The Ultimate Guide to Restaurant Food Suppliers

The restaurant food industry is a complex, competitive market that requires meticulous planning and research to succeed. This guide will keep you up-to-date with the latest information on sourcing restaurants from suppliers of meat products, fish items, dairy items and many others.

The “The Ultimate Guide to Restaurant Food Suppliers near Seattle, WA” is a guide that includes information on the best food suppliers in the area. The article goes into detail about each company and their services.

Restaurant food providers are wholesale merchants or local farmers that sell foodstuffs directly to restaurants. A restaurant supplier’s essential job is to enable a restaurant to obtain supplies at reduced cost in order to boost profit margins. Restaurants should consider pricing, delivery schedule, minimum order requirements, and product quality when selecting food providers.

There is no one-size-fits-all supplier option for all eateries. To keep supplies circulating, most restaurants depend on a group of suppliers. The plan you choose will be determined by the sort of food you offer, as well as your sales, size, and storage capacity. The size and skill level of your team will also have an impact on the items you need. To identify the greatest match for your restaurant, use the information below.

How Restaurant Food Vendors Operate

The traditional restaurant supply chain has four steps: manufacture, processing, distribution, and retail. The origins of food supply are usually the same. A farm provides meat, milk, eggs, grains, and vegetables. Depending on your location, these farms may be close enough for you to buy straight from them.

Full-service vendors ship a wide range of items throughout the nation. Mike from Pexels took this photo.

The majority of agricultural goods, on the other hand, go straight to a processor. Meats are portioned into different slices in a meat processor. Smoking, drying, and curing are all options for additional processing. Cheese and other dairy products are made from milk that has been bottled or processed. Produce is wrapped, canned, dried, or frozen, and eggs are packed.

Processing facilities are inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) depending on the kind of food they handle (FDA). They may package items from many farms and sell them straight to wholesale distributors, who then sell and distribute them to their merchants, including restaurants.

At each point of the supply chain, food items are processed into more useful forms.

From manufacture to ultimate destination, there are a lot of processes, but the food is broken into smaller, more usable pieces at each one. Products that move via the conventional supply chain are usually packed to extend shelf life and may be bought presliced, diced, or peeled to save time in the kitchen.

Rather of going via the traditional supply chain, some restaurants purchase many of their ingredients directly from local farmers. This method enables restaurants to sell food that is as fresh as possible, and it may even motivate farmers to plant a particular crop for them. Consumers are prepared to pay extra for local items, according to studies, particularly when the “miles” spent by their transportation is included.

How to Set Up Accounts With Restaurant Food Vendors

To buy from specific suppliers, restaurants must first register an account with them. Smaller businesses with a poor credit history may be obliged to pay their suppliers promptly after receiving their goods. Most restaurants in good standing with their suppliers, on the other hand, are given a seven to thirty-day grace period to pay their vendors.

Choosing the Right Vendor

There are various things to consider before creating an account with a vendor. What items you require are determined by the cuisine you provide, available storage space, and sales volume.

Following are seven particular steps to finding food suppliers:

1. Make a menu list

Gather your menus and jot down all of the items you’ll need. This is a wonderful spot to use a team effort if you have a chef or manager on your team. The idea is to compile a thorough list of all the food and beverage ingredients you’ll need. Don’t forget the essentials, such as salt and to-go containers and toilet paper. Make it explicit; if the chef needs quarter-inch sliced onions and shrimp of a certain size, specify it here.

2. Sort the items into different categories.

Make broad categories for meat, fruit, dairy, spices, basics, beer, wine, liquor, non-alcoholic drinks, cleaning products, and paper supplies, for example. Sort your ingredients into the following categories.

3. Take note of the storage options.

Take note of the size of the accessible storage for various items. If your freezer isn’t big enough, you won’t be able to purchase 100 pounds of frozen beef.

4. Think about how much money you expect to make.

You may not be able to store 100 pounds of frozen beef in your freezer. You may need it if you sell 800 orders of your specialty meatloaf every week. You already know that you need some fresh and frozen meat, or that you require more than one meat delivery each week before you sit down with a seller.

5. Keep an eye out for potential vendors.

Look for merchants in your neighborhood who sell the things you need to restaurants. You may locate them by doing a simple online search or contacting local eateries. Some restaurants keep their vendor names under wraps, so don’t be hesitant to go snooping around loading areas and taking notes on what trucks you observe delivering. In each category, you should have two to three vendor selections.

