Restaurants require certain essential items available on hand to keep the service running and cater to the demands and needs of their customers. You need to conduct extensive research and a comprehensive analysis of your business to source all the essential supplies.
Moreover, it is also important that you get all the items in time for your restaurant to open or to keep it running. Hence you must be fully aware of what supplies your restaurant will require so you can be prepared. While the supplies a restaurant requires will vary according to its nature and scale of services and operations, this article offers some helpful ideas on what general supplies any restaurant may need to lead you in the right direction.
Essential supplies for a restaurant
Restaurant supplies cover a wide range of items, from consumable products like meat, fruits, and vegetables to other products like containers, kitchen paper towels, or tableware. Hence you may consider any product required to run the front and back end of the restaurant as a supply. Here is a list of some essential restaurant supplies you may need.
Food and beverages
The main feature of any restaurant is food, and if you want your restaurant to stand out for the food you serve, you must get good quality raw materials like meat, fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and spices. These food supplies are your business lifeline, so you must ensure to get the best quality and have an efficient supply chain for them.
Besides food ingredients, you also require beverages for your restaurant or bar and must ensure you get good quality supplies as your restaurant’s reputation depends on it. You must stock up on the items featured for beverages in your menu to cope in case of a shortage. For food supplies, menu forecasting can help you ensure all the required items are in stock and are replaced as the stock depletes. It will also help you save on raw material and labor costs.
Paper products
When running a restaurant, you must realize that while the supplies for your kitchen are essential, you also need to pay attention to the supplies for your bar, dining area, and restrooms. Besides the quality of food, customers also tend to judge restaurants based on how well they are taken care of. For this purpose, you must always maintain steady supplies of paper napkins and toilet paper.
You will also need office supplies for the office section to maintain records and manage the operations. Moreover, if you are running a food service like a food truck or providing deliveries, you will also need disposable paper or plastic plates, cutlery, glasses, and containers.
Cleaning and sanitation supplies
Restaurants must adhere to strict cleaning standards and regulations, which means they must have all the janitorial equipment and cleaning and sanitation supplies to keep the restaurant clean and sanitized.
You may need different kinds of cleaning supplies depending on the type of appliances in your kitchen and the flooring. General items include sanitizers, masks, gloves, mops and mop buckets, cleaning and food-grade disinfectant sprays, disinfectant wipes, sponges, scrubbers, microfiber clothes, brooms, trash cans, dust pans, etc. In addition, you also require dish cleaning soap or liquids and paper towels.
Food service and bar items
Your restaurant will need service items like glasses, cups, plates of different sizes, silverware, and table linen, including covers, runners, and placemats. There may also be other items, like making and service trays, salt and pepper grinders, sauce containers, water pitchers and coffee pots, etc.
In addition, if you have a bar area, you will also need supplies for it, including glasses, shot glasses, napkins, fruit and nut containers, mixers, garnishes, etc. You will also need to arrange staff uniforms and décor items like candles and flowers to maintain the restaurant ambiance and decorum.
Final Thoughts
Procuring restaurant supplies and maintaining an inventory is a time-consuming but essential operational aspect. However, knowing what and when you need it can make your job easier and help you manage your restaurant affairs with the least hassle.
While the exact supplies you need depend on what you serve and your service style, this article covers a few basic supplies almost every restaurant needs. You can use these ideas and add others to the list to make a personalized list depending on your exact requirements.