Answer to Question 1
Small establishments typically use a decentralized purchasing process in which the owner, manager, or specific production, service, and bar employees order products required for their department. Policies and procedures indicate when and how product orders are placed and from whom products are purchased.
Large-volume operations often use a centralized purchasing system in which a single purchaser orders for all departments. A purchase requisition indicating the need for additional products is received by the purchaser. He or she then issues a request for proposal (RFP) asking approved vendors to submit bids according to purchase specifications. RFP responses are analyzed, and a purchase order is issued to the chosen vendor.
Answer to Question 2
Nutrition trends can impact customer preference. Managers can gauge the
importance of health trends to their businesses by paying attention to and
understanding the importance of the following: customer requests, demographics,
news stories on health and fitness, information from trade organizations,
government reports and regulations, and experts' market predictions.