6. Schedule a meeting with a sales representative

Once you’ve narrowed down your selections, contact each potential vendor to schedule a meeting. Prepare a list of supplies as well as questions to ask the provider. You’ll want to know about their delivery timeline, order method, and credit conditions. You should also request their catalog, credit application, and several references from restaurants that they presently provide during this meeting.

7. Evaluate Vendors

It’s uncommon for a single seller to be flawless. You’ll need some time to think about what pricing, product options, ordering, and delivery schedules work best for your business. Take the time to reach out to the purveyor’s references.

Meetings with suppliers in the early stages might seem like a negotiation. The salesperson is attempting to sell you as much of their goods as possible, while you are attempting to get what you want for the least amount of money possible. Let the salespeople know you’re considering a few possibilities and what your determining factor is. Say so if the best price is your bottom line. You’re attempting to establish a long-term business connection, so be specific about your requirements.

Before deciding on a provider, restaurant owners should visit with many. Pexels photo courtesy of nappy

Some suppliers may suggest a Preferred Supplier Agreement based on your predicted business volume (PSA). A PSA offers you a discount if you agree to buy particular things from this preferred vendor alone. A PSA with a vendor that carries the majority of your products might reduce administrative time if you have a small management team. Before you sign a PSA agreement, get it reviewed by a lawyer to verify that it is in the best interests of your business.

Creating a Bank Account

To create an account, you must first choose the merchants with whom you wish to deal and then fill out a credit application. Purveyors require your company details to produce and monitor your orders and delivery, even if your initial deliveries are paid in cash. It also expedites the procedure in the event that they decide to provide credit in the future.

Most credit applications include questions regarding your company’s general information, such as:

• Taxpayer identification number
• Address for delivery
• Address for billing
• How long has your company been in operation?
• It doesn’t matter whether you own or lease your company space.
• If you rent, your landlord’s address and contact information.
• Information about your bank account
• Any business partners’ names

Expectations from Your Vendors

Vendors should deliver the goods you requested or tell you if it is out of stock. An itemized invoice or packing sheet should accompany all deliveries. The products should be delivered on schedule and in a vehicle that is prepared to avoid spoiling. The things you bought should be at the proper temperature, undamaged, and free of rot or bugs when you get them.

Although the majority of delivery faults are unintentional, it is still critical to double-check each purchase when it arrives. Image courtesy of Pixabay

When a delivery comes, someone from your team should inspect it—usually a manager or shift leader. Not because you mistrust your providers, but because errors might happen when dealing with a large number of a perishable commodity. It’s all too simple for someone to leave a box on the truck or pull the incorrect one. The first thing your recipient should check is that the items in the delivery match those on the invoice.

The receiver should inspect all delivered things to ensure that they are:

• the appropriate amount
• Maintaining the proper temperature
• Not expired or on the verge of expiring
• In unblemished or undamaged packing
• Devoid of rot
• Pest-free environment
• On the invoice, the grade and quality are mentioned.

They may sign the invoice and accept the delivery if everything checks out. Any things that do not fit your criteria, on the other hand, should be declined and the adjustment made on the spot on the invoice. Some sellers provide credit slips to their delivery personnel with any products that are declined. Receivers should request one whenever they return a product.

How to Maintain a Positive Vendor Relationship

Get to know the people who will be delivering your packages. To assist create that bond, have the same individual accept deliveries every day if at all feasible. Order minimums and deadlines must be met. When possible, pay on time or early. If your salesperson offers you a fantastic discount on an item, it’s because they’ve overstocked; purchase some if it makes sense (and possibly run through it in a special). If recycling or sustainability initiatives are available, take use of them.

Unless there is a genuine service emergency, don’t ask for favors like expedited delivery. If a seller comes to your rescue with a trunk full of fresh lobster tails for a New Year’s Eve meal, express your thanks. Tell your sales person or driver’s employer how much you like working with them.

Paying on time is the greatest approach to have a good relationship with your suppliers. Vendors often enjoy well-organized orders with specific line items. If you’re having trouble keeping track of your orders, a POS with inventory management integration may assist. Inventory management software is included in the standard offering of certain systems, such as Revel. It may notify you when stock levels are low and allow your employees to make orders straight from the POS.

If, on the other hand, you’re putting your best foot forward but aren’t satisfied with the help your vendor is providing, it may be time to look into alternative choices. If your vendor connections aren’t going well, recall all those suppliers you met? Perhaps it’s time to give one of them a second chance to win your business.

