How do you choose your restaurant’s suppliers?
A good supplier is not necessarily the cheapest on the price list. It is the one who delivers the right product, on time, with consistent quality, and who helps you out on a Saturday morning when a delivery is missing. Conversely, a cheap supplier with irregular products costs you in waste, time and disappointed customers.
This guide is part of our Running a restaurant guide. To cost a dish, see food cost and menu pricing.
Which kinds of suppliers does a restaurant need?
Most restaurants work with several families of suppliers. Each has strengths and limits.
| Supplier | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| General wholesaler (delivered or cash and carry) | Wide range, one contact, regular deliveries | Average quality on some products, minimum order |
| Specialist wholesaler (fish, meat, fruit and vegetables) | Quality, advice, seasonal products | More suppliers to manage, more deliveries |
| Local producer, short supply chain | Freshness, a story to tell, products that set you apart | Limited volumes, seasonality, logistics sometimes on you |
| Online platform for trade buyers | Order at any time, easy comparison | Delivery fees, remote customer service |
| Wine merchant, brewer, coffee roaster | Advice on the drinks list, staff training | Conditions sometimes attached (exclusivity, loaned equipment) |
A set-up that often works: a wholesaler for basics (dry goods, dairy, packaging, cleaning products), one or two specialists for the fresh products that matter most in your cooking, and a few producers for the products you feature on the menu. Avoid multiplying suppliers for a few cents: each supplier means more orders, deliveries, invoices and checks.
Short supply chains
Working with nearby producers is a real selling point, as long as you are honest: if you write a farm’s name on the menu, the product must come from that farm. Plan a menu that follows the seasons and dishes that can absorb changes in volume. Our guide making your restaurant stand out explains how to turn it into a real difference.
Included in the Website service
Restaurant menu QR code
An online menu you edit yourself when a supplier price changes, with its print-ready QR code for your tables.
How do you list your needs before contacting suppliers?
Before calling any sales rep, start from your menu. For each dish you have (or should have) a recipe card with ingredients and quantities. Multiply by forecast sales to get your weekly needs.
- The list of products, grouped by family (fresh, frozen, dry goods, drinks, packaging, cleaning).
- Average quantities per week, and the peaks (weekends, season, holidays).
- The delivery frequency you want, based on your storage space (cold room, dry store).
- Possible delivery slots, outside service hours.
- Your quality requirements: size, origin, label, packaging.
This list lets you compare offers on the same basis, and it impresses sales reps: an owner who knows their volumes negotiates better. It also helps you set minimum stock levels, as explained in restaurant inventory management.
How do you compare two suppliers at the real price?
The catalogue price is not enough. Compare what the product really costs once it is on the plate: delivery fees, minimum order, preparation waste, rejected products.
An example
A fictional example: you buy 12 kg of the same product every week. Supplier A sells it at €9.80 a kilo but charges €15 for delivery: 12 × 9.80 + 15 = €132.60, or €11.05 a kilo. Supplier B sells it at €10.40 a kilo, delivered free: €124.80. B, dearer in the catalogue, saves you €7.80 per order, or €405.60 over 52 weeks.
Waste counts too
Badly trimmed fish or damaged vegetables increase your waste. If a product at €8 a kilo gives only 60% usable weight, a usable kilo costs you 8 ÷ 0.60 = €13.33. Another at €9 a kilo with 75% usable weight comes to €12 per usable kilo. Test both on a few deliveries and weigh them.
| Criterion | What to note for each supplier |
|---|---|
| Price | Unit price, discounts, expected changes |
| Fees | Delivery, minimum order, deposits |
| Quality | Consistency, yield after preparation, freshness on arrival |
| Service | Delivery days and times, ordering lead time, emergency help |
| Payment | Terms, payment method, penalties |
| Documents | Clear invoices, stated origin, product specifications |
What payment terms apply to restaurant suppliers in France?
Between businesses in France, the law limits payment terms. According to Service Public Entreprendre (page checked on 7 August 2026):
| Purchase | Maximum term |
|---|---|
| General case, no specific agreement | 30 days from receipt of the goods |
| General case, term agreed between you | 60 days from the invoice date, or 45 days end of month |
| Perishable food | 30 days from delivery (periodic invoices: 30 days after the end of the ten-day period) |
| Fresh meat | 20 days from delivery |
| Spirits subject to excise duty (brandies, rum, gin, vodka…) | 30 days after the end of the month of delivery |
If you pay late, the supplier can apply the penalties set in its terms of sale (at least three times the French legal interest rate) and a fixed €40 recovery charge per invoice paid late.
What it means for you: you cannot count on 60 days of credit for fresh produce. Plan these payments in your cash flow, especially at the start and in quiet months. And pay on time: a restaurant that pays well is better served on the day goods are scarce.
How do you negotiate with suppliers?
Negotiating does not mean crushing prices. A supplier who earns nothing from you will end up serving you last. Look for a deal that works for both sides.
- Group your orders: fewer deliveries and more volume per delivery are arguments for free delivery or a discount.
