If you are not familiar with GPOs, you may be wondering what they are and how they can benefit restaurant owners. If your restaurant is currently not part of a GPO, keep reading to learn about just a few of the benefits joining one could provide you with. As any restaurant owner is all too aware, the food service industry is known for having tight margins and high overhead costs, and it doesn’t help that the cost of food shipments is on the rise. You are not alone if, as the owner of a small, independent restaurant, you are looking ...

A restaurant’s order history is a “treasure island”. There are a lot of potential savings opportunities that can be found there, but without procurement, there is no map. Procurement is the strategic combination of Sourcing and Purchasing intended to ensure that the buyer compares Quality, Quantity, Time, and Location for products and services to secure the best possible price.  Let us break it down in simple terms. Sourcing: Purchasing: The main benefit of this process for a buyer is to receive products at the best possible price. Unfortunately, the majority of restaurant operators today do not have any process like ...

There are a few variations of this, but the saying goes something like this. “You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you”. How I came to manage category costs for food, beverages, and supplies. My first job in hospitality came through a friend who was a line cook at a sports bar in Boston called Dockside. It was on lower State street well before the years of the “Big Dig”. He was the pizza man, which instantly made me the “pizza man helper” which really meant that I cleaned the Hobart, and the entire room under the basement stairs ...

In our numerous conversations with restaurant operators who have implemented Back-Of-House systems, we have learned that even though systems are in place, not all features end up being used, and so operational efficiencies are hardly realized. Is all Restaurant Management Software bad?   Everybody is talking about FOH innovations such as menu presentation, food delivery, packaging, contactless ordering, and payments. However, nobody is talking about innovations in BOH management: procurement, cost management, and supplier payments. Chefs and managers are left with century old ways to buy food, beverages, and supplies: call suppliers or suppliers’ websites! Restaurants BOH is the most ...

The model that combines software and service known as SaaS often delivers greater efficiencies. Just like it can be more efficient to hire a plumber who has the skills, tools, and experience to fix your plumbing, we look to services that can deliver highly efficient software solutions which are fully supported. Seems like there are services for everything these days. Paving companies, refrigeration, Electric, graphic design, advertising, hood cleaning, cleaning, pest control, music and even the weekend DJ. Restaurateurs are notorious for taking on DIY jobs sometimes to save money, but often because there is no current better way. If ...

What kind of checks and balances does ChefMod have in place to make sure that we are constantly getting the best pricing available? Restaurant owners and Chefs commonly complain about suppliers who come in with pricing that may be below market value, but then slowly but surely start to raise prices as the relationship evolves. In fairness, buyers sometimes overstate their volumes, and supplier reps too may be overly aggressive at first, in the hopes that they will grow sales so large that they will be able to sustain these very low prices, or introduce other items where they can ...

Hindsight is 2020, but soon 2020 will be hindsight!We’re working like elves to get you the new version of ChefMod and other great deals! We’ve been working hard with our members to help them through this year and on to the next, and to get you more of what you love. As we move into the 2021, we’re committed to offering you the newest services and features, and ensuring you get the most out of your membership.   MyChefMod is launching! Plus, training support modules. Take a look at MyChefMod here! Your system will automatically update 1/1/21 Many new ways to save! Choose and ...