Managing Inventory Control and Procurement

Read this chapter. It uses the food service industry as a case study because of the different types of raw material inventory food establishments need to consider. As you read the section on Three Ways to Increase Your Value, can you recommend a fourth or even a fifth to help these businesses?

BASIC INVENTORY PROCEDURES

Purchasing Procedures

In most restaurant kitchens, purchasing and ordering are done by the chef and sous-chefs, although in larger hotels there may be purchasing departments assigned this responsibility. In most self-operated on-site foodservice operations, the foodservice manager/director is responsible for purchasing, though if the foodservice is contracted to managed services, the operation will likely be part of contract buying. Most kitchens will have a list of suppliers, contacts, delivery dates and schedules, and order sheets with par stock levels to make purchasing easier. For a special function or event, such as a banquet, it may also be necessary to determine the required supplies for that function alone.