The Supplier Relationships You Need to Be Cultivating

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The Supplier Relationships You Need to Be Cultivating

Few things are more valuable than a great relationship with a food supplier. For caterers, the relationships you build influence more than just the quality of food and services — they also directly impact your profit margins.

And in a time when high demand meets inconsistent supply chains, your must protect your bottom line at all costs.

It’s easy to see why relationships matter in such precarious circumstances. After all, a great supplier can alert you to market trends, pricing expectations, supply updates, and more. They’re also mindful of your expenses, as a profitable client is a long-term client in their eyes.

Those out to nickel-and-dime caterers will inflate prices, obscure upcharges at the bottom of your invoice, and fail to meet quality standards for service and inventory.

You may have ongoing relationships with many suppliers who provide you with:

  • Bulk ingredients

  • Fresh produce

  • Meat and seafood

  • Non-alcoholic beverages

  • Alcoholic beverages

  • Kitchen equipment

  • Restaurant and catering supplies

Or, you may work with a single distributor that offers everything you need. Regardless, you must nurture your established relationships if you want to see the benefits of having a supplier on your side.

If you want to cultivate your existing supplier relationships, these tips will help you build trust and develop a mutually beneficial partnership that lasts for years.

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GPO Benefits That No One Tells You About

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GPO Benefits That No One Tells You About

The event industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, causing businesses across the board to look for ways to reduce costs. With an unstable economy, it’s vital to find additional strategies to bring in revenue and raise profit margins. However, even as events have made a comeback, caterers should still be mindful about spending.


One of the most effective ways to do so is by joining a group purchasing organization (GPO) for caterers. A GPO is similar to a mutual fund, but rather than stocks and bonds, caterers join together to buy food supplies. Forming a large group allows businesses to increase their buying power and get better prices due to the high volume of products they purchase.

Bulk orders tend to come at a lower cost than small orders, but you might not need to buy all of your ingredients in bulk if you're a smaller catering company. With a GPO, you can place orders at a discounted rate while only paying for what you need. Though you’re not getting any money back as you would with a rebate program, you will be saving money upfront with each order.

Joining a GPO is a great cost-saving strategy, and there are a variety of benefits when it comes to finding the right GPO for your business. Here’s what you need to know.

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3 Creative Categories to Consider to Save Money on Food

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3 Creative Categories to Consider to Save Money on Food

As we dive head-first into February, we’re continuing to see a primary focus on fresh ingredients and creative menus. However, as our clients become more experiential in how they approach food and beverage, it can leave those in the catering industry wondering how they’ll be able to afford to keep up. However, the demand for innovation and sophisticated palates doesn’t necessarily mean we need to splurge at every turn. In fact, there are quite a number of ways to creatively cut costs while still delivering the quality food that clients are seeking.

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Sales Tips that Don’t Feel Sales-y

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Sales Tips that Don’t Feel Sales-y

One of the secrets to great selling is to perfect a sales presentation or interaction that doesn’t feel “sales-y.” Prospective clients are far more receptive to a conversation focused on them and on their needs than a rapid-fire list of all of the benefits of a product or service. It takes expertise and finesse, but with practice and the following tips, practically anyone can elevate their sales games and improve their conversion rates.

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Holiday Trends in Catering

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Holiday Trends in Catering

That most wonderful time of the year is here once again. There is no downtime at the holidays in the catering world with corporate and personal celebrations in high demand. While this season is best characterized by tradition, each year brings its own twists on a theme. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the hottest holiday trends to watch for this year in the catering world.

Totally fitting for the holidays, one of the dominating catering trends this season is incorporating nostalgia or a fondness for the past.

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