Lynx Purchasing

Finding the right cost-price-margin formula isn’t easy and getting it right takes time - something that’s in short supply at this time of year whether you are a hospitality owner, manager or chef. If you are still pricing up specials menus or adding last minute dishes for Xmas and New Year or planning your January menus, save yourself valuable time and download the Lynx Purchasing GP Calculator App. It’s absolutely free, as easy as pie to use and will help you get your pricing spot on so you can maximise your margins. The GP Calculator App has three built-in formulas that make quick and easy work of menu pricing, dish costing and margin setting. It’s FREE to download from the App Store or Google Play and it is already being used by thousands of hospitality operators, catering managers and chefs in restaurants, bars, hotels, cafes and care homes in the UK and overseas, helping them save time and money. To find out more, go to your App store or check out our website at lynxpurchasing.co.uk or email the Lynx Purchasing team at [email protected] or call us on 01325 710143. https://lnkd.in/eqqm-dNT #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #Hopsitalitymenuplanning #hospitalityxmasmenus #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitalitywintermenus #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts

Winter has arrived a little early with a dramatic show of snow and ice country-wide, but Lynx Purchasing’s first Market Forecast - winter edition - is right on time. Packed with great info and insights for hospitality operators on what to expect over the season ahead in terms of produce availability, quality and prices, it’s designed to help you plan menus and specials that can give you the best GP margin on dishes. With consumer confidence shaky and inflation up again, operators need to be smarter than ever to entice customers out over the festive period and in the slow months of January and February - and make a profit. The team at Lynx Purchasing are experts at helping independent hospitality operators create a competitive advantage with a bespoke approach to purchasing. We work closely with you to control costs, improve quality and find valuable savings in every category of spend - it’s like having your own purchasing team. To find out how we could help you this season, give us a call on 01325 710143 or email us on [email protected] and read the winter Market Forecast - out now and absolutely free. https://lnkd.in/ga8RxYWX #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #UKhospitalitywintermenus #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts

Buckle up for a Bumpy Winter, warns Lynx Purchasing https://lnkd.in/d8JWGQRq

As we head towards the busiest time of year for hospitality, operators need to get their pricing spot on to make the most of this opportunity to maximise their profits. Finding the right cost-price-margin formula isn’t easy and perfecting it takes time - something that’s in short supply at this time of year whether you are a hospitality owner, manager or chef. But saving hospitality operators time and money is what Lynx Purchasing is all about. That’s why we created the first Lynx Purchasing GP Calculator App over a decade ago - and why we created a brand new one this year. To make your life easier and your menus more profitable, the GP Calculator App has three built-in formulas that make quick and easy work of menu pricing, dish costing and margin setting. The new Lynx Purchasing GP Calculator App is FREE to download from the App Store or Google Play and it is already being used by thousands of hospitality operators, catering managers and chefs in restaurants, bars, hotels and cafes in the UK and overseas to save time and money.   To find out more, go to your App store or check out our website at lynxpurchasing.co.uk or email the Lynx Purchasing team at [email protected] or call us on 01325 710143. #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #Hopsitalitymenuplanning #hospitalityxmasmenus

Yesterday’s budget was not overly hospitality-friendly. It has provoked disappointment amongst operators and suppliers that more wasn’t done to support an industry that contributes over £34 billion to the UK economy each year, employs over a million people, and plays a vital role in creating vibrant communities and high streets. The media is awash with dire predictions of potential hospitality industry job losses and business failures and a shortage of investment capital. The loudest complaints are coming from big business however - large suppliers, producers and multiples - many of which have been posting healthy, if not booming, profits recently. However, the biggest impact of this budget will be on the independent restaurants, hotels, pubs, bars, cafes and catering companies - which have fewer resources and reserves, says Lynx Purchasing’s managing director Rachel Dobson. “Increases in minimum wage and National Insurance will hit this sector hard. The extension of business rates support is positive, albeit at a lower rate of 40%. The planned reform of business rates is good to see too, although it’s disappointing that this can’t be done sooner than the announced 2026-27. The fall in duty on beer is a small drop of good cheer, but doesn’t alter the fact that it is still going to be very tough out there for independent hospitality operators over the next few years. Operators will need to employ all their skill and experience to manage costs, cut waste and maintain margins,” she said. If you’d like to know more about how Lynx Purchasing could help your hospitality or catering business adjust to this new operating environment and better manage costs, please call us on 01325 710143 or email us on [email protected] #hospitalityindustrybudget #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #UKbudget2024

It's easy to trot out the same festive menu year after year because we like our traditions - and it wouldn't be Christmas without turkey and mince pies. But if you are a brave hospitality operator and add some extra sparkle to your menu with new ways for customers to enjoy the flavours of the season, you can boost your performance. And if you take Lynx Purchasing's advice, you could also boost your margins as well. Consumer confidence is on a rollercoaster ride, so it’s hard to predict how hospitality will fare over the festive period this year. To tempt diners out, here are some ideas to inspire extra indulgence, provoke attention-grabbing social media posts and create reasons for a repeat visit to try more of your Christmas specials from casual bites to traditonal desserts with a twist. Read our special report here - or get in touch and find out how we could help you this season. Call us on 01325 710143 or email us on [email protected] #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #festiveflavours #festivemenus #christmasmenus2024 https://lnkd.in/eDE7b-Cs

