Three Ways To Reduce Your Restaurant Costs While Supporting A Local Bakery

Most restaurants will offer a house appetizer, such as chips and dip or bread to customers. If you would like to offer a complimentary loaf of bread to each table at your eatery, you will need to be able to keep the cost of this product low in order to maximize profits. If you want to keep the cost of your bread low, you should utilize some different bread companies in your general area. Here are some ways to support a local bakery and keep your costs low for your restaurant's bread. 

Bake the dough yourself

If you want to be able to have fresh bread but keep it in bulk, it can be better to purchase dough instead of fully baked loaves of bread. Have the bakery provide you with the dough pieced into the appropriate size and shapes to make the bread. Each day, your restaurant can defrost the necessary amount of dough and put the bread inside of the oven. This will give customers truly fresh bread and make it easier for you and the bakery to create the necessary product. 

Get a contract for a specialized dough

In order to attract interest to your restaurant, the bakery, and the bread, get together with the bakery and create a bread recipe that is specific to your restaurant. This will benefit all parties because it will draw customers to both businesses. After tasting your special made bread, customers may wish to be able to purchase just the bread itself. You will be able to sell special loaves of bread inside of your store in large sizes. Make sure that in the contract any stand alone loaf income will be split between you and the bakery. If you do not have the space nor functionality to sell stand alone loaves, make an agreement with the bakery to sell the loaves to customers who you refer to the shop and split the profits. 

Advertise for one another

Advertising for each other's businesses will give you both an opportunity to help one another shine. On your menu, add the name of the bakery that supplies your special bread. The bakery can add you as an advertisement on their wall or on some of the brochures that they distribute. Mutual advertising will lead to customers visiting one or both of your businesses. The mutual advertising can also cut down on your restaurants advertising budget, slashing costs for you and keeping more money in your pocket.