Most restaurants require a lot of supplies, especially those that are exceptionally busy. In order to fulfill your operational responsibilities and meet the needs of your customers, your must have the supplies that are required at all times. Simply put, it’s not possible to run a successful restaurant if you don’t have a great supplier. To that end, the success of your restaurant will often depend on your relationship with your supplier. Given the importance of their role, you’ll want to put forth a good amount of effort when choosing a supplier. 

The first consideration is whether they provide everything that you need. Not all restaurant supply stores are created equal. In fact, there are some suppliers that have everything from table linens to any Restaurant Ceiling Tile Solutions. The goal is to figure out which store or supply warehouse provides all of the items that you need. It’s inefficient to have more than one supplier, although it might be necessary in some situations. If you are unable to ascertain that information from their website, you can make a phone call to find out if they can meet all of your requirements. It’s actually a good idea to make a phone call because you can get a sense for the level of service they provide before you even become an actual customer. 

Another consideration when choosing a restaurant supply store is whether they are knowledgeable about the products they carry. If you decide to choose a local supplier, then you can have a meeting to find out if they understand your business. You can also find out if they provide quality customer service. If you choose an online supplier, then you can still gather the information that you need, but it’s best to speak with a dedicated account representative if possible. There’s a better chance of receiving quality service if you work with one or two people who are dedicated to your account. 

Perhaps one of the deciding factors is whether they have received positive reviews in the past. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, which means you can read reviews from existing or former customers in order to determine the level of service they will provide. Even if your initial visit was positive, it’s a good idea to read reviews from long-term customers. While this is an important factor, so are their policies. For instance, what is the return policy? Is there a minimum amount that you must purchase? Will they deliver items on weekends and holidays? What are the shipping costs? Do they allow returns. What’s the policy on inaccurate shipments? These are all questions that you will want to ask. If you’re a small business, then it might boil down to the price per unit of the supplies that you need. Sometimes a restaurant that’s functioning with small margins has to take what they can get based on what they can afford. It’s simply a fact of life.