Suppliers of Major Restaurant Foods

Food is an ephemeral product. It’s critical to use up your stock before it degrades and have a regular supply of fresh ingredients on hand. The majority of your inventory should turn over in seven days, ideally. Most restaurants utilize a team of suppliers to keep supply flowing since things like milk and fresh tomatoes have a different shelf life than a bottle of soy sauce.

1. Full-service providers

These are big companies. Sysco and US Foods are generally referred to as the “Big Two” in the industry. They sell frozen and canned foods, as well as meats, pantry essentials, paper products, cleaning supplies, and to-go items. In addition to bulk supplies, many bulk vendors also offer basic equipment. Small businesses get deliveries once a week, whereas major businesses receive deliveries two or three times a week. A hospital or a college cafeteria are examples of major operations for a vendor of this magnitude.

One of these providers may provide a restaurant owner with almost everything they need. However, small or isolated locations may only get one delivery every week. If you don’t have enough storage space, your supplies may run out before the next delivery date. In such situation, having a smaller local provider as a backup is an excellent idea.

2. Perishables and Produce

Produce and dairy goods, for example, are frequently handled by smaller, local providers. These suppliers may deliver on a daily basis, with a turnaround time of 12 to 24 hours from when an item is ordered and when it is delivered. Asking other restaurants whose produce vendors they use is the best method to discover one in your region. Alternatively, you may search the USDA’s Local Food Directory.

“Always check with your regulatory agency to see whether the supplier has been authorized.” Many commercial suppliers are in this category. When buying from roadside sellers, farmers markets, or local farms, be cautious. If the food was produced in a home kitchen, double-check that it has been authorized by your regulatory agency.”

— Katie Heil, State Food Safety Authority’s Food Safety Expert

3. Coffee

Although a full-line supplier may provide coffee, many restaurants prefer to deal with a small regional roastery. Coffee consumers are becoming more aware, and the freshness of locally roasted coffee may be a selling feature. A smaller vendor may be able to provide services such as customizing a blend for your restaurant or allowing you to buy in lesser amounts.

As part of the deal, some coffee wholesalers will also give brewing equipment to your business. However, if you decide to conduct business with another coffee vendor at any time, you must be willing to return this equipment.

4. Wine, beer, liqueurs, and soft drinks

Licensing and restrictions for alcoholic beverages vary from those for food. The majority of food providers prefer to leave the sale of alcoholic drinks to other parties. If your restaurant offers a bar program, these goods will almost certainly need a different provider. Spirits sellers, like food vendors, come in a variety of sizes. Republic and Young’s Market, for example, provide a diverse assortment of items at various pricing ranges. Smaller distributors are more likely to have specialized items.

Soft drinks are a distinct category with their own distribution network. The “Big Two” soda companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, will normally offer your restaurant with some gratis equipment to make it simple to serve their goods, similar to how coffee companies do. It is advisable to contact such businesses directly via their websites to locate a sales representative in your region.

5. Unique Ingredients

You may need a second vendor that specializes in imported ingredients if you offer a cuisine that is unusual for your locality. Imported Italian cheeses, Indian curry spices, Korean chile oils, Vietnamese noodles, and Russian pastries are all examples of items that may be unavailable from full-service providers. These vendors may best be identified by doing a local internet search or contacting local chefs who currently utilize these types of foods.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Large and Small Food Suppliers

The operational scale of most of the purveyors you investigate will be the most significant distinction. The majority are either extremely big or very local; there are just a few medium-sized providers. Full-service vendors offer everything, but only deliver once a week. Your restaurant is close to a fantastic farm supplier, but tomatoes are only available in July. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Large Suppliers

Working with a major, full-service supplier gives restaurants with the following benefits:

• Product consistency: Larger suppliers collaborate with big producers that are able to generate products all year. A full-line provider is your best choice if you know you’ll need strawberries in January.
• Larger warehouses enable the Big Two to provide a greater range of items in a variety of case sizes. If they don’t have what you’re looking for, they’ll generally go out of their way to get it for your establishment.
• Many replacement options: In the unlikely event that a major supplier is out of the item you’re searching for, they have a number of comparable products that may be replaced.
• There are several training tools available on the websites of US Foods and Sysco. They also provide training in menu costing and other management chores via your sales representative to assist your restaurant stay profitable.

