Providing fresh vegetables and fruits to a restaurant is the job of a product supplier. It's not easy. A produce supplier must know what will be popular at the time, have the ability to provide ingredients in bulk quantities, and work with restaurants to make sure they're getting what they need. Here's how suppliers can thrive in this ever-changing industry.
How about a farm-fresh pizza or hot pancakes with garden fresh strawberries? Sounds mouth-watering right! That's because freshness and taste go hand-in-hand. And therefore, raw material food suppliers matter more than any other producer in the restaurant industry or foodservice sector.
Since fruits & vegetables dairy are perishable in nature, transactions are highly frequent. This means more communication and co-ordination and thus requires a little more than a restaurant supplier someone who is responsible, easily approachable and dependablejust like a partner!
So look for the following things before you choose your food suppliers-
1. Accountable-
It is not viable to work with people who are unable to take responsibility of their actions. Not only it will hurt your relation with them, but your business as well. For instance, you place order of 10 cartons of fruits vegetables from local farms , of which 25% were found to be defective. An accountable food distributor would take responsibility and address the issue quickly. They would issue necessary instructions and will replace the defected fruits vegetables with high quality products .
2. Approachable-
Biggest problems can be resolved with easy and clear communication. When dealing with perishable items like fruits vegetables , the frequency of communication with the food suppliers increases. An open-to-communication and available on time food distributor can be a big help here! Of course, common language in a bonus.
3. Production capacity-
This is an inevitable factor. Before you sign a deal with your food suppliers , make sure they have a production capacity that can serve your order size on time. And not only can meet orders, but are consistently meeting high quality standards. Also, check if you need any specialty items , are your local farmers or food distributor are capable of delivering. And in case of urgency, are they able to do same day delivery or may be next day .
4. Sampling-
When buying fruits vegetables dairy , specialty items or any other raw material for restaurant food , it is important to be 100% sure if it is a high quality product or not. Sampling becomes a must here! Go for the food distributor who can send you a product sample. This helps you to take an informed decision before you place order .
5. Ethical-
Food safety is non-negotiable whether you are operating a cafe , other food service joint or are restaurant food supplier . Make sure food distributor abides by all food safety guidelines by Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS). And all itemsfruits vegetables , specialty items or eggs and meat, are produced and packaged as per the food safety norms.
As the restaurants and the entire food service sector deals with goods that are perishable in nature, owners must select the food suppliers carefully. It should be seen that they not only provide high quality products , but are consistently meeting the demand. They are in compliance of the food safety norms stated by FSIS. And are more open to communication to address issues, if any. After all, a smooth Supply Chain leads to hassle-free business functioning.
To know more, read Supply Chain