There are many advantages to working with a food service management company when managing a corporate cafeteria, school lunch program, or nursing home food delivery. Rather than trying to manage every detail of the operation yourself, a food service management company can take care of things for you, freeing up your time to focus on other aspects of your business.
In addition, a good food service management company can help you grow your business and reach new heights. If you’re looking for an edge over your competitors, consider working with a food service management company.
This article will look at some of the key advantages of working with a food service management company.
What is a Food Service Management Company?
Before we get into the advantages, let’s start by looking at what a food service management company does.
In general, a food service management company is a commercial enterprise or a nonprofit organization that is or may be contracted with by the school food authority to manage any aspect of the school food service, and that meets all state and federal requirements.
These companies can also provide their services to corporates, hospitals, prisons, daycares, and other institutions.
What does a Food Service Management Company Do?
The services offered by food service management companies vary from one company to the next. A company may be interested in helping you get your facilities appropriately managed, improve your menu or train your employees. In general, though, a good food service management company will offer any service you might need to work your food service.
Advantages of A Food Service Management Company
The following are the top advantages of working with a food service management company.
- Cost
The biggest and most common reason people choose to work with a food service management company is that it’s less expensive than doing everything themselves. Rather than hiring employees and buying equipment, you can hire a food service management company to take care of all the things your business needs.
Foodservice management companies have saved business owners a significant amount of money, as they can provide expert advice and manage all the details of your food service. And since many companies have industry connections that you don’t have access to, they can also give you access to discounts that other customers may not be able to get.
- Expertise
Another critical advantage is expertise. As mentioned above, a food service management company has connections and expertise that you may not have. For example, a food service management company can help you by:
- Educating your employees
- Hiring foodservice professionals to train your team
- Getting discounts on equipment or supplies for your business
Whether you need someone to manage and maintain your equipment or you want a complete solution, a food service management company can provide these benefits for your business.
They have years of experience working with different foodservice equipment, so they know which appliances are the best for your business.
- Quality
The third advantage of a food service management company is focusing on quality. While you might be content with the bare minimum, a good food service management company will always look for ways to improve your business and make it great.
A good food service management company will help you implement new ideas that can go a long way toward improving your business and growing its profits.
For example, they might provide new menu ideas; offer suggestions on making your business more environmentally friendly; recommend suppliers for food, equipment, or supplies; suggest ways to improve the efficiency of your operations; and much more.
- Time
Although many businesses think hiring a food service management company is an added expense, this may not be the case. Why? Because you can save time by hiring a food service management company to handle your business for you.
Rather than managing every aspect of your business, you can hire someone who will take care of it all, so you don’t have to worry about anything at all. This gives you more free time to focus on the aspects of your business that you enjoy and want to work on.
- Flexibility and Scalability
Foodservice management companies provide a high degree of flexibility and scalability for their customers, allowing them to grow or shrink as needed without the hassle associated with hiring new staff members. This is especially helpful because it means you can lower or increase your workforce without changing the number of managers you have.
For example, suppose your business suddenly gets busier than usual because of an event. In that case, good food service management companies can scale up by hiring more staff members so that your customers are taken care of properly.
If the business begins to slow down again, they will scale back down and reevaluate your staffing needs. This makes it easy to grow and de-escalate as needed without hiring and firing new employees every time you need more or less help in the office.
Many food service management companies also provide added benefits such as payroll functions, staff scheduling, marketing, advertising assistance, customer service support, and much more – something invaluable to a business owner.
A food service management company will research and test different appliances before recommending the best ones to suit your business needs.
In addition, these professionals can usually help you negotiate better deals on equipment and supplies for your business. This means you’ll save money on those new appliances while still getting a great product.
If you do not have the time or knowledge needed to make good decisions about what appliances to purchase, you should consider hiring a food service management company as they can save you money and time in the long run.
Hiring a good food service management company will avoid costly mistakes, and rest easy knowing that your business is always taken care of. You can enjoy running your business while still getting all those great benefits listed above.
So if you’ve been thinking about working with a food service management company, consider this: your business will benefit from all the help and support they can provide so that you can focus on what matters most to you.
Many businesses have found that hiring a good food service management company is one of the best decisions they have ever made.
What to look out for in a Food Service Management Company?
Choosing a food service management company can be pretty tricky, especially if you’re not familiar with the industry.
To help you find the right one for your business, here are some essential points to consider:
- Company Size
When choosing a food service management company, you should not overlook the importance of size.
A large company handles hundreds or even thousands of businesses and has a lot of experience to share with their clients. In contrast, a small company may be better for those whose businesses are just starting as they will have more time to dedicate towards their individual needs.
- Specialization
Not all food service management companies are equipped to handle every type of business. Many can work with various kinds of companies depending on their specialization. For example, some may specialize in servicing bars or restaurants, while others may be better suited for hotels or hospitals.
When choosing a company, think about your type of business and see if they have a specialization that matches your needs.
- Reputation
Before hiring any food service management company, you should always research their background. This will help you learn more about their history and understand how they work with other companies just like yours.
You should also confirm that they have a good reputation with other businesses in the same industry.
- Other Services Provided
Some food service management companies offer more than just managing your company’s services, equipment, and supplies – they may help you plan events as well.
Hiring a company that can cater to parties or events can be a perfect incentive. You will only need to find one company instead of working with multiple vendors.
- Staff Members
Take the time to learn more about who you will be working with regularly.
The first person you should meet is usually the owner of the company. Ask for their resume and find out more about where they got their education, background in business management, or any other related courses they may have taken. Make sure it all matches up with what they will be doing for your company.
Also, find out more about the staff members working daily with you. If possible, meet them and talk with them before signing any contracts or agreements.
You should feel comfortable talking to whoever will be representing your business from day to day.
- Specialized Equipment and Supplies
Some food service management companies may rent out specialized equipment such as pizza ovens, ice machines, or soda dispensers. These can vary in price depending on the size and type of equipment you will be leasing, but it is an option that many businesses find very helpful.
As foodservice management companies have a lot of experience with the equipment and supplies you will be using in your business; they should know which items are most important to have on hand.
The best ones can also help you find reliable suppliers so that you don’t have to spend too much time looking for them yourself.
A food service management company can help ensure food safety throughout the process. To learn more on the importance of food safety during processing, please see the infographic below.
Infographic provided by nut processing equipment manufacturers, Key Technology
In conclusion, choosing the right service to manage your food services is very important. It can make or break how well your business does, so always take the time to find one that best suits your unique needs and requirements.