- Commit to a volume on a few key products in exchange for a stable price over several months.
- Ask for seasonal prices: a product in full season is often better and more affordable.
- Accept less uniform produce when it goes into sauces, soups or purées.
- Pay on time, or earlier if the supplier offers a prompt payment discount.
- Put it in writing: prices, delivery days, conditions for taking back non-compliant products.
Price request template
Hello,
I am [first name last name], manager of [restaurant name] in [town], [number] covers a day. I am looking for a supplier for [product family]. My average needs: [products and weekly quantities], preferred delivery [days and times].
Could you send me your prices, your delivery terms (minimum order, fees) and your payment terms?
Many thanks,
[first name last name, phone]
How do you check deliveries and keep traceability?
The relationship with a supplier is also built at every delivery. A quick check stops you accepting damaged products and supports your hygiene obligations.
- Check the temperature of fresh and frozen products on arrival, and the state of the packaging.
- Compare the delivery note with the order: quantities, products, weights.
- Refuse or note any non-compliant product on the note, with the driver present.
- Put everything away in the cold straight away, following “first expired, first out”.
- Keep delivery notes, invoices and labels: they prove origin and let you trace a batch in case of an alert.
These documents have another use: in France, dish names on the menu must be accurate and match the products bought, and the origin of meat (poultry, beef, pork, lamb) must be stated, according to Service Public Entreprendre. If you write “duck from [region]” or “homemade”, your invoices must be able to prove it. Hygiene rules on receiving goods are covered in food hygiene and HACCP in a French restaurant, and mandatory wording in mandatory restaurant signs in France.
How do you keep track of suppliers over time?
Prices move, and so does quality. A short routine is enough to avoid surprises.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Every delivery | Check, signed note, problem written down |
| Every month | Reread invoices for your ten most expensive products; spot increases |
| Every quarter | Ask a competing supplier for prices on those products; update recipe cards |
| Every menu change | Review the supplier list against the new dishes |
A supplier price rise that you do not pass on quietly lowers your margin. That is why this tracking must be linked to your recipe cards and food cost percentage, explained in restaurant profitability. If a rise forces you to change your menu prices, our guide announcing a price increase helps you do it without losing customers.
The restaurant owner’s guide
Open, run, grow: each stage has its full guide and detailed guides, with their reading time.
Full guide · 11 min · 13 detailed guides
- Restaurant business plan: a step-by-step template with a worked example 10 min
- Restaurant startup costs: what to budget for and how to fund it 7 min
- Restaurant market research: a step-by-step method with sheets to fill in 7 min
- Which legal structure for a restaurant in France? 8 min
- How to choose a restaurant name: the method and the checks 7 min
- Permits and formalities to open a restaurant in France, in order 8 min
- Restaurant alcohol licence in France: which one you need 8 min
- Restaurant VAT in France: which rate applies, with examples 8 min
- Restaurant terrace permits in France: the process and the rules 7 min
- Mandatory signs and notices for a restaurant in France 7 min
- Buying a restaurant in France: the checks, the steps and the costs 7 min
- How to promote a new business opening: a plan from 60 days before to 30 days after 11 min
- Restaurant website examples: 9 layouts for every kind of venue 8 min
Full guide · 11 min · 14 detailed guides
- Restaurant profitability: find your break-even point and improve it 9 min
- Food cost and menu pricing: how to price a dish 13 min
- Restaurant menu design: method, mandatory information and layout 8 min
- How to choose and negotiate your restaurant suppliers 8 min
- Restaurant inventory management: stock counts, rotation and ordering 7 min
- Reduce restaurant food waste: rules, measurement and practical steps 7 min
- Food hygiene and HACCP in a French restaurant: the rules and the daily routine 8 min
- Allergen matrix template for restaurants and cafés (UK and Ireland) 9 min
- How to hire restaurant staff in France: find, choose and keep the right person 9 min
- Restaurant staff scheduling: a simple rota that follows the rules 7 min
- Restaurant till and POS in France: rules, features and choice 8 min
- Restaurant customer loyalty: 12 ideas that bring guests back 7 min
- Booking cancellation policy: what to write and how to enforce it 11 min
- How to get more Google reviews for your restaurant 14 min
Full guide · 10 min · 11 detailed guides
- How to get more customers to your restaurant: find the cause, then fill the room 9 min
- How to increase your restaurant’s average spend without pushy selling 8 min
- The lunch set menu: build it to fill tables and pay 8 min
- How to make your restaurant stand out: find what makes it unique 8 min
- Restaurant marketing plan: the method and a 12-month template 8 min
- Restaurant takeaway and click and collect: how to set it up 8 min
- Extra revenue for your restaurant: 8 ideas and the rules to know 8 min
- Restaurant digital tools: where to start, and in what order 10 min
- AI for restaurants: what it really does for you 8 min
- Valentine’s Day restaurant ideas: menus, bookings and promotion 8 min
- Christmas marketing for shops and restaurants: the week-by-week plan 8 min
This guide for your trade
Go further
Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 28, 2026.