Foodservice

Food Cost Best Practices: The Importance of Generating Theoretical Food Costs

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 6:00 pm |
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Almost every restaurant and food service operator in the country shares a similar monthly routine—the completion of a product inventory and the subsequent generation of a food cost percentage.  This process not only enables the creation of a restaurant profit and loss statement that illustrates the financial health of the business, but can also uncover emerging operational performance issues.    Read More »

Food Cost Control in Economic Down Turns

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:58 pm |
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Open any newspaper and it is quickly apparent that we are being bombarded with signs of an economy in peril. While these predictions have sometimes become self-fulfilling prophecies as publicized economic fears have fueled consumer behavior, there are certainly economic signals that indicate a struggling economy.  Read More »

Product Specification Development

Posted by: seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:56 pm |
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Too often, the terms “food purchasing” and “food procurement” are used interchangeably within our industry. There is, in fact, more than a semantic difference between these two terms within the context of the food service industry.  Read More »

Restaurant Storage Best Practices & Food Cost Control

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:55 pm |
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Proper product storage procedures are critical in controlling food service costs, as well as managing restaurant product quality and consistency.  While not the most interesting of food cost control topics, any restaurant cost control efforts that fail to include proper storage procedures will fall short of their mark.  To better understand both the importance and details of correct food servic  Read More »

Restaurant Line Check Template & Best Practices

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:54 pm |
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For those that have followed the food cost control articles previously published by Seva Procurement, you are probably aware that we attempt to cover a wide range of related topics.  We often run in to operators that are surprised that our articles don’t focus entirely on purchasing management as the key to food cost control, since this is the core focus of Seva Procurement.  We strongly believ  Read More »

Food Service Distributor Prime Agreement Negotiation Considerations

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:53 pm |
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When it comes to food and beverage procurement strategy, it is highly recommended that a restaurant, hotel or food service operation consider establishing a distributor prime agreement to manage their food service distribution costs.  The typical distributor prime agreement will require eighty percent of purchases to be made from the prime vendor, along with other contractual considerations tha  Read More »

Restaurant Inventory Management | Food Cost Control

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:52 pm |
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Countless times, Seva Procurement has been engaged by food service operations of all sizes to help uncover the reasons behind apparent food cost control and profitability issues.  When we begin to investigate potential causes, however, it often becomes quickly apparent that the primary problem is not with restaurant cost control practices, but rather with the restaurant inventory data and food   Read More »

The Raucous About Food Service Rebates | Better Food Cost Control Alternatives

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:51 pm |
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The past year has seen the emergence of many new food service distribution trends.  Among these trends is the growing desire by restaurant owners and operators to gain access to the available pool of food service manufacturer rebates, along with the corresponding rise in food service buying groups.  Unfortunately, this rising trend has often resulted in little more than frustration by all parti  Read More »

Cost Control & Budgeting Best Practices

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:48 pm |
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If you have been in food service or hospitality management for a while, you have probably come across the cliché about managing a shift like a duck swims in water.  The adage goes something like this: from above, a duck seems to effortlessly glide along the water, but if you look below the surface, you will see the duck feverishly paddling his little legs to navigate about.  The lesson of the m  Read More »

The Mechanics of Menu Engineering

Posted by: Seva Procurement on Apr 24, 2014 at 5:45 pm |
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Several of our previous restaurant cost control articles have been dedicated to the topic of recipe cost and menu development.  This article will continue on that trend by examining the principles of menu engineering and how they can help improve restaurant profitability and food cost control.  Today’s concept of menu engineering is a product of Michigan State University’s School of Hospitality  Read More »