It would be a wonderful world indeed if you could obtain all the things you needed from one supplier. The savings on time spent phoning in orders and making sense of masses of paperwork from many organisations would equate to an extra week’s holiday for you every year. In addition you would only have to put up with the disruption of one delivery every day. You would also be spared the weekly trip to the cash and carry.

The reality is very different. You will probably be surprised at the number of suppliers you will need.

Just consider a hypothetical order from one customer:

You: What can I get for you?

Customer: Small carrot and coriander soup.

You: And a sandwich?

Customer: Yes please. Could I have parma ham with smoked cheese on ciabatta with tomato, lettuce and cucumber.

You: Butter or margarine?

Customer: Butter, please.

You: Salt, pepper?

Customer: Pepper but no salt.

You: A little mayonnaise or creme fraiche?

Customer: Er, a little crème fraiche please. Oh and could I have some prawns and capers as well?

You (taking care not to show surprise or horror at the customer’s choice – they sometimes give you viable new ideas): Certainly. Anything else?

Customer: Small cappuccino. Oh and I’ll take something for the afternoon break as well; Milky Way, a piece of carrot cake, a carton of orange juice and a half litre of milk. Oh and it’s such a warm day I think I’ll treat myself to an ice cream as well.

You: I’ll put it all in a bag for you – and here’s a couple of napkins as well.

Nice order! How many suppliers would it need? The answer could be anything up to a dozen or so.

To be able to provide such a selection you will almost certainly have had to:

• set up a team of specialist suppliers
• obtain goods from a cash and carry
• shop at a supermarket.

In addition you may well have cooked some food in your own house.

Let’s consider them in turn and the kinds of issues raised in each case.

Specialist suppliers

Bread

In the bad old days customers might have been offered basic rolls or sliced white bread entirely devoid of flavour. Try this now and you won’t last long. People expect sandwich bars to offer them an interesting choice which includes some at least from the following list (which is by no means exhaustive):

brown and white rolls, with and without sesame seeds or poppy seeds

bagels

walnut bread

baguettes of various sizes, brown as well as white

subs

ciabatta

foccaccia

caramelised onion roll

naan bread

pain rustique

seeded gallego

organic sunflower bread

hazelnut and raisin boule

carcaca (Portuguese)

onion bread

apple and thyme rolls

baps

tomato bread

sliced bread: brown, white, rye, wholemeal.

You can even get chocolate bread! Assuming you want to offer, say, six or seven choices to your customers it is unlikely that you will find one bakery which can supply them all. This might be because they don’t do them all or can’t do them all to a high enough standard. We found it very frustrating that the people who could give us great sesame seed rolls made poor quality bagels or walnut bread.

It’s a question of trial and error and it is most unlikely that the group of suppliers you start with will be the same six months later. The good news is that a settled pattern will emerge after a while. Engaging with and trying out new suppliers is a necessary process during which you must keep your critical faculties working flat out.

This way you ensure that the selection you offer is of the best quality available in your area.

Suppliers will naturally be very keen to do business with you. Take advantage of this by obtaining free samples from as many of them as possible. Ask to visit their premises; only people with something to hide will refuse such requests. By doing these things and getting to know them you will soon get an idea of which ones will fit in with your scheme of things. If you end up with surplus bread samples, stick them in the freezer at home and use them later.

Quite a lot of places do this. That’s their choice. However, whilst it’s OK for the home the quality is not as good as fresh – and there are plenty of customers who will be able to tell the difference. If you find you regularly have a lot of bread left over, reduce the amount you order rather than freezing what’s left over to be sold the next day.

Remember also the benefits of a bake-off oven which I talked about in Chapter Five. It won’t meet all your bread needs but it will probably serve to cut out one or two suppliers. It will also result in more control, less waste and some saving financially. Having said this it is best and simplest for baking baguettes. We have tried a number of other items such as croissants and savoury snacks – all have been more fiddly and less consistent.

Fruit and vegetables

As well as bread, every sandwich bar needs to have lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes right at the start of the day. For this you need a wholesale fruit and vegetable supplier who can deliver early in the morning. They can also provide you with fresh herbs, apples, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, avocados, vegetables for home-made soup and so on.

As with all suppliers you can get names and addresses from the Yellow Pages. In the case of fruit and vegetable suppliers it is not really appropriate to get samples since they all sell the same stuff. I recommend that you go and visit them and talk to them about your requirements. You need to satisfy yourself that the quality of their goods is of a high standard. I did this with our present supplier and indeed for a time collected the supplies myself. The air was filled with the worst language imaginable but somehow it didn’t matter. More important was the sense of camaraderie and hard work which pervaded the place.

