Street Smarts for Supply Chain Management

Finding trustworthy food suppliers is an ongoing job for operators looking for new or better products. Franchisors, franchisee purchasing cooperatives and even individual franchisees play a part in these decisions, depending on brand.

Operators sometimes take unnecessary risks with the safety of their customers and their own business. The weakest link can sometimes be a misguided trust in questionable suppliers. At the most basic level, restaurant managers want stellar quality and delivery from a financially healthy company.

Candy from strangers: “We get faxes and phone calls all the time that say things like, ‘I’ve got a deal on chicken breast.’ We will never deal with that type of situation,” Laabs says. “Most of the time there’s a reason they’ve got that product, even if they’re legitimate suppliers. It could be because another customer didn’t take the product for some reason. Last year, when tomatoes were sky high, there were a lot of trucks going missing full of tomatoes.” ... “I also like to look for companies that are vertically integrated,” Laabs says. “In particular, when it comes to meat suppliers, they need to control their product all the way through the process.” - Tom Laabs, senior director of purchasing for Cousins Submarines Inc., based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

Samples and group feedback: I look at the number of years the supplier has been in business and if they are working with other quick-service restaurants,” she says. “I also get samples and internal feedback from our product development team before putting the product out to the market.” - Maryann Mazuran, director of purchasing for Teriyaki Experience

[via QSR Features]