Large Suppliers’ Drawbacks

Large suppliers offer a lot of advantages, but it’s crucial to know what they can’t do:

• These vendors serve state college cafeterias, hospitals, grocery shops, and government institutions, therefore small eateries may get forgotten. A single restaurant accounts for a relatively tiny amount of their revenue; small restaurants might often get buried in the mix.
• Less frequent deliveries: If your restaurant is tiny or located in a rural region, full-service providers may only deliver once a week. It may be difficult for restaurants with little storage capacity, particularly during peak seasons.
• Few niche items: While these vendors provide a broad range of products, the brands they carry are well-known. The full-line supermarkets are unlikely to offer uncommon spices or an odd cut of meat if your restaurant requires it.

Even after assessing the benefits and drawbacks of major vendors, most restaurants work with at least one full-service provider. They may not have all of your chef’s trademark ingredients, but they do offer practically everything else your company need, from single-portion jelly jars to pallets of frozen sirloin, and from toilet paper to to-go containers. You’ll probably complement an account with one of the Big Two with smaller suppliers to cover gaps due to some of the shipping and product limits.

Advantages of Small Suppliers

Working with small, local vendors provides a number of advantages:

• Customers are prepared to spend 12 percent to 20 percent extra for things supplied locally, according to studies, particularly when the distance is indicated on the menu.
• Small vendor sales representatives have more time to concentrate on specific clients and answer inquiries regarding seasonal products since they have more time. Many small suppliers will provide you a market analysis on products that might be a good match for your restaurant on a regular basis.
• Freshness: Produce that does not have to travel across the nation may mature on the plant for extended periods of time and be supplied at its freshest. Working with local sources appeals to chefs for a variety of reasons.
• Customization: If you’re seeking for a certain kind of strawberry and can’t locate it, you may be able to discover a nearby farm that would grow it for you. Many farmers are eager to try a new crop if they already have a buyer lined up.

“With suppliers, we’ve progressed. The person who grows all of our greens also grows a variety of other veggies. So we’d receive a smidgeon of this and a smidgeon of that from him. We told you once that we needed 80 pounds of greens every week. Will you cultivate greens for us? We’re weary of sourcing from four separate individuals. Now he only does four or five items, the bulk of which we purchase. Between our three restaurants, we account for 80% of his business.”

– Jason Merrill, Worthy Group’s COO

Small Suppliers’ Drawbacks

Small vendors, like full-line distributors, have several limitations:

• Because these businesses are smaller, they don’t have as many possibilities in a particular category as a mainstream distributor.
• Fewer substitute options: If your local wholesaler is out of oat milk, your eatery is out as well. There may not be another identical item available if a speciality item is out of stock.
• Product that is less consistent: Local sellers, especially vegetable dealers, will have stock that changes with the seasons. As a result, the Colorado lamb you fell in love with in May may not be available in November.

Alternatives to the Standard Restaurant Providers

Many restaurants, especially tiny ones, complement their typical purveyors’ supply with items from other vendors. These might be useful options, particularly if your purchase does not meet the free delivery requirement.

Working with Farms Directly

A connection with a local farmer, like dealing with a small, local merchant, comes with customisation opportunities. Small-scale farmers are frequently willing to plant new crops if they know they will be purchased. If you deal with a local farm, be sure they have the necessary business permits and are registered with the relevant food safety agency—either the USDA or the FDA—for their product type.

Some farmers may specialize in growing crops for your restaurant. picture courtesy of Pixabay

Purchasing at Farmers Markets

A terrific picture for any restaurant is the chef speaking while filling a basket with fresh food from the local market. At the farmers market, potential buyers will notice how serious you are about the quality of your product. It may also aid in the development of a farming community that is enthusiastic about your restaurant. Buying from the same farmers on a regular basis also means that they will start setting aside the finest products for you.

Purchasing From Small Enterprises

Rather of making high-labor products like bread or sweets in-house, many restaurants will purchase them from a nearby bakery. Allowing the dough to rise or laminating puff pastry takes more time than most restaurant labor budgets can handle. This is an excellent way to add high-quality goods to your menu without breaking your labor budget.

Discount Clubs as a Source of Purchases

Sometimes the sales pricing at discount stores like Sam’s, Costco, and BJ’s are comparable to the wholesale distributor’s price. They’re also beneficial if you need to refill your inventory in between mainline supplier deliveries. Discount clubs may be a lifesaver if you just need a few goods and won’t be able to fulfill purchase minimums to receive free delivery from your bigger merchants. However, be judicious, since not everything in a discount club is a good value for your company.