Fruit and vegetables are highly perishable. It is not so much of a problem with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes – you will go through a lot of them every day and indeed the problem might be running out. But in the case of avocados and apples, if you buy by the box, they will all ripen at about the same time. You can suddenly find yourself with 20 ripe avocados on the same day which will mean only one thing – waste. You should consider whether it is better to buy smaller quantities of such goods on a regular basis from your supermarket, which might deliver. Arrange such deliveries to coincide with your own shopping.

In the case of bread and fruit and vegetables there are two potentially problematic areas:

1. Honesty

The goods must be delivered before you arrive so you have to hand out keys. You might have a shop with a vestibule area so that the supplier simply has to open the outer door or roller shutter. If not, it means that the delivery person will have free access to your shop. Whilst the supplier is hardly going to jeopardise a regular order by stealing the odd chocolate bar it is possible to get the occasional new driver who is light-fingered. You really just have to monitor things, especially if you engage a new company to supply goods. I have never been aware of a problem in more than seven years and I really don’t think there are many people who would risk their job for a chocolate bar or two.

I know one proprietor who will not give out a key under any circumstances. This means that bread, fruit, vegetables and sometimes milk are left in the street, possibly for as long as two hours. From a health and hygiene point of view I regard this as unacceptable.

2. Reliability

You simply cannot get going if the correct stuff isn’t there when you arrive in the morning. And it must be of consistently good quality. There is nothing worse than trying to race about collecting bread or cucumbers in rush hour traffic while the staff twiddle their thumbs. Our first supplier of fruit and vegetables was a nightmare. The excuses for non-delivery included the following:

• the key to our shop was in the other van which was on a different run
• the key was in a van which was in the garage being repaired
• the key had temporarily gone missing
• the driver accidentally took the key home the night before and it was in his other trousers
• Uri Geller had been practising on the key. Actually I made that one up – but it got to the stage where nothing would have surprised me.

We put up with this nonsense for too long. Don’t you make the same mistake. If it happens once, fair enough. If it happens again soon afterwards use somebody else. We have now had the same supplier for about five years and I think they have let us down once in all of that time

Butchers and fishmongers

The question here is whether you use large suppliers or small independents. If you choose the former then in my view you will risk sacrificing quality. In the case of meat you will get a processed product – blocks of chicken or turkey ‘formed from’ a whole lot of bits of chickens or turkeys and tightly sealed in thick polythene. They will probably be highly salted. Things have improved in recent years as standards generally have gone up but I would say that fresh is still best.

In the case of fish it is arguably not so important because much of what you want will not be fresh – for instance, tuna, crabstick and prawns. It depends on the range you want to offer.

We make our own fresh salmon mayonnaise which would be truly second rate if we used tinned salmon. We buy the salmon from a small local fish shop. For us, small independent is best in both cases.

Apart from anything else you develop a relationship with the people involved. You benefit from their expertise. They are more likely to be flexible and help out if you suddenly realise you’ve forgotten to order something. After all, they’re small business people too.

If meat or fish are delivered to you they must be delivered at the right temperature. There are strict rules regarding the temperature for storing meat, fish and other items which you must observe. (I shall deal with this subject in Chapter Nine.) However, for the purposes of this chapter on suppliers remember that people who deliver such items to you must ensure that they reach you at the right temperature. Strictly speaking you should check that the temperatures are correct on arrival and keep a record. For checking temperatures you will need a probe thermometer. They cost about £25.

Cheese and milk

Since cheese keeps reasonably well it makes sense to save a little money by buying it in larger quantities from one of the bigger suppliers (subject always to having sufficient storage space). This also means that you will have some time before you have to pay for it – a perk not available at the supermarket. To make life easier we cut big blocks into smaller pieces, wrap them in cling film and store them in the fridge for future use. Do this during the afternoon when you’re not under pressure so that you won’t have to struggle with large blocks of cheese when you are.

The really important thing about milk is getting it into the fridge right away.

