food service, your restaurant, farmer market, food service provider, food service providers, large amounts