Compare the exact product in a common unit, calculate the full order cost, and check whether the supplier can meet your delivery and quality requirements. Keep alternatives separate from exact matches.
A supplier quotes €19.20 for a case. Another quotes €10.20. Which offer is better? Until you know the number of units, the product specification and the delivery charge, the prices do not answer the question.
For a pub, restaurant or hotel, buying well is not a contest to find the smallest number on a price list. It is a decision about the stock you need, the cash you will spend and the service you must be ready to deliver. This guide sets out a practical comparison method, with a fictional drinks order you can adapt to your own suppliers.
Start with the product, not the price
Create a clear description of what you actually need: brand, variant, unit size, units per case and purchasing unit. For food, include the specification that matters to your kitchen, such as cut, grade, preparation, chilled or frozen state, and usable yield. Keep relevant dietary and allergen information with the specification; do not assume an alternative is interchangeable.
A 200 ml bottle is not the same purchasing unit as a 330 ml bottle. A 12-pack and a 24-pack may contain the same drink, but their case prices are not directly comparable. GS1 Ireland explains that different packaging levels have different product identifiers, so even a barcode match needs the correct level of packaging. [1]
Use two distinct groups in your comparison: exact product matches and alternatives for approval. A different brand may be a good choice, but that is a quality or menu decision as well as a price decision. Ask the chef or bar manager to approve it before it enters the regular order.
Work out a common unit cost
For a like-for-like bottled product, divide the case price by the number of bottles. For an ingredient sold by weight, compare the price per kilogram. For products sold by volume, use litres or millilitres consistently.
Usable quantity matters. A cheaper ingredient may involve more preparation or waste. As a fictional example, a 10 kg pack costing €40 with an 80% usable yield provides 8 kg of usable product: €5 per usable kilogram. A comparable 10 kg pack at €45 with a 95% usable yield provides 9.5 kg: about €4.74 per usable kilogram. Those yields are assumptions to test in your kitchen, not industry benchmarks.
Do not compare a VAT-inclusive quote with a VAT-exclusive quote. Confirm the treatment of VAT, refundable deposits, discounts and other charges with the person responsible for your accounts. Keep refundable deposits visible as cash outlay rather than quietly treating them as a permanent ingredient cost.
A worked example: 96 bottles for Friday
The venue needs 96 bottles of the same fictional tonic water, in the same 200 ml format. All three suppliers have stock, can deliver by Friday and meet the venue’s quality requirements. Minimum orders are already satisfied. Prices below exclude VAT and refundable deposits.
| Comparison | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottles per case | 24 | 12 | 24 |
| Case price | €19.20 | €10.20 | €18.60 |
| Product cost per bottle | €0.80 | €0.85 | €0.775 |
| Cases needed | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| Product subtotal | €76.80 | €81.60 | €74.40 |
| Delivery charge | Included | Included | €8.00 |
| Delivered order cost | €76.80 | €81.60 | €82.40 |
Supplier B has the lowest case price, but the case contains half as many bottles. Supplier C has the lowest product cost per bottle, but delivery changes the result. Supplier A has the lowest delivered cost for this particular order. The gap between A and C is €5.60; it is a comparison between fictional offers, not a promised saving from software.
Try the delivered-cost calculator
Change the quantities and prices below. The calculator rounds up to whole cases and shows how many units you would actually receive. It compares one identical product across three suppliers; it does not optimise a mixed basket or decide whether products are equivalent.
A leftover case is not necessarily waste, but it ties up cash and storage. Compare the total purchase commitment as well as the cost per bottle. Confirm stock, expiry dates where relevant, delivery availability and contractual terms before treating a calculated result as an order recommendation.
Compare the whole basket before splitting an order
Suppose moving one line to a second supplier reduces its product subtotal by €4, but creates a new €10 delivery charge. That split increases the basket cost by €6. Conversely, adding a product to a delivery you are already receiving may create no extra delivery charge at all.
For each supplier, total the products you would buy, the delivery charge for that basket, and any applicable handling fees. Check minimum order values and any thresholds for free delivery. Apply only discounts you are actually entitled to receive, with their expiry dates recorded. Do not add unnecessary stock simply to cross a free-delivery threshold without comparing the extra cash and storage involved.
Consider cash timing separately from product value. Payment terms can matter to working capital, but they do not make an unaffordable or unsuitable product a bargain. Keep negotiated contract terms and approved-supplier requirements visible rather than allowing a lowest-price sort to override them.
Keep supplier reliability in the decision
Use a small, evidence-based supplier scorecard alongside the price comparison. Record whether complete deliveries arrived on time, how shortages were resolved and whether agreed prices matched the invoices. Do not create a precise-looking score from guesswork or one unhappy delivery.
A supplier who resolves a shortage before service may justify a higher cost. Record that choice: “Selected B because Friday delivery is confirmed; A cannot meet the deadline.” A short reason is more useful than pretending the decision was based on price alone.
For food purchasing, preserve the receiving and supplier records you need for traceability. FSAI sets out requirements including supplier identity, product information and delivery dates, with additional detail for certain products. The purchasing worksheet is not a replacement for those records. [2]
Keep one usable supplier-price record
Store the supplier’s product code, your internal product description, pack size, agreed price, effective date, delivery rules and the document supporting the quote. Add who checked the match and when. This makes a later price change much easier to investigate.
A useful weekly routine is to review only the items you need to order, the prices that have changed and the products whose specification is unclear. Keep previous prices as history instead of overwriting them without a trace. When an invoice differs from the approved order, pass it into a separate invoice-review process rather than changing the purchase record to make the numbers agree.
Where software and AI can help
A practical system can bring supplier information into a common comparison view. AI-assisted extraction can be used to prepare product and pack-size matches, but the workflow should flag uncertainty and show the original quotation. The calculations should remain explicit and reproducible.
Test the difficult examples: a new pack size, an ambiguous description, a temporary discount, an out-of-stock item and a delivery minimum. Ask the supplier to demonstrate those cases before accepting a claim of automatic matching. A confident match is not enough when it changes what your kitchen or bar receives.
Start with one regular order. Record how long the comparison takes, how many mismatches need correction and what the delivered basket costs. That gives you a credible baseline for improving purchasing without disrupting relationships that already work.
Questions publicans and restaurant managers ask
Should I always choose the lowest unit price?
No. Unit price is a useful starting point, but delivery, case rounding, minimum orders, product suitability and reliability can change the decision. Compare the full basket and record any reason for choosing a higher-cost option.
Can I compare different brands?
Yes, but put them in an alternatives group and confirm quality, specification and suitability first. Do not report an alternative brand as an exact product match.
How often should I update supplier prices?
A practical starting point is to check the prices on the items you are about to order and investigate invoice differences promptly. Agree a wider review frequency with your team based on how often prices and terms change.
What should I take to a procurement software demonstration?
Bring an anonymised order, two or three price lists with different pack sizes, and a delivery-charge example. Ask the provider to show the comparison, identify uncertainty and explain who approves the purchase.
Sources and editorial notes
Primary guidance checked on 26 October 2026. Operational routines and worked examples are Inntally’s editorial recommendations; adapt them to your venue.
All numerical examples are fictional and explain the method; they are not customer results or savings claims. Images are illustrations, not photographs of identified customers or evidence of product outcomes.
Read next
- A pub stocktake template that helps you explain the difference
- Three-way invoice matching for restaurants: ordered, received, invoiced
- How to reduce restaurant no-shows without losing the welcome
- Restaurant bookkeeping in Ireland: a weekly routine that keeps the records together
- Recipe costing that actually works — where the supplier price lands next.
- the Inntally marketplace — the product page.