When setting up your own restaurant business, there is more to the whole process than simply choosing the dishes that will go into the menu, the décor and set-up of the establishment, and hiring your staff. To make sure that your business is a success, everything should be at its best, especially the food you will serve.
Choosing the right food and beverage distributor can have a great impact on everything that you serve in your restaurant. As such, it is important that you choose the best provider of this service.
You can make sure you will choose the best food and beverage distributor to work with by considering the important factors below during your selection process:
Prices and payment terms and conditions. A good way to begin your search is to get price lists from all possible distributors. You can also request for a sample contract so that you can compare their proposed terms and conditions in addition to the prices. Once you have these documents, make sure you also have your price list of items you will need regularly and calculate how much each product costs from each supplier individually. According to business experts, never accept the first offer from a distributor. Don’t be afraid to negotiate; ask what else they can offer at the price they gave you. Don’t forget to make a counter-offer as well. Also, if the prices a company gives you are suspiciously low, be wary. You can consider their offer by check the quality of the products they deliver and their delivery schedules as well.
Delivery schedule. Consider how often you need your supplies to be delivered to your restaurant. This schedule will usually depend on the food items you need for your menu. If you want to serve everything fresh, you will have to schedule deliveries every day. You will also need to specify what time you need the distributor to be at your establishment: will it be early morning or during closing time? Before agreeing on a contract, make sure the goods will be delivered at the agreed time and try to set it as one of the conditions for the supplier to strictly follow.
Maintenance of quality. Lastly, you may be getting a good price on the delivery of supplies and the service provider will stick to the schedule; however, will they be able to maintain the good quality of all your ordered goods? The last thing you want to happen is to pay a lot for the best ingredients and see this investment go to waste because the vegetables and fruits wilted or the meat rotted because the delivery truck isn’t equipped with the best cooling system or it malfunctioned along the way. It is important that you have a good idea of the delivery vehicles, equipment, and other pieces of technology the distributor has before signing up with them.