At last week’s British Farming Awards, Welsh dairy farmer Abi Reader won the “Farming Hero: Flying the Flag for British Agriculture’ award. Abi is a champion for farming in Wales, deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union Cymru and a tireless advocate for food and farming. She’s very passionate about educating the next generation to understand about farming and food - and the importance of food security. On winning the award, Abi said, “It’s amazing to think I’ve made a difference, the cows always have to be fed, and that goes for everything, it’s the ethos of farming, everyone in the country has to be fed.” She believes that, despite all of the challenges, UK farmers are "well placed to provide the future the country wants for sustainable food produced in a climate friendly way. The right support structures from government, combined with farming’s ‘can-do’ attitude, can deliver this and more. Now is the time to harness British Farming’s ambition for the future.” It’s an ambition we should all share and the hospitality industry and its suppliers have a big role to play too. Supporting UK farmers and developing menus that use seasonal UK grown and produced produce is good for all stakeholders, the planet - and results in dishes that are fresher, tastier and better value in terms of quality. At Lynx Purchasing we also believe passionately in sourcing UK produce whenever we can and promoting the benefits of seasonality and quality. We congratulate and thank Abi and all of the winners of the 2024 British Farming Awards for what they contribute to our industry 365-days a year. For more on seasonality and sustainability in purchasing, give us a call on 01325 710143 or email us on [email protected] #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #NFU #BritishFarmingAwards2024 #BritishFarming #celebratefarming #farm #farmlife #FarmersGuardian#BritishFarmingAwards #bfa #bfa24 #feedingthenation #AbiReader

For over 20 years, Unity Works in London has been helping young adults with learning difficulties gain the skills they need to find employment in the hospitality industry. It’s a pleasure to support Unity Works and one of the highlights of Lynx Purchasing’s year is attending student graduation. This week, 21 students  graduated and were presented with their awards by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Robert Rigby, at Westminster City Hall. For the year, 2023/24, Unity Works has supported 297 jobseekers and helped 74 secure paid employment so far. One reason for the success of its programme is that students get real world experience with on-the-job training at Cafe Victoria and its new venture Lisson Grove, both of which are run as social enterprises in partnership with Westminster City Council. Unity Works also partners with The Felix Project to help feed local communities in London by rescuing surplus food from the food industry and delivering it to over 900 frontline charities and schools. Unity Works is part of the Thera Trust, a registered charity. If you want to know more, or are interested in giving your support to Unity Works or a job to one of its fantastic graduates, you can contact them on 0300 303 1280 or by email at [email protected] For more, visit https://lnkd.in/ebC7hxZr #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #hospitalityrecruitment #hospitalitystaffing

First cracker of the season! In the hospitality industry Christmas always starts early and it was our pleasure to visit one of our top supply partners Brakes in Reading, meet its specialist product teams and get a tasty introduction to the festive season. The Lynx Purchasing team had a cracking day and special thanks to our Brakes' hosts Keiron Standen and Gill Hardcastle. For help with your Christmas and New Year offers, orders and availability, please get in touch. Drop us an email on [email protected] or call us on 01325 710143. #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #BrakesChristmas #Brakes

Where does our food come from? How is it grown, reared or produced? Can we trust what is said on a label or a menu? This is the heart of the controversy around RSPCA Assured, one of the UK’s largest food certification schemes covering almost 4,000 farms. RSPCA Assured supermarket labels are intended to denote food that has been produced to a higher welfare standard. However 60 campaign organisations have questioned its integrity and are calling for it to be scrapped, after undercover investigations revealed welfare issues at 40 farms.The RSPCA has now launched its own investigation and review. While this is a difficult moment for the much-respected RSPCA, maintaining robust accreditation systems are the only way we can develop ethical supply chains. At Lynx Purchasing, we tell our customers where products are sourced from and, wherever we can, we seek third-party independent accreditation of products and services to ensure the highest animal welfare standards and environmental stewardship. We try to keep supply chains short in order to stay as close to verifiable sources as possible and we develop close, long-term relationships with suppliers we trust. However, we accept that knowing and verifying the origins of the products we supply is an ongoing challenge and vigilance and transparency are vital to a robust system that customers can trust. Like the RSPCA has discovered, integrity is something that we all have to continuously strive for and never take for granted. To find out more about product sourcing or get advice on higher welfare products and sustainability, give us a call on 01325 710143 or email us on [email protected]   #hospitalityindustry #hospitalitynews #UKhospitality #hospitalityexperts #hospitalitysector #hospitalitypurchasing #purchasingexperts #sustainablesupplychains #animalwelfarestandards