“Can you get my ingredients right?” Questions to ask your food suppliers
For many food service businesses, the thought of switching suppliers can be a real headache. The ingredients that go into the dishes your restaurant serves are, of course, the very foundation of your day-to-day business. If your orders aren’t delivered on time, are incorrect, or not exactly what you had agreed with your suppliers, then this will knock you off course and have a direct impact on your reputation among customers.
Food supply is a complex matter. If you are looking to change supplier then it can feel like taking a plunge in the dark, as there is a lot of risk involved. This is one of the main reasons why restaurant operators tend to stick to their incumbent suppliers, as they fear things will go wrong. There are in fact so many benefits in exploring new arrangements: from better quality ingredients, to cost savings and improved processes.
If you want to know how to sign up a contract with the right supplier for you, here are key questions to ask. This way, you can reduce the risks whilst reaping the benefits of a better, fairer business relationship.
‘What can you do for my menu?’
You want to know: ‘Is my supplier selling me whatever they have stored in their warehouse, or are they selling me something to actually match my needs?’
Traditionally, wholesalers buy in big bulk from producers they have selected, then store the products at their warehouse before selling on to you whatever they have available. What you need is for your suppliers to work for you, rather than you working for them.
The reason why many restaurant operators are weary of suppliers is that, in the past, they have been disappointed by the products they have been prompted to buy off the shelf, which doesn’t match their business needs. Going forward it doesn’t have to be this way. Discuss your menu and why you want certain ingredients to be on it, such as a particular cut of meat or size of prawn. Demand for your supplier to find solutions to your needs rather than bending your expectations to what they have in their warehouse.
‘Can you surprise me?’
Brilliant suppliers act as your consultant, helping you think out of the box and come up with alternative ideas that you might not have thought about before, such as a different product origin than what you’ve been used to.
Today, a new generation of suppliers are doing things differently than their traditional counterparts. Rather than just sales agents, they are your partners, who want you to get the most out of your restaurant business and will draw on their expertise to help you do so. Their knowledge is enriched by the day as they constantly discuss product specifications with producers, meaning that they just might have more expertise than you think on the subject.
Case in point: we advised one of our customers to consider switching their meat source to Canadian brisket. This product strikes the balance between quality and price, as it’s of consistent quality, grass-fed (therefore sustainable), hormone free, not at risk of hitting import quota, and has a great flavour. All at £2 per kilo cheaper than the meat product they were using at the time — see video above and below.
‘Where can you add value to my orders?’
Many food buyers think that they are already getting the most out of their food suppliers, because they feel that they negotiated hard when setting up the deal in the first place. In reality, the food supply chain is made up of many steps and there are always improvements that can be made along the way.
The question here is: ‘What can you do differently?’
Perhaps the change comes at the sourcing stage. Are they able to offer you a wide range of products to match your specifications, or is their producer network quite limited? Can they save you the hassle of reviewing thousands of product options, which you would have to do if you sourced directly, and give you a curated variety of alternatives? Could they improve your sustainability credentials through more eco-friendly sourcing, for example packaging alternatives?
Or, the improvement could be found at the manufacturing stage. Your supplier might find ways for the producers to add value to your ingredients: such as incorporating new, exciting flavours; applying time-saving techniques, like pre-cutting; or providing you with better yield or flavour, such as sous-vide packaging.
Additionally, another way to bring value is through consolidation and logistics. Good suppliers should be able to combine multiple orders into fewer drops so you can reduce the margin of error in receiving them, and simultaneously spend less on logistical costs. Even if you start working with your supplier on one product line, you want to know that they’ll be able to handle it if you decide to add more orders in the future.
At Collectiv Food, we not only consolidate all orders at our warehouse — providing a better service and lower delivery costs to our customers — but we also consolidate paperwork. Our customers receive aggregated invoices for each delivery, saving admin time and effort through us.
‘Who’s my point of contact in an emergency?’
Things can go wrong — especially in food supply. Whether it’s a glitch in logistics or an issue with perishable goods, you are not concerned with what caused the problem as much as how it is going to be solved — and how quickly.
It’s a good idea to have a service level agreement in place, and ask what the escalation procedure is should your worst food supply nightmare become reality. It is essential to have a crisis management plan in place and full accountability from your supplier.
‘How do you pay your producers?’
It’s worth remembering that the livelihood of farmers and manufacturers is dependent on the catering business. What you buy for your restaurant was originally sourced from another smaller business at the beginning of the supply chain. As you care about the success of your business, you want to know that you’re treating your partners fairly, even if indirectly. Ask your supplier what their payment terms are for their producers: Upfront? Weekly? Monthly? And how does that impact the way you get invoiced? What are the credit terms for you?
Fundamentally, you want to strike a balance between being a sustainable business and securing advantageous terms for your own success. And, contrary to what you might assume, this is entirely possible, especially if using a partner like Collectiv Food. We pay producers upfront, while invoicing you monthly, making the process seamless AND fair for everyone.
All in all, these are some of the most important questions to ask prospective food suppliers. Despite the risks you would usually associate with switching suppliers, there are easy, effective ways to do so. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to find out how we work and how we can make switching suppliers a success for you and your restaurant business.
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