Ask most hospitality managers how many suppliers they're currently dealing with, and the answer is usually somewhere between four and eight. One for glassware, one for chemicals, another for food packaging, a separate one for kitchenware, and so on.
It's a pattern that develops gradually, often without anyone making an active decision to do it that way. But over time, managing a fragmented supplier network creates real inefficiencies. More relationships to maintain, more invoices to reconcile, more points where something can go wrong.
Consolidating with a single, well-stocked supplier won't work for every venue, but for many it's one of the most practical improvements they can make to how they run their operation.
The hidden cost of managing multiple suppliers
The obvious costs of a supplier relationship are the product prices. But there are less visible costs that accumulate when you're working across multiple accounts.
Every additional supplier means another contact to manage, another ordering system to log into, another invoice to check and process, and another delivery window to plan around.
Across a busy week, that administrative load adds up. More importantly, it's time that could be spent on running the venue rather than managing procurement.
There's also the risk factor. The more suppliers you rely on, the more points of failure there are. A delay from one supplier might hold up an event. A miscommunication with another might mean something critical isn't ordered in time.
What a single supplier relationship actually looks like
When a venue moves to a single, comprehensive supplier, the practical difference is felt quickly. Ordering becomes faster because you're working within one system. Invoicing is simpler. Your supplier builds a genuine understanding of your business, your regular needs, your seasonal patterns, and your priorities.
A good supplier in this role functions almost like an extension of your team. They know what you normally order, flag when something is running low, and can respond quickly when something urgent comes up.
What range of products should a single supplier be able to cover?
For a hospitality venue looking to consolidate, the supplier needs to be genuinely comprehensive. A supplier who covers food packaging but not glassware, or cleaning products but not consumables, doesn't really solve the problem.
A full-service hospitality supplier should be able to cover:
- Barware and glassware
- Kitchenware, cookware and utensils
- Servingware and cutlery
- Food packaging and takeaway containers
- Cleaning chemicals and janitorial supplies
- Washroom and hygiene products
- Accommodation and amenity supplies
If a supplier can genuinely cover all of this, consolidation becomes a real option, and the time and cost savings follow.
When consolidation might not be the right fit
There are situations where working with multiple suppliers makes sense. If you have a highly specialised requirement that no single supplier can adequately meet, or if you have strong existing relationships you value, splitting your supply across two accounts might be appropriate.
But for most venues, the default assumption that multiple suppliers is the way things have to be is worth questioning. The right supplier can usually cover more than you expect.
A practical starting point
If you're considering consolidating your supply, a useful first step is to list out everything you currently order from each supplier and see what proportion of that a single supplier could actually cover.
We stock over 20 brands across every major category of hospitality consumable, from coffee and food packaging to glassware, chemicals, and washroom supplies. Many of the venues we work with came to us initially for one specific product category and gradually shifted the rest of their supply to us once they saw how the relationship worked.
If you'd like to find out whether we can cover what you need, get in touch. We're happy to have that conversation.