How to get your food brokers to provide you with lower prices

As a longtime restaurant manager and now a food consultant, I am amazed at how many restaurant owners accept the status quo from their food vendors. For example, how often have you asked for a deviated price from them?

Let's imagine that your restaurant uses a lot of cheese in its menu. By asking for a deviated price, the food broker forgoes any profit on this major line item. However, they make their profit on other lesser items.

Many food marketing groups such as the Wisconsin Cheese folks provide special incentives to restaurants who promote their food. The key for getting them is to ask all of your food brokers for help in this matter.

Most food brokers are not typically willing to provide these prices to their customers. It takes someone willing to ask them the right questions to get these incentives from most of them. If your vendor is already offering you these "deviated prices," consider yourself fortunate.