Does anyone have the same problems as I do?

Is it just me or does anyone else have the same problems as I do with suppliers. We deal with four or five suppliers and on a regular weekly basis and out of those only one has consistent quality and reliability with respect to their products. It ranges from everything such as poor produce, unusable cuts of meat, missing products we were charged for, deliveries at peak hours( hey after all.. who has time to check a 50 item delivery during a dinner rush), reps not showing up for ordering at appointed times, rude staff and ignorant staff when trying to place phone orders, deliveries left unattended... I could probably ***** a little more but I'll leave it at that. Anyways for example I came back to work after a day off late this week and in my course of preparation when it got time to cut my steaks for the evening I opend up a strip loin to discover probably the worst piece of meat to leave New Zealand's shores in the last 10 years( no offense to any Kiwi chefs or butchers).It looked like a fresh kill on a lion safari. Poorly trimmed with a n extreme cellulite problem.. We are talkin a one and one-half inch fat cap on this loin. At any rate 7 pounds with 2 pounds of waste equals very little profit to me. I think these food distributors need to get their acts together and ensure that the money restaurants spend on their food is of good quality amd consistent.. show a little appreciation towards the people keeping them fed and in business... or at least take pride in their work like all of us devoting long hours and hard work into our respective establishments.

[Pastachef]

I have all of those problems and more. I have one sales rep who says the delivery man will do extra favors - such as putting the soda syrups on a shelf for a cookie. The guy starts screaming for food every time he walks in the door. When a delivery arrives at four, he asks for lunch that has been over and cleaned up hours before. He asks for a piece of fruit and proceeds to get a small box and fill it. Complaints to the sales rep did no good. I eventually had to get another company who has perfect food every time, a great rep, but it took a year to get good delivery times. Smaller companies seem to work out better. You pay more, but when service counts you get it.

[Papa]

Dear RaZ0R ShaRP:

I am sorry to hear about the problems that you are experiencing in your relationship with your distributors.

I see that you are in British Columbia. There is a small operation in Victoria that I recommend highly for your meat supplies. Rob Milburn has been working with his dad who started their business almost fifty years ago. Their meats are of the best quality and they are great butchers. These guys are a gem to work with according to a Chef in the area who buys from them and also buys my olive oil. This is how I met them and since then we have become friends. The name of their company is: Slater's First Class Meats. Their telephone number is: (250) 592-0823. I usually don't recommend other businesses because it could backfire on me if they do not deliver. I stand firmly by these guys. Great family and they know the business.

You can check them out and see if they have something that you are interested in. I hope this is of assistance to you.

Salutations, Razor Sharp.

Is it us, or is it the role of food reps, delivery drivers and the other undesireables we must deal with to ply our trade. I suffer from a similar problem. However, I have tried the direct approach with the problems and have found "most" of the time taking charge is the best method. we have arranged for deliveries to be at a time suitable to us, we are flexible however, except during hours of service. We put too much into our food to let poor quality produce damage our standards. Have you spoken with the owners? Managers of the suppliers you deal with?.

Regards

BigMal.

[fodigger]

I used to have the problems that you talk about when I had 4 or 5 suppliers. I went w/ one major (us foodservice) and one local as a back up. I get my deliveries in time and my salesperson shows up on time. They are not perfect but they do a good job. Also is there is a problem I make one call and he handles it. He is appreciative of my business and shows me by taking care of me when I screw up. And while I don't by alot of produce from him what I get is great quality. (I do get my specialty stuff from a local produce guy) The other thing I like is that I've found 4 extra hrs a week or more because I'm not meeting w/ 4 or 5 other salespeople.