We’ve all experienced the allure of fresh baked bread as we stroll past a supermarket’s in-house bakery! As consumers, we also customarily assume that a fresh baked bread product will be more expensive and harder to keep around the kitchen very long before becoming a paperweight or a door stop. We have just gotten used to this.
Fast forward to the hospitality industry today.
Chefs, acting as the “buyer”, engage in an eternal search for simplifying processes to keep a consistent flow of quality baked goods on hand. This includes the tasks of sourcing the best foods, keeping an eye on inventory and ordering product with the goal of gaining great reviews for a memorable dining experience. Tossed into this balancing act is the need to stay on budget while keeping their kitchens cooking. When it comes to purchasing fresh bread wholesale for their restaurant, many encounter the same difficulties found when purchasing fresh baked goods in retail bakeries. And so… many lean on their frozen broadline purveyor as that resource.
Why doesn’t frozen bread make the cut?
The complication is that restaurants and chefs are facing a unique time – supply chain delays, shutdowns and shortages in labor at regional bakeries. Not to be ignored are rising energy costs for transportation which drive up base frozen food costs or worse, the products you need are not available at all!
Additionally, “real estate” in professional kitchens and freezer storage areas is always at a premium. Large orders with “cases of breads” may seem to make maintaining supply on hand easier, yet that storeroom can become a black hole. With one hand on the door frame while peering in, have you ever wondered: Oh! How long has some of that bread been there?
Not only is over-the-road hauling of products affected by rising fuel costs there are added concerns when it comes to delivering frozen foods such as bread. Frozen breads can sometimes become partially thawed during distribution. Re-freezing this bread causes ice crystals to form within the loaves of bread. When the bread is thawed a second time, the quality is significantly decreased as condensation forms in the bag causing a natural staleness and mold growth to quickly set in.
Why is Fresh Bread ALWAYS better?
Glad you asked! Here are three reasons:
- Fresh baked products are usually less expensive than the frozen and boxed bread products provided by large chain suppliers. This makes staying with-in budget more of a reality. Why? Because being fresh negates the whole need to store product therefore less shipping and handling costs, as well as less energy costs in maintaining temps in storage facilities.
- Smaller daily orders will keep all products fresh and take up much less valuable storage space in an already cramped kitchen environment, not to mention, working with a local bakery, baking-to-order with next morning delivery gives a chef tremendous ability to manage product on hand as the volume ebbs and flows with trends, weather, pop up parties, etc. Quick turn around on local orders alleviates concerns over supply chain fluctuations, shortages and long-range delays.
- Let’s frame this one: Nothing beats a fresh product for presentation! Let’s face it, you can ‘butter and toast’ anything on the
top to cover inadequacies in taste and freshness, but a great chef knows that fresh core ingredients, along with technique, creates a great meal. It’s those details that can leave a lasting impression. Voila! You have reached the goal of gaining those all-important great reviews of a memorable dining experience.
Now, if you could pair these with actually lowering overall food costs and daily processes… It’s like Chef Nirvana! 🤓
How MC Bread Distributor Co. comes to the rescue!
MC Bread Distributor Co. has an efficient, simple ordering process to be able to offer a wide variety of baked-to-order bread products to fit any menu. Our large dedicated fleet and distribution network ensures that you always have the wholesale bread you need in a timely, professional manner you can count on. We would be happy to provide fresh bread samples to your restaurant along with expert recommendations, along with a product and price list which will impress.
Providing fresh baked goods for the customer is a win-win-win. MC Bread Distributor Co. allows each meal you serve to be provided with the highest quality – never frozen bread.
Free samples of most of our products are available upon request.
MC Bread Distributor Co. – That’s how we roll!
