Module #4: Purchasing/Flow of Goods/Systems

Write a summary of ordering, receiving and storing procedures. Understand how daily and weekly quantities or needs are determined, purchasing procedures, purchase orders, bidding systems, receiving controls, pricing practices, storage rotation, purveyor list with specialty sources, order sheets and invoices.
One full page is required (single space, font size 12pt.) Utilize spell check and proofread to ensure proper grammar and punctuation. Present your work neatly and professionally. Supervisor's signature must be on the typed page.

Date:______________________ Position/Station: Cook/WCC Sports House (Garde Manger) Supervisors Signature: Gerald FORD ______________________Title: Executive Chef
Please sign here. If the actual student work is begun on a different page, your signature is required on that page.

Submitted at the end of week four:

Yes

No

Transition
This week was my transition from Banquet to, WCC Sports House here I would be working under Chef Dan Barbuto in what I, as kindly as possible, refer to as Culinary quicksand. Little did I know I was about to learn first-hand exactly what and where the Culinary Glass Ceiling is and where it is located but before reaching Culinary Purgatory I had the opportunity to learn about the WCC procurement process and I was assigned to meet and interview Hannah Mattarazzo,

Purchasing
Store Room Manager. Excluding her from the WCC Culinary Organizational Chart is a disservice because no Chef, Cook, Intern, Extern gets anything unless you go past Hannah and her people- in writing, but I think she too understand the sting of bumping ones head on the glass ceiling. Hannah is the keeper of the goods and she runs a tight ship and quite organized. The tour of her world which is BTS (behind the scenes) started with my first question, How do you keep this organized?. Because it is all about organization !

Storage Dry Goods

Dry goods from, dairy, meat, every item has a place and a reason for that place. The dry goods arrive in such quantity that a stored directly on pallets that dont fit through the doors therefore they are received by the respective kitchen get their requisitions by hand trucks taken directly from these pallets. Flour, panko flakes breadcrumbs, and sugar these are the items stored and dispensed in this manner.

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Coffee/Teas/Hot Beverages Next I learned where she keeps the coffee and different teas for the club, these items are provided by three different vendors to purchase coffee. There is one company specifically for the members coffee a second for the coffee used for the outings (this is where companies/outsiders/non WCC members can rent out part of the golf course for an afternoon and they receive three meals and a snack during the middle of their golf session.) and a third for the employee coffee machines, not the best quality. Paper Goods Near the coffee area is where items that the wait staff uses close together so they came be acquired quickly all in the same are these are high volume high traffic items that need to be accessed quickly but need to be away from the full BOH operations, this all makes sense.

Refrigerated Items
Lettuces and fruits The walk-in refrigerators an area that is being repurposed and reorganized the first is where I encountered just lettuce and fruits which was a departure from the previous management which was not serving the rotation of fragile produce. From past encounters Hannah requires a thorough inspection and rotation of all lettuce upon arrival and if there is damage of any sort there is a strict reporting process in place. If it looks like the condition of the product will still be acceptable for WCC standards within five days she will accept the delivery otherwise the entire shipment is rejected. Meat Box From the produce box to the meat box where a surplus of foods such like Free bird chicken, strip loins, beef tenderloin, apple wood Smoked bacon, 8 ounce burgers and cured meats. Dairy Box Then we moved onto the freezer where items such as gluten free desserts and breads, fruit purees, different sizes of shrimp. In the last walk-in there were dairy items, anchovies, horse radish, carrots, mayonnaise, orange juice and cheeses. Hannah mentioned while we were in this refrigerator that the dates on the dairy items are only one week old to maintain the freshness of the products. Dry Goods From here we moved onto the dry goods and Hannah wanted me to know that the rotation of these items is just as important as the meat and produce. When receiving these items she makes sure that cans and boxes are not dented and seals are not broken.

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Systems In running this operation there are standards that are to be strictly adhered and I learned WCC acceptable standards. The previous day during the delivery a bottle of vinegar broke as the items were being checked in, because of this action and the amount of business the WCC does with this vendor, Hannah refused the entire order. Freshness and Quantities The daily and weekly quantities are determined by special events and because they are so varied Hannah stated The WCC Store Room does not have a set quantities order weekly but there are minimums (PAR) of specific items that are in the store room. For example during the summer months on weekends Hannah will make sure that she keeps three to four flats of berries because The WCC Sports House and the Banquet Kitchen require this to service their menus. Pasta she will requires one full case plus any extra boxes from the remaining cases. Requisitions Each kitchen processes requisitions in its unique manner. The Banquet Kitchen submits requisitions weekly because there events are scheduled well in advance, while the Sports House submits their requisitions by 2:00 pm daily as they are the more exclusive and high volume service points second only to the Main Dining Room. All other restaurants on property Hannah reviews Par levels, needs and requisitions on a nightly basis. Purveyor For The Purveyor List Hannah keeps an extensive excel spreadsheet (available upon request) that has about six to eight different companies and their prices for each product so she can have a side by side comparison of prices so she knows when she is getting the best price. Prices are not the only reason why one vendor would be chosen over another the quality of that companys product is also considered. Ordering
Sysco rebate system $ 10,000 order 3% paid on-time or early another 1% changes week to week . For WCC Sysco has an arrangement to x-ray all potato deliveries to ensure freshness. Because of the size of the orders and quality demands special arrangements like this exist with many of the vendors and new methods of delivery are being developed by Hannah continually. Seasonal discounts are sought from May through October and the WCC busy season concludes in late September and the club closes for the Month of February, therefore the goal is to maximize purchase savings during the peak season.

C. Meachem CIA Externship 2013

CIA Instructors comments:

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