Your restaurant’s success depends on your supply chain. To build a supply chain, you need to have a good relationship with your distributors and your suppliers. The purpose is to be able to produce the menu items necessary to meet your customer’s needs. When there is a disruption in the supply chain, you may not have enough dishware, napkins and even food and beverage.
Here are some tips on how you can keep your supply chain strong.
Use Inventory Ordering Software
If you want to stay on top of your inventory, then the best solution is to use software to do it. The software allows you to automate how much you stock. When you use software, you generally will have enough inventory. The software will alert you when you need ingredients or when you run low on a certain item.
Likewise, it can monitor how slowly you move through inventory. If you do not grasp how much inventory you go through every month, you could overstock and waste money on excess food. The software can help you pinpoint where you need to focus less on your efforts.
Since the software saves you from hiring someone to monitor and track your inventory process, it can also save you money. Also, because you are not wasting as much food, you don’t have to worry about the high costs associated with waste.
Make sure that you have all of the equipment that you need, including commercial dishwashing equipment. The appliances that you use are a part of how well you can run your business.
Track Your Food Supply
When you cook food, you want to ensure that it is safe for consumption. If any of your customers become ill after eating your food, you could be liable. Not only would you be liable, but it can seriously damage your reputation. For your customers and your business’s safety, you should always track where the food comes from.
Tracking the food means that you will know if an outbreak is involved with the foods you ordered. When you have automated software, your system will automatically process all of your orders individually. You can make sure that your food is always safe.
Act Quickly When a Change Happens
As a restaurant owner, you always have to think on your feet. Things can change very quickly and when they do, you have to be able to act on those changes and adapt as quickly as possible. When there is a change in demand, you have to be able to meet it. When you track the supply chain digitally, you will have the information to act on changes as quickly as possible.
Use Promotions Correctly
A lot of restaurant owners use promotions to help advertise their brand. Promotions can drive up the customer base. When you decide to run a promotion, you have to have a clear idea of how much product you can have at any one time. There should be transparency when it comes to the distribution center and the product flow. If an order cannot meet demand, you need to know about it in advance. You should never run a promotion without estimating the demand.
Optimize Your Warehouse and Logistics Costs
You should always use a demand-driven distributor. When you use a demand-driven distributor, then you can expect to have the products that you need, when you need them. For example, say that the demand for one of your menu items increases and you suddenly need to order more ingredients. If you have a demand-driven distributor, you are more likely to receive the products necessarily in a timely way. Efficiency from the warehouse to your restaurant is critical to the success of your business.
When it comes to your restaurant supply chain, there are many tips that can help you build it successfully. Make sure to pay attention to your food supply, any changes, or promotions.