Using Online Discount Sites to Purchase Supplies

Some food and beverage products, particularly if you just need a little quantity of an ingredient, may be cheaper on sites like Amazon. If the things you desire include alcohol, you’ll have to pay sales tax, deal with delivery lead times, and be mindful of local liquor control restrictions. It is simple to receive free delivery if you are prepared to wait, and the things are brought directly to your home, so this might be a really handy alternative.

Management Tools for Restaurant Vendors

Because there is so much information, keeping track of your orders and invoices might be tough if your restaurant is extremely busy, you have many locations, or you have a small administrative team. Some POS systems, such as Lavu, Revel, and Toast, incorporate inventory management as a standard feature. Third-party software packages that interact with a variety of POS systems and accounting programs are also available.

Before going elsewhere, small, single-unit businesses should make every attempt to optimize their physical ordering and payment operations. However, if your company is expanding and the methods that formerly served you well are no longer enough, it may be time to consider restaurant management software such as Compeat or Restaurant 365.

The majority of restaurant accounting software is cloud-based, enabling you to view vendor data from anywhere. From Pexels, a photo by Bruce Mars.

Restaurant management software is a kind of accounting software that integrates with your POS and QuickBooks to ease ordering, inventory, and vendor payments. They also do a lot of heavy work at the end of the month and year when it comes to reconciling your records.

Compeat costs $75 per month after a one-time setup charge; Restaurant 365 costs $159 per month, plus $79 per month for advanced accounting (both are on top of a one-time implementation fee).

Those are exorbitant charges for a tiny business. Before taking any moves in this direction, be sure that you and your staff are fully dedicated to your physical ordering and payment procedures, and that you are utilizing every feature available in your POS. Working with one of these platforms, on the other hand, may make sense for your company if you’re developing quickly or have ambitions to expand.

Frequently Asked Questions about Restaurant Suppliers (FAQs)

When it comes to designing a restaurant supplier strategy, these are some of the most often asked questions. Please add your ideas to the comments area below if you have any more questions or wish to elaborate on one of the answers.

Where do restaurants get their ingredients?

Wholesale wholesalers supply straight to restaurants, where they purchase their food supplies. These distributors may be huge purveyors like Sysco and US Foods, or they could be small-town produce and meat vendors. Although almost all restaurants will have an ongoing connection with a major, mainstream supplier, some restaurants may prefer to source certain products from local farmers markets.

Who is the largest food distributor in the world?

Sysco is the biggest food distributor in the United States. It is present in all 50 states as well as 90 countries. If you live in a major market, you may have numerous full-line distributor alternatives, such as US Foods, Performance Food Group, or Gordon Food Service. Only one may be available in more distant regions. Regardless of where your restaurant is situated in the United States, Sysco is a good location to start exploring for full-line supplier choices.

What factors should I consider while selecting a food supplier?

Choosing the ideal food provider for your company entails various processes. First, determine your requirements: what sorts of food supplies you need, how much you require, and how often you require delivery. Then, see which distributors are active in your region. A nice place to start is the International Food Service Distributors Association’s website, which provides a map of all of its members.

After that, examine a few distributors based on pricing, quality, delivery schedule, and other factors that might affect your company. Depending on their supply requirements, most restaurants create accounts with numerous wholesalers. Restaurants that purchase directly from farms or farmers markets have a greater number of vendors than those who do not.

Conclusion

The restaurant sector deals mostly with perishable goods, necessitating the implementation of a comprehensive supply chain management strategy. Examine your supply requirements, then visit with sales representatives from a variety of firms to determine the greatest match for your company. Whether you’re having trouble keeping track of your orders, vendors, and inventory, check to see if you’re getting the most out of your existing POS system; most contemporary POS systems feature at least some inventory capabilities to help you create and execute vendor orders.

If your present systems aren’t meeting your demands, POS systems with inventory management features, such as Revel, Toast, and Lavu, are available. Third-party tools like Compeat or Restaurant 365 that automate orders and vendor payments might be a smart alternative to keep your ordering and vendor payments organized if you have the money.

Related Tags

• The Ultimate Guide to Restaurant Food Suppliers near Portland, OR
• restaurant food suppliers selling to public
• restaurant food suppliers near me
• vendors for restaurants
• best food suppliers for restaurants