When it comes to finding the best restaurant food distributors, the options are endless. Hundreds of companies out there claim to offer the best products at the lowest prices. But how do you know which one is right for your needs? How do you know which one supplies the freshest ingredients, and which one's going to deliver their shipments on time?
Here's what you should know about finding and choosing a great restaurant food supplier.
The Process for Finding the Best Food Distributors
1. List Your Menu (Including Off-Season Menus!)
If you have an existing menu, start by listing its items. If you don't have an existing menu, research and create one yourself. It doesn't have to be perfect at first; just get all your ideas down on paper to see what you need from food distributors.
To overcome this challenge, it is recommended to create a comprehensive list of all essential ingredients required for daily operations, including both staple items such as meats and vegetables, as well as specialized ingredients such as specific cheeses and cuts. For instance, if you run a seafood restaurant, it would be beneficial to list all the seafood items that will be served.
Then, move on to listing out all of the ingredients you need for each item. For example, what kind of fish do you need if you're making fish tacos? What are your options? How much will each type cost and how often will they run out? What kinds of toppings do you want to offer with it? Can these be premade or do they require preparation by hand?
2. Group the Ingredients Into Clear Categories
Once you're done listing out your ingredients, it's time to group them into categories. For example, you might have seafood, vegetables, dairy products and grains. You can then break these down even further by listing out the different types of fish and seafood you need to prepare your menu items. This will help you see which ingredients are more expensive than others and how much they cost per pound or unit.
This part's important because it helps you understand what you need from food distributors.
3. Estimate the Sales Volume You're Expecting
It's also important to estimate how much food you'll actually sell. If you're opening a restaurant, for example, this is easy because you already know how many people will be dining in each night. But if you're planning on selling food at a farmers market or other outdoor event where vendors compete for customers, this can be difficult.
Here's what you need to know:
First of all, don't overestimate your sales volume. If you buy too much food and don't sell it all, then that's extra money out of your pocket.
Second of all, keep track of the number of people who come into your business during each hour or day so that you have accurate data when estimating sales volume.
4. Look for Prospective Vendors
Now it's time to begin actually looking for food distributors.
Find a list of food vendors in your area and start contacting them. If you don't have any resources to help you find suppliers, try searching online for wholesale food suppliers that sell locally grown produce. Why locally grown? Because a lower distance to be delivered to your restaurant automatically means that the ingredients will have less time to spoil.
If the necessary information is not available on their websites, it is advisable to directly contact the food distributor’s manager. Even for smaller restaurants, many suppliers have designated representatives who can meet with potential customers to provide detailed information on their offerings and prices.
5. Start Meeting with Representatives
When you start meeting with representatives from different food distributor, ask them about their products and what makes them stand out. You don't need to sign a contract yet—just get an idea of the companies' offerings.
You should also ask them if there are any special promotions going on right now that could help you save money. If there are no promotions, look at the prices anyway and compare them to other suppliers in your area.
The Takeaway
At this point, there's pretty much nothing else to cover. Even if you make a mistake with choosing your first food distributor, you'll eventually gain experience in understanding when representatives from suppliers are telling the truth about the promises they make - and when they're bluffing.