Unemployment benefits is another area of concern. I also have experience with what is required by the Compass/Chartwells Group and other companies that layout guide lines to handle this. There is a very good reason for keeping accurate records of disciplinary actions and how they are handled.

They best run operations….all of them…use a bidding process as you describe. Most vendors, if asked, can also give you a decending dollar report. Some may not be very happy to do so becasue this gives an item by item total of where your money is going starting with whatever you spend the most on. I could not in anyway say that as a Chef I was being responsible and accountable for the owner if I was not using a bidding process. I do agree with bodellconsulting that in the real world restaurants must have in place systems that eliminate the need to trust the salespersons. Day in and day out, as stated here, most purveyors do not have my best interest in mind, especially if they have reason to believe that I am not paying attention and being responsible.

And yes….find a way to reward your staff. Keep them interested and show them you care. Give them a reason to come to work besides that pay check. I am responsible for setting up a work place that not only our guests look forward to having dinner in, but that employees want to be part of. I find that when my staff is rewarded and/or recognized and appreciated then I have a restaurant where people want to come to work and be part of our team.

I have seen several studies that list the number one reason guests, ladies in particular, will not return to a restaurant is dirty restrooms. And yes, a clean or dirty restroom is an indication about how you keep the rest of you building.

Just as in the “real world”, without competition, prices don’t come down. There is no incentive for a company to keep pricing competitive if they are not being made to compete.

I’ve heard your same arguement from salesmen before. Not to jump to conclusions, but I would assume that is your profession. Naturally it’s in your best interest that your accounts don’t make you bid for their business every year in order to keep it. Without a process to keep salespersons honest, a business cannot expect to get their best price. Without competition, why should they?

There are certainly considerations as to what quality of product the pricing pertains to, but what quality of product the restaurant needs is not up to the salesperson. It is up to the restaurant, and it is the restaurant owner or the chef’s responsibility to monitor the quality of the product coming in, just as they do the product that goes out to a table.

I don’t suggest to my clients that quality isn’t a consideration. Neither do I assume that they are too ignorant to factor quality into the bidding process, or to police the quality of the products they are getting bids for. That’s part of their job. Once again, if they are leaving that just to the salesperson, they are setting themselves up for failure.

A good relationship between vendors and restaurants does include both making money. After all, that’s what we’re all in business for. Not making a vendor compete for your business though usually results in paying too much. Sure, there are some honest salesmen, and women, out there that will give you their best price just to help keep you in business, but they are the exception.

If you are one of these type of salespersons, I can see how you think it’s better and easier for a customer to just trust you. Unfortunately, in the real world, restaurants have to have systems in place to eliminate the need to trust their sales people. Most salespersons, and most purveyors in general, are simply not looking out for the best interest of their clients.

Chris Tackett