The Most Important Considerations When You are Choosing the Best Food and Beverage Supplier

Everyone who has ever been involved in a restaurant or food business would be the first to tell you how crucial it is to find the right supplier. Imagine having something unique and special on your menu and finding out at the last minute that you no longer have any ingredients for that dish, and the next supply won’t be after a week! Of course, that wouldn’t do – and to avoid it, you need to find the right supplier for your needs. But there are numerous suppliers, and what separates the right from the wrong ones? Here are the most important considerations when choosing the best food and beverage supplier.

1. Great customer service

Any restaurant or food business owner would know that the first – and perhaps the most important – consideration when choosing a good supplier would be great customer service. Of course, it goes without saying that the food/beverage supplier you choose should be well-organised and on time, and they must also comply with all the food health and safety regulations. But aside from this, they must be knowledgeable about your kitchen timetable and needs so that they will make sure whatever you require is delivered promptly and in excellent condition. That’s why it’s also important to have clear and set communication lines between your purchasing manager and the supplier – they need to know when you need it, how much you need, how often, and so on.

And here’s another consideration – if you don’t communicate your brand’s goals and vision to your supplier, it will be harder for them to react more quickly in case of an emergency or anything unforeseen.

• High-quality products

Another top consideration is whether or not your food supplier can give you what you expect in terms of food quality – not just quantity. If, for example, you need beverage ingredients like fruit juice, would your fruit juice concentrate supplier be able to get you a good supply that meets all your requirements? It’s important to consider your requirements both on and off-season. If you are looking for local food and beverage items, would they be able to supply them? Local and fresh ingredients can also do a lot for the environment and your practices on sustainability, so it would be good if you could work with a supplier who does just that – and prioritises that as well.

• Affordable, reasonably-priced products

Of course, if you’re working with a budget, you must ensure that your ingredients will fit your budget. Know how much it costs to make the dish – ideally, the cost of making the dish should not be more than 30 per cent of the cost of the entire dish. Look for a supplier who can offer you excellent packages and deals, especially on bulk purchases and supplies in season.

• Invaluable solutions

Lastly, it would be good to choose a supplier who can offer invaluable solutions that go beyond merely supplying you with food and beverages – for instance, they could provide you with technical info on the products, innovative or new ideas on what you can do with the product, recipes, and more. Anything that would help you make the most of your purchase and helps you appreciate its real value. In other words, don’t look for a mere supplier – look for a real partner.