What You Can Expect from the Right Food and Beverage Supplier

Selecting the appropriate food and beverage supplier can be a challenging endeavor, whether you’re managing a restaurant in need of vendors for your menu offerings or a food or drink producer on the lookout for the finest ingredients. The reality is, while there may be numerous suppliers in the food and beverage industry, not every one of them might meet your requirements. Some may lack the desired quality, whereas others might impose excessive charges. However, after you’ve refined your list of potential suppliers and made your choice, it’s crucial to continually inspect the products they supply to ensure they meet your expectations as their client. But what should you expect from an ideal food and beverage supplier? Let’s explore.

The basic expectations

Your chosen food and beverage suppliers should deliver whatever you have ordered on time, and if they cannot deliver on the time specified, they should make sure to notify you. The deliveries you receive should also have a packing slip or an itemised invoice. If you have specified a time for delivery, say, 6 in the morning, they should deliver it at that particular time in a container equipped to avoid spoilage. The items should also be undamaged and at the proper temperature and free from any pests or rot.

Check them twice

Even if the deliveries already come with a packing slip or itemised invoice, someone from your team or staff should double-check them to confirm that the items on the list are indeed the items you have received. You should do this not because you don’t trust your suppliers, but because if you order in large volume, mistakes can most easily occur. For instance, someone can accidentally forget a box or get the wrong box. That being said, the first task your receiver should do is verify that the items delivered match the items listed on the invoice.

In particular, they should have a checklist that includes the quantity, temperature, expiration date, packaging (ensuring that it is not damaged or wet), quality (free of pests or rot), and grade specified on the invoice, as respected fruit juice concentrate and organic juice concentrate suppliers like EE & Brian Smith recommend.

Once everything is checked, and everything fits the bill, your receiver can then sign off the invoice as well as accept the food and beverage delivery. If there are items that don’t meet your business standards, you should refuse them, and this should be marked on the invoice. Some suppliers will supply credit slips to their delivery team for any items which are refused, so your receiver should request one if they send back any item.

Other things to remember

If you want to maximise your relationship with your suppliers, it pays to get to know the team that does the deliveries, and try to assign the same individual to receive your deliveries so they can establish that relationship. You should also make it a point to meet deadlines for orders as well as minimum order requirements, and settle your invoice on time or even earlier if you can.