I spend my days talking to restaurateurs and chefs about their purchasing and inventory practices. It’s very interesting to hear so many different ways of running a restaurant, especially when it comes to managing food cost. When you get into food cost, it’s all about vendor selection and what they have to offer.
There are 2 schools of thought around vendor selection. Some restaurants prefer to purchase from one broadline purveyor and others like to shop prices each week and buy from multiple purveyors.
Here are some Pros and Cons of each:
Pros and Cons – Single Broadline Vendor
• One order and one truck Delivering
• Strong Relationship with sales rep
• Contract Pricing
• Pay more for products that fluctuate
• Price creep up over time
• Limited product options
Pros and Cons – Multiple Broadline Vendor
• Multiple orders and trucks to check in
• Best Price on all items
• Larger Variety of products
• Sales people fighting for your business weekly
As you look through the Pros and Cons, do you think are there others that affect you? Do the Pros outweigh the Cons?
If you could save 8-12% off purchases ordering from multiple vendors, would it be worth it? Does that help the Cons outweigh the Pros to purchase from multiple vendors?
The largest advantage to multiple vendors is the ability to compare pricing, but this can also be a very difficult and time-consuming process.
To help keep food cost down, DiningEdge can do this for you automatically:
• Import vendor pricing automatically via EDI, Online portal or Email
• Parse the pack and size to the lowest common denominator
• Compare like products
• Discrepancy report from Purchase Order to Invoice
Email: Naomi.canning@diningedge.com or Contact Us at 561-880-2970 for more information.
