Selling food to restaurants can be a challenge at times. Here, we’re going to look at some of the steps commonly involved in working with food services and selling to restaurants.
- Getting to know local Resturants
- Introduce samples of food
- Make it easy to buy from you
- Working in the food service industry
1. Getting to Know Local Restaurants
The first step in selling food to restaurants is to create a relationship with the people who are responsible for deciding how the ingredient budget gets spent. Usually, it’s easier to go through an account management team who can make sure that you get in touch with the right distributors, restaurants, and other important experts in your industry.
If you’re going it alone, you’ll need to visit the restaurants that you’re interested in selling too and check through the menu to get a better idea of the kind of food that they serve. Usually, you’ll be able to tell from the available menu whether your specific product will fit in with the type of cooking offered at each location. You may even be able to arrange an introduction to the chef. Usually, it’s the cook or the chef that will order food for restaurants or cafes, and you’ll need to set an appointment where you’ll have time to impress him, or her.
2. Introduce Samples of your Food
Once you’ve set an appointment with the cook or chef, you’ll be able to bring samples of your food with you to the occasion or even invite the buyer to visit your kitchen themselves if they feel comfortable doing this. You should also be prepared to hand over a schedule for delivery, and the kind of prices that the buyer will expect to pay for your products.
At the same time, remember to prepare a list of foods that you will have available, and how much you’re actually able to deliver. You should include a guarantee that promises freshness – particularly if you’re new in the business and you want to convince a chef to trust you.
To make an especially good impression, you could offer to assist the chef in coming up with seasonal menu items and daily specials that incorporate your products. Prepare different recipes and make sure that you deliver them to the restaurant so that the staff and manager can test them.
3. Make it Easy to Buy from You
Finally, restaurant owners want to work with people who make it incredibly easy to buy from them. This could mean ensuring that you package your products in consistent containers to allow chefs to make orders according to weight, and store the food with simplicity when you deliver it.
Alternatively, you might consider working with a distributor that makes taking food from your location to your restaurant easier than ever. This can reduce the amount of risk that you have to take on for your business, and could even mean that you can make more money, because your distributor could put you in touch with other cafes and restaurants that are willing to buy from you.
Working in the Food Service Industry
It’s important to remember that the complexity of the food service industry can make it a difficult place to get involved with if you’re not used to managing your own business, or working with food. Usually, implementing the best possible strategy will give you the highest chance of success.
Dynamic retail Solutions we are experts in selling food to restaurants, we can offer you the food service expertise that you need to ensure that your product has the opportunity to grow. Whether you’re targeting cafes, restaurants, schools, or hotels, we can partner with the food service company best suited to you.
To get started, why not contact us at Dynamic Retail Solutions today on 0424 503 837.