It’s 10.15 on a warm summer’s morning. You’re thinking you really must speak to someone about air-conditioning for the shop. It’s quite busy. There are a few people sitting drinking milkshakes and coffees. You’re chatting to a customer. The milk delivery guy arrives late, looking harassed. He mumbles an apology, dumps a crate with three dozen cartons of milk on the floor somewhere near the fridge and rushes out. The conversation with the customer is very interesting. A group of students arrive wanting sandwiches made up. While you’re doing that the lunchtime rush starts early. Just after one o’clock you suddenly notice the crate of milk. Panic stations. You now have a queue. You see a customer holding a carton of milk which he has obviously just picked out of the crate…

Try to get your delivery person to put the milk straight into the fridge. If they don’t, make sure you do. Also make sure that you rotate the milk and that the sell-by date is obvious to the customer. If you don’t do this you will have the irritating spectacle of people bending down into the refrigerated display unit, fiddling about with the cartons and probably disorganising other things. It is an offence to sell goods which are past their sell-by dates.

Pre-prepared sandwich fillings

There are many suppliers who can provide you with a variety of exotic-sounding fillings in plastic boxes: chicken tikka, Mexican chicken with red kidney beans, Thai prawn mayonnaise, etc. There’s no doubt they are convenient. You just take the lid off, plonk the box down in your deli serve-over and scoop out the appropriate measure. They’re usually heavy with mayonnaise-type sauces and are generally easy to work with.

In fact they’re good from every point of view except flavour!

I admit that I’m biased. I don’t like them. I think they always have that processed flavour. It’s hardly surprising given that they have been turned out in massive quantities, with a variety of additives and preservatives, in a factory somewhere. No matter how you try you simply cannot reproduce fresh natural flavours and textures in this way. To my way of thinking they also lack individual character – something of a problem if you are trying to stand out in the crowd as a small independent. It’s easier for the large chains to do this well; because of their buying power they can negotiate direct with a supplier to ensure a level of individuality and quality for their sandwich fillings. You, on the other hand, will simply have to take what the large national operations have to offer at any particular time.

If this kind of thing does appeal to you – and the convenience and lack of waste factors are considerable – do check with as many suppliers as possible and get as many free samples as your fridge will hold – happy tasting!

Coffee and tea

’The secret of life is a good cup of coffee.’ So sang a thoughtful singer-songwriter called Gretchen Peters a few years ago. Coffee has become a kind of religion for a lot of people nowadays – one with its own language. Consider this order placed recently by a customer in London:

‘A double, no fun, skinny, vente, dry, capp to-go.’ Translated this means 20oz of no fat (skinny) milk poured onto two measures of decaffeinated (no fun) espresso coffee with more foam and less milk (dry) in a paper cup to take away.

Unbelievably, when we opened our first sandwich bar in the mid-nineties we only sold filter coffee – you know, the kind that stews in a pyrex jug. We soon realised that the continental taste for a range of freshly brewed coffees was spreading like wildfire. We invested in a compact machine which allowed us to produce bean to cup espresso, cappuccino and latte as well as various flavoured coffees, all individually made to order.

You can buy coffee from the cash and carry or indeed the supermarket but I think it is better to go to a specialist supplier for the following reasons:

• You can make savings by buying in bulk (coffee which is properly packaged and stored will keep for a considerable length of time: 18 months to two years).
• You benefit from their expertise and experience. They should be happy and willing to arrange tasting sessions to allow you to pick one or more coffees which are right for you.
• A specialist supplier will probably be able to advise you on suitable coffee machines for your size of operation. In addition they should be able to supply and maintain such equipment.
• Specialists are aware of new trends and fashions in this increasingly popular area, and pass them on to you.

Despite the numerous outlets selling good quality coffee nowadays industry surveys suggest that there is still a large number of people ready and waiting to be introduced to the delights of the real thing. Incredibly, some people still drink instant coffee!

Tea is a different kettle of fish, so to speak. Most places use tea bags. You can obtain a range, from bog standard to top notch, at the cash and carry. The profit margin on a cup of tea is substantial, so use the best tagged tea bags you can get; and do offer a decent selection. Many people nowadays know the difference between Earl Grey, Darjeeling and Assam. Offer a range of herbal or fruit teas (again, all available in bags). It won’t cost much but it will enable you to offer an impressive choice to the customer.

You may decide to go one better and provide individual pots of leaf tea. I salute you if you do. In this case I think you will be best to use a specialist supplier for the reasons stated previously on the subject of coffee. Indeed your coffee supplier will almost certainly supply tea too.

I think there is real scope for expansion in the field of tea. Historically it has been the most popular drink in Britain but now it has become the poor relation. Whilst people will go to great lengths to provide a perfect cup of coffee most still think it’s quite sufficient to pour boiling water over a tea bag – tagged if you’re lucky. You are rarely if ever offered a choice of full fat or semi-skimmed milk. And what about the delights of Earl Grey, Darjeeling, lemon tea, frappes (iced teas blended with fruit), herb and flavoured teas and so on?

