Catering Supplies While a large portion of your food cost control takes place during normal operation of your day to day catering business, the process actually starts when you get that shipment in - whether it's delivered to your kitchen or to an event location.  To help maintain consistent control of your food costs from receiving to cooking, use these tips for getting in food and other ingredients.


1. Getting What You Paid For - You'll be dealing with a variety of vendors including dairy providers, produce companies and meat deliveries.  No matter the relationship you have with this individual vendors you need to ensure that what you order actually comes in.  If you get caught up in the last minute rush of a client event you might skip a quick inspection to ensure that you got what you paid for.Restaurant Catering Equipment  There's nothing quite like winding up with the wrong product at the last minute and having to admit to a client that your menu is incomplete.


2. Do a Food Quality Check - The odds of actually getting in the wrong items (mixed up food order ) are relatively slim but it's entirely possible to have something else go wrong, like damage to the products. Catering Kitchen Equipment -During delivery you can wind up with crush damage, falling boxes, bruised produce, refrigeration issues and more than could compromise the quality of the food.  When you get a shipment in, take the time to inspect every single item you get in.  If you don't check it and wind up with damaged food it will be extremely difficult to later claim the food was bad with the vendor.


3. Reject the Bad - Even if you're afraid of harming a relationship with a vendor, you need to contact them and let them know there was an issue with a delivery.  Sometimes though you need to do it right on site.  Don't be afraid to reject an order that does not meet your standards. Restaurant Catering Equipment -If there is damage, or something else wrong with the order then send it back and replace it with something bought locally.  Just remember to get a credit for the order or have a new shipment sent to you.


4. Minimize Unloading Time - It doesn't matter how busy or rushed you are at5 the last minute prepping for an event or managing you a meetings, you need to stop what you're doing and tend to orders that come in.  Not only is counting and inspecting the shipment important but you need to get it put away into appropriate temperatures as quickly as possible to avoid spoilage or reduction in the shelf life of the product.


5. Doing Order Counts - Counting is a big part of controlling your food cost.  If you just glance over an order when it comes in to inspect it you could still miss something.Catering Supplies -Count the individual items with the delivery crew present.  This way if something is missing, it is accounted for on the spot.  It's hard to prove later on, after you already signed for an order, that something was missing and you're owed a credit.


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