Restaurant purchasing is one loop, run weekly (or daily), across every vendor you buy from: know what you need, order it per vendor before each cutoff, receive what actually arrives, reconcile what it actually cost, and let that feed the next order. A missed handoff can leave the next person using an outdated quantity, price or delivery expectation.
This is the hub for the whole loop. Each section gives you the working version in a few paragraphs, then links the deep guide, the template, and the tool for that step. Read it straight through if you're setting up purchasing from scratch; jump to the broken step if you're here to fix one thing.
For a connected implementation, the restaurant purchasing workflow brings supplier orders, delivery checks and physical counts together. If you want to test the handoff first, use the order, receive and count walkthrough.
Step 1: Know your vendors and how ordering actually works
The structure of restaurant supply: a broadline distributor for part of the basket, plus produce, protein, bread, dairy, and beverage specialists — each with its own cutoff, delivery days, minimum, and ordering channel. Record each supplier account, authorized contact, cutoff, delivery schedule and accepted ordering route rather than assuming the same process applies to all of them.
- Deep guide: How Restaurants Order from Food Distributors — accounts, terms, pricing basis, portals, credits