If you are a small operator you might be happy baking your own heavenly bread or getting your bread from a local bakery, but as soon as your sandwich shop reaches a certain size you require the security of a large-scale bakery supplier.
So many options! Which one to choose for your sandwich shop? In the following we will go over some of the pros and cons for them all to hopefully move you closer to deciding.
Serving homemade bread is always a pleasure, and nothing compares to the taste – and smell – of freshly baked bread with a crispy crust.
But looking at the cost, time and liability, it is not worthwhile. This way of making bread is quite expensive, both in terms of raw ingredients and the time you or your co-workers spend, and in terms of the need for extra space and machines in the kitchen.
If you decide to get a local supplier to make the bread for you, you will get that lovely artisan bread. And not only will it show that you support local businesses, it will also provide you with a story to tell about where the bread is coming from.
The downside is that it is a more expensive solution, and even though the local bakery is scoring high on proximity, it is still a small business where things can go wrong – and you have no backup when they do – whether it’s a batch of bread gone bad or a shortage of power. Also, you’re missing out on that lovely smell of freshly baked bread in your sandwich shop.
Even at the largest baking companies a big part of the processes is still handled by people: Developing the recipes, testing, improving, and finally producing the bread with the right texture, crust and crumb. These are all highly skilled bakers, who get up early in the morning.
With this choice, you will not only get high quality bread and a broader selection of products, you’ll also benefit from the best security of delivery, high food safety standards and the lowest risk of failure of all your options. By getting your supplies from a major distributor who is holding a large stock, this company will make sure you are covered if things go wrong. No matter if one bakery fails to produce or a delivery doesn’t make it to your sandwich shop.
Small operators might be able to offer homemade bread, but when you reach a certain number of customers, this is no longer a viable option – it is simply too expensive and too risky.
But you actually can get the best from both worlds by supplementing your fresh bread with a selection of convenient products such as frozen par-baked, fully baked or thaw & serve breads.
When you pick and choose from both worlds like this, you get to prioritize what you want to make from the ground up – and what you want to leave in the hands of other professionals.
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