Restaurant procurement requires scheduling orders, tracking delivery, and inspecting for quality. It is a complex process. That is why an attentive and reliable supplier representative can seem more like a member of the restaurant team than an outsider salesperson. Among the advantages of procuring inventory primarily with a single broadline distributor is ease of communication and problem solving.
Yet, many independent operators find that executing their menu requires “cherry picking” inventory from multiple vendors, which can challenge consistency and cost control. Moreover, to differentiate themselves from the chains, independent operators often buy from local vendors. “That is great, but it can complicate sourcing if your systems aren’t set up for flexibility,” says Carl Jacobs, co-founder and chief executive officer of Apicbase, a food and beverage management system that tracks purchasing and receiving.
Apicbase is one of several restaurant SaaS (software-as-a-service) platforms that provide inventory and purchasing management solutions. Apicbase is geared especially for multi-unit concepts. The best solution for your concept might depend on the size of your business. Regardless which solution you choose, features to consider include inventory prediction based on menu sales, food cost calculations based on ingredient use, and integration with your point of sales (POS) system.
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