The food and beverage industry can be fraught with a number of challenges, and while you may constantly be thinking about how to attract more customers and how to satisfy these customers, other considerations can make a significant impact on your business as well. One of these major considerations is food storage and supply. It’s a no brainer – you need food and drink ingredients to keep your business running, but you need to look for a way to source them from a good supplier and store them once you have them. Both food storage and supply can be difficult, so here’s a look at the challenges you may be facing with food storage and supply for your restaurant or café.
Temperature control
One of the most important aspects of food storage is the proper temperature. Your food and beverages may need to be stored at an optimal temperature for them to retain their freshness, integrity, and flavour, and so they won’t become spoiled or contaminated. Certain products require being kept frozen or refrigerated, and even products that are shelf-ready such as canned or tinned food, beverages, and potato crisps or chips can become spoiled if they are not stored at the appropriate temperature. You should ensure that your food and drink products that require optimum temperatures for storage are kept in the right facility, and whoever is supplying you with these products should make use of the right containers, trailers, and warehouses for the products they deliver as well.
Knowing the demand
Another foremost challenge is to know the demand for your products. You need to have a good understanding of the stock and supplies you need so you can keep your inventory flowing and avoid food or drink wastage. Trends can also affect the demand, so keep an eye on the trends – what people are ordering, for instance – so you can get more of this and stock up so customers can have it whenever they request it. This is also where a good supplier of food or drink can help – when choosing your supplier, ask them if they can offer a timely delivery service and whether the goods are on-hand. Ask them about weekend or holiday deliveries as well.
For example: nowadays, smoothies and shakes are much more popular, and if your restaurant has delved into serving smoothies and shakes, it follows that you need a good supplier. There are many fruit juice concentrate suppliers UK restaurants can choose from, but make sure the supplier you select can offer you different varieties, good packaging, and good customer support so you can easily contact them if you have questions.
Not managing your inventory in a good way
If you are in the sector, then you will have goods that have a certain shelf-life, and you should be able to use them before their shelf life expires. You don’t want to have excess or too much stock that will just be wasted, nor do you want items to be lacking. Also, items that are perishable are at more risk for the contamination of food-borne bacteria as well as pathogens. To address this, ensure you have a good system for your inventory, and monitor your it regularly. With a good system, you can make better decisions for your storage and supply as well.
