Choosing the right suppliers that match the flavor of your business and continuously evaluating their performance can be time-consuming, but the rewards can be very sweet. Here are some areas for hotel owners, chefs and food & beverage managers to contemplate when choosing suppliers.

For a franchisor or a management company, affiliating with a Purchasing Services Organization (PSO) provides an effective solution to many of these challenges. A PSO allows you to set up the systems and processes needed to take advantage of bulk purchasing across locations.

Becoming a partner with a Purchasing Services Organization (PSO) allows hospitality professionals to access and reap the potential rewards of industry-wide purchasing data, which is more robust and meaningful than what they had in the past.

You control your purchasing environment while procurement specialists manage the details. The program is flexible enough that you can continue working with your own suppliers. There is no cost to participate and the agreement can be terminated without penalty as early as 30 days after you are enrolled in the program.

According to the National Restaurant Association 2017 Restaurant Industry Outlook, a gradually improving economy will help restaurant-industry sales continue to advance in 2017, but restaurant operators continue to face margin pressures, a tightening labor market and some lingering consumer uncertainty.

As a successful hotel operator, you know that high-quality food, equipment and supplies make up more than half your total costs. So, finding the best possible prices on those purchases is key to your profitability and your competitive strength.

You need reliable access to food, beverages, equipment and supplies to ensure that your menu items are prepared to perfection, so customers are consistently delighted. Selecting specialty ingredients allows you to offer memorable signature dishes.

Find time to manage the Food and Beverage program, stay on top of your Operations, Supplies & Equipment (OS&E) inventory, enhance your service quality and control your brand standards and pay the lowest prices possible, capture all earned rebates and earn a profit.

Your guests remember having a hot breakfast at one of your hotels, they will expect the same if they stay at another in a different location. Guests want the peace of mind that comes with knowing that when they stay at a specific hotel brand they will receive the same level of service and quality.

Unpredictable external factors and evolving customer demands are creating problems for hospitality professionals. Food service operators need to stay aware of consumer preferences and try to source the trending ingredients from local suppliers, while managing food budgets in a volatile market.