There is more work in producing individual pots of leaf tea, but no more than in providing decent coffee. And you can make tea in cafetieres. I really do believe that tea can be a growth area. I understand that some outlets have opened in recent times which do specialise in providing a range of good quality teas. Indeed there was a Typhoo tea bar in the Millennium Dome. But this is a drop in the ocean when compared to the culture which has brought good quality coffee to countless catering outlets the length and breadth of the country.

There are also interesting tea products from abroad, most notably chai. This is a concoction of black India teas, honey and aromatic spices. It can be blended with milk to produce a chai latte drink. Chai comes either in powdered or concentrate form.

Water Quality

There’s not a lot of point in sourcing top quality tea and coffee unless the water they’re made with tastes good too. The hardness of water in the UK varies considerably. The harder the water the harsher the taste of drinks produced with it. Given that 99% of most drinks is water this can be a serious issue. If you are in a hard water area you should seriously consider acquiring a water filter which can improve water quality by removing unpleasant elements, thus allowing the natural flavour to come through. Such filters also help to prevent the formation of scale and this in turn reduces the risk of limescale damage to your equipment. Your catering supply company will be able to advise you on suppliers of filters in your area.

Some general points to note on the subject of suppliers:

• When looking for suppliers, spread the net wide at the start. If you taste something you really like at another sandwich-coffee bar, ask the owner who his supplier is. Other than that it’s a case of trawling the Yellow Pages and Sandwich and Snack News.
• In the case of small independent suppliers don’t choose ones which are too far away. If their van breaks down they might not have any back-up and you might have to go and collect the stuff yourself. Equally, satisfy yourself that they can deliver reliably at times which suit you.
• Always try to negotiate some level of discount from any supplier to whom you give regular business. Having said that, once you have agreed a price that you are both happy with, don’t seek further reductions unless there is a change of circumstances, such as you ordering other products or increasing your order significantly because you open another outlet. You want to have a good relationship and constantly trying to get the price down for no particular reason will not help to achieve this.
• Always be on the look-out for new ideas from existing and new suppliers. The catering industry is always coming up with new products. Check in Sandwich and Snack News where a lot of them advertise and which often features appraisals of new products. Visit other sandwich-coffee bars from time to time and see what they’re up to.
• Don’t have any qualms whatever about taking free samples from as many people as possible. You will find when you open you will be targeted by lots of roving reps. Fill up your fridge and freezer; it’s a perk of the job and you might just come across something good.
• Always, but especially when starting out, check that what is delivered is exactly what was ordered and that everything including the packaging is in good order. If anything is wrong or damaged, don’t accept it. The delivery driver may complain but if you do this at the start the message will quickly get through that you are businesslike. You will thus be far less likely to experience problems in the future. Check also that you are not being given goods which are close to their sell-by dates.
• You should send a pro-forma letter to all suppliers asking them to confirm in writing that their operation complies with all relevant food hygiene regulations and that they have in place an appropriate system of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). (See Chapter Nine for more information on this.) All you are really doing is getting them to confirm that they are doing what the law requires them to do. Obtaining such letters achieves the twin aims of reassuring you and also demonstrating that you have taken all reasonable steps to comply with legal requirements. Apart from anything else this might be helpful in the unlikely event of any claim being made against you.
• Arrange tasting sessions with some of your friends or relations. This is a particularly good idea when you are starting out and have lots of free samples. You are so overloaded with things to do that you will find it difficult to make time to assess the merits of different brands of coffee, juice or whatever – a vital task. An objective point of view can be very useful indeed – the benefits of a focus group!
• Having a lot of suppliers inevitably leads to a lot of paperwork. Apart from being well organised and having a good filing system consider Internet banking – it’s becoming more popular and soon I believe it will be commonplace for even small businesses to pay bills via the Net. This saves writing out cheques, addressing envelopes (though your PC can be set up to do this) and buying stamps.
• Also, set up pro-forma order forms on your computer and print them out when necessary. This means you don’t have to hunt about for scraps of paper at four o’clock in the afternoon to write lists on. It also means that you don’t actually write anything, you just tick the items you need.
• When you start to order goods from larger suppliers they might want cash on delivery. This should only be until they have set up a credit account which will involve obtaining a bank reference. If you can arrange this before you start trading, all to the good – it’s not convenient to have to take large amounts of cash out of the till to play suppliers. If they arrive in the morning they’ll use up most of your float.