Gourmet food wholesalers Sydney and restaurant food supplier sell products to restaurants. The important function of restaurant suppliers is to allow restaurants to buy products at cheap prices to increase profit margins. When it comes to choosing suppliers, restaurants should consider delivery schedules, cost, minimum order requirements and product quality.
There is no single food supplier that can meet the needs of all restaurants. A lot of restaurants rely on a team of suppliers to keep their supplies moving. Your plan will depend on the type of products you serve, storage facilities, size and so on. The skill of your employees will also influence the type of food products you need. Read on as we explain how you can find the right food supplier for your restaurant.
List your menu
You can sit down and go through your menus and note all the ingredients you need for your restaurant. If you have a manager or chef on your staff, you should apply a team effort and consult with them. The main goal is to have a list of every beverage and food ingredient you need. Do not forget things like salt and important equipment like toilet paper and to-go containers. You need to make it detailed list and if the chef wants onions then you should list them down.
Group your items into categories
You should create categories like produce, meat, spices, dairy, beer, staples, liquor, wine, cleaning supplies, non-alcoholic beverages, and paper supplies. You should organize your list into relevant categories before trying to find suitable wholesale food suppliers.
Note the availability of sufficient storage
You should note the size of your storage facilities for different food products. You cannot purchase one hundred pounds of frozen meat if you have a very small freezer.
Consider your expected volume of sales
Maybe you do not have enough freezer space for a hundred pounds of your frozen meat but if you sell eight hundred orders of your meatloaf per week, you might need it. This means that before you sit down with your vendor, you should know that you either need some frozen and fresh product or more than one delivery per week.
Find prospective vendors
You should look for vendors in your area that sell restaurants with the types of food items you need. There are different places you can find them such as searching on the internet or getting recommendations from nearby restaurants. However, some restaurants are secretive and might not tell you who their suppliers are. You should take your time and watch their loading areas and note what trucks you see delivering products. You should have several options in each category.
Schedule a meeting with sales representatives
After narrowing down your options, you should email or call each prospective vendor and set up a meeting. You need to be prepared with a list of supplies and the right questions for your potential gourmet food wholesalers Sydney. You should know their delivery schedule, terms for extending credit and their order procedure. You should ask for a credit application, catalogue and some references during the meeting.