One of the biggest issues restaurant owners have to deal with on a constant basis is rising food prices.
As a restaurant owner, you’ll find it challenging to maintain your profit margins when food prices rise.
To keep up with the additional expenses, you might consider purchasing food supplies in bulk as your restaurant requires them to save money. However, this strategy can only help you to a certain extent.
A better solution is to buy ingredients and other essentials in bulk since you’ll be able to cut costs while staying efficient.
Benefits of Ordering Restaurant Supplies in Bulk
According to food and beverage companies in the UAE, restaurant owners will find it more advantageous and economical to plan ahead and buy supplies in bulk.
This is because buying food supplies in bulk for your restaurant comes with these noteworthy advantages:
- It helps you save money and time.
Purchasing ingredients in bulk means you’ll spend less money on each item that you need. This is because producers and suppliers don’t have to pay for extra packaging, which adds to their overall expenses.
Additionally, sellers of bulk products can stock their shelves and storerooms more easily and offload their merchandise faster. As a result, they can take less cuts and transfer the money they save to the customers.
Also, you can save time and more money when you have your orders delivered to you. You won’t have to drive or commute to get the ingredients you need, which you may usually get from different stores.
When you select your supplier correctly, you’ll have all your orders delivered to your restaurant at your preferred time.
- It gives you access to special discounts and offers.
Many suppliers offer special discounts and promos to customers, particularly loyal ones.
Most vendors usually reward you as you buy more. This means you can get bigger discounts as you purchase more of the supplies you regularly use.
Many suppliers also have buy one, get one (BOGO) promos, allowing you to save more money on the products you typically purchase.
What’s more, many suppliers have reward programs. You’ll even have more access to discounts and promos when you regularly buy from the same companies.
When you have a good relationship with your supplier, you can ask for additional discounts and freebies, ones that they don’t usually offer or advertise.
- It allows you to buy quality products in just one place.
Another notable benefit of buying your restaurant supplies in bulk is that you can often get them from just one supplier.
Many suppliers carry different food products, including frozen red and white meat, canned goods, pasta, rice, oils, condiments, and spices. Some even have pastries, baking ingredients, other pantry staples, and a wide range of beverage offerings.
Additionally, some vendors sell non-food products you may use in your restaurant. These can include kitchen equipment and dinnerware.
When you choose the right supplier, you can get these items from trusted, well-known brands. As such, you can be sure the products are of good quality, which is a must for your restaurant.
After all, you need high-quality ingredients to use in your dishes to ensure they meet your (and your diners’) standards and expectations.
In terms of equipment, kitchenware, and dinnerware, you can be assured that you’ll have products you can use for a long time. Scheduling maintenance and repair services will also be easier if you buy all of them from only one company.
Working With Your First Bulk Food Supplier
If you are making the switch to bulk buying your restaurant’s supplies now, below are some tips that can help you go through the process smoothly and get the most out of your partnership:
- Choose reputable suppliers.
To experience the mentioned benefits (and more) of buying supplies in bulk, you need to find a vendor you can rely on and like working with first.
Look for bulk food suppliers that sell the ingredients your kitchen regularly uses. Check if they have competitive prices and always have these items in stock.
Additionally, look for vendors with a history of excellent customer support and are recommended by many restaurants. It will also work to your advantage if they are knowledgeable about the foodservice industry.
The best suppliers care about their partners and will go the extra mile to meet their customers’ needs. A company that always has up-to-date pricing, knows the latest industry trends, and provides support for menu design and staff training, will be great to work with.
- Create a list of all the ingredients your restaurant uses daily.
Depending on the staple ingredients your restaurant needs, you may have to work with more than one vendor for your bulk supplies.
Go over your menu items and list down all the ingredients each one needs. If you have chefs or cooks, double-check everything you’ve written with them.
Make sure your list includes everything, including salt, pepper, sugar, and cooking oil.
Take note of the other products used in the front and back of the kitchen as well. These include beverages, table napkins, toilet paper, paper cups, and disposable containers if your restaurant offers takeaway and delivery services.
The goal is to create a detailed list of all food and non-food items you always need to have on hand that you can purchase in bulk from only one supplier.
- Organize supplies into categories.
Once you have listed all your restaurant staples, create categories for them.
Food and non-food supplies are your primary categories. However, you have to break them down further to have an efficient ordering system everyone can follow.
Create subcategories, such as meat to cover beef, fish, and poultry, and produce to include fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Other subcategories you can add are ready-to-drink beverages, beverage mixes, and paper supplies.
- Think about your expected sales volume and storage availability.
Although you want to order 100 pounds of steaks and bags of ready-to-eat pastries because they are on sale, if you don’t have enough freezer and pantry space, you’ll have to reduce the number of products you buy every week.
You’ll also have to do this if these items are not used for the most popular dishes on your menu.
Keep in mind that if you order too many products that have a short shelf life, or you can’t find somewhere suitable to store them, you’ll likely throw them away since their taste and quality will be affected or they’ll expire.
You’ll only end up wasting food and money that you could otherwise have used for other things.
Purchasing bulk items for your restaurant can prove to be a good business strategy. With the right supplier and sufficient planning, you will reap plenty of benefits from this solution.
AUTHOR BIO
Jad Asaad is the Marketing Manager at Bidfood UAE with more than eight years of experience in digital, online and offline marketing. He started his career in Beirut working in a creative agency and then moved to Dubai to further expand his career. He created and implemented award-winning high-impact digital and offline marketing campaigns that consistently generated revenue streams and improved performance in targeted segments.
