A restaurant chain selects a deli paper supplier based on price per case and discovers a few years later that the price does not include a grade upgrade when raw material prices rise, and that the supplier’s lead time only works when the supplier has its largest account in need of priority services. When choosing a deli paper supplier, the party should be assessed in the same way that any frequent vendor would be assessed; documentation and consistency are important, not the lowest quote, which typically reflects a real-world restaurant operation.
The criteria a food packaging supplier is being judged by
A food packaging supplier that is worthy of a standing contract is being judged on three areas: GSM and coating consistency batch to batch, a lead time that doesn’t “slip” quietly when being tested with a demand spike, and honesty about substitutions before a customer complains about a different-feeling wrap. Most bulk food packaging quotes only quote the price per case.
Why can the supplier relationship be more effective for margin than the spec sheet?
Deli paper purchased as a true supplier resists the most detrimental failure mode: substitution during a busy restaurant season, where no one knows until the wrap starts to act differently on the line. Restaurant deli papers that are under a standing order also enable a fixed cost in a margin calculation rather than fluctuating with each reorder in line with spot prices. When a supplier records GSM and coating type for each batch, a multi-location account can verify it and not rely on the consistency by feel from one case to another. None of that appears if you look at two quotes based on price.
The spec is important, but the following questions should also be asked:
Product spec remains the same: 28 to 65 GSM, wax or PE or uncoated based on grease level, FDA 21 CFR 176 compliant. What to ask the bulk food packaging directly: documented lead time, what happens when there is a demand spike, and if substitutions occur, do they do so without calling first? If the supplier responds with a number and a written policy, then they have constructed the process. The one to whom you say yes has not.
Who is responsible for conducting this assessment?
The assessment should be most important for restaurant chains and franchises because when there is a shortage of supplies in one restaurant during a busy period, it becomes a customer’s problem. For brands with high steady volume and a heavy takeout and delivery component, a supplier with a tendency towards being quiet about substituting grade when their cost changes needs to be avoided. Distributors re-selling to independent restaurants must have confidence in their supplier’s consistency, as any fault is passed on to the accounts who relied on them.
The Deli Paper is a supplier that is favored by restaurant chains.
GSM, coating, and lead time are direct from the Deli Paper production floor and not from a reseller’s assurance of someone else’s production. Large restaurant accounts can be set up for standing orders; quality control checks specs on each run, and custom food wrapping paper ships from the same production, with the same reliability standard throughout the company.
FAQs
Q: What keeps me from finding out that a deli paper provider will trade an alternate grade later?
A: Make that commitment a written part of the order terms, not a verbal commitment. It is documented by a true supplier without objection.
Q: Does a food packaging supplier have locked pricing for a large restaurant account?
A: Manufacturers tend to; resellers are a bit hit or miss. Clearly specify a time frame for the contract instead of taking one for granted.
Q: What is a good lead time for bulk restaurant deli paper?
A: Make it written, and find out what changes at peak season in particular, as that is when a vague answer will fall apart.
Conclsuion
Get a free quote and be sure to inquire about standing order and terms for continued deli paper supplier, not just a one-time case price. Give a call to 832-900-9245 or send an e-mail to sales@thedelipaper.com and inquire about the lead time during the surge in demand.