If you are running a café or restaurant, then you will be needing hundreds of different food items to make the food, to serve your customers. Every item which you will be using in your food will affect its taste and quality. One wrong item can spoil the food which will annoy your customer. It means you cannot take chances when it comes to your suppliers. Because in the café or restaurant business, you have to recreate the new things with all the things in your hand. If you have any item that is of inferior quality, it can easily spoil your creation. No chef or café managers want to see their customer shouting at their floor about the faulty taste of the served food. When it comes to selecting the right supplier for your café then few things should always be in your mind, that will help you to make a more knowledgeable decision.
Gather information: The number of suppliers will be limited in your area. You don’t have much liberty to select the supplier from another city or region as it will add cost and delay the delivery. Before selecting any supplier in your area, just gather information about them from other cafés, restaurant, or any of their customers. It will give you good insights into their material and service quality.
Visit & meet: Always visit all the suppliers on your list. Meet them and ask the question to get clarity. Visit their facility to check their business practices and also have an eye for hygiene. Because in food manufacturers in Sydney hygiene is the priority. It is better to inquire about their sourcing practices because you can also backtrack the material provided by them in future. Evaluate their capacity that will they be able to serve your need or not.
Check the product line: Many of the suppliers on the list will be knocked off, as they might not be providing the things you need for your café. But for this, you need to check their product list or inventory. Talk to them what they can arrange because for a few, it is possible to arrange the items which you need. You might have some specialized product in your menu, and you need special items for that, give weightage to those suppliers who are ready to cater to your special needs and will go the extra mile for you.
Compare the prices: Never miss the chance to bargain. Always search for better pricing. The best way to get the rates for all potential supplier then evaluates their other parameters. Negotiate with the supplier that is offering a better rate plus good quality and whom you think fit your criteria. Because you do not want your café to be costly and if you will be unable to get the things on better prices, how you will offer competitive prices to your customer.