Better food buying, without the overhead.
Cater Source Network analyses your current purchasing, runs competitive tenders with approved suppliers, and locks in your chosen supplier on the contract term you agree — with measurable savings. Independent restaurants, pubs, hotels, cafés, schools and care homes nationwide across the UK — at zero cost to you.
- 8–22%
- typical food-cost saving
- £0
- cost to caterers
- 6 wks
- average tender to signed contract
Every category & temperature
Fresh, frozen & ambient.
Full-basket reviews covering every temperature — fresh, frozen and ambient. Tender by category or roll them up into one consolidated basket, with UK nationals, regional specialists and your incumbents at the table.
What we do
A procurement team, on tap.
Upload your invoices. We turn them into a benchmark, run a tender with approved suppliers, and lock in your chosen supplier on an agreed contract term. You keep operational control — we take care of the buying.
Invoice-level analysis
Upload PDFs, spreadsheets and photos. We extract every product line, then aggregate up to categories and full baskets so we know exactly what you buy.
Category & full-basket tenders
We tender by category — produce, meat, dry goods, drinks — or as a single consolidated basket. UK nationals like Brakes and Bidfood alongside regional specialists and your incumbents.
Supplier-funded, flexible term
No cost to you — approved suppliers cover our fees. You choose the contract term (minimum 1 year, typically 3). Longer terms often unlock sharper pricing, and you keep the suppliers you love.
Peer benchmark network
Opt in to have your rates anonymously compared against other UK businesses. See where you're competitive and where you're not — the network gets sharper as more operators join.
AI where it earns its keep
Automated line extraction, product matching and spend categorisation. Humans still run every tender.
Multi-site ready
Structured for single sites, groups and contract caterers. Every site rolls up into one procurement view.
Our process
Four simple steps.
Designed to fit around service. Most of the work happens on our side — you review the numbers when they're ready.
Read the detail- 01
Upload your invoices
Drop in a few recent months of purchasing. PDF, Excel, CSV or photos — however you have it.
- 02
We build the picture
Every line is extracted and rolled up into categories and a full basket view. You see your true cost by category and, if you opt in, how it compares to peers.
- 03
We tender by category or basket
UK nationals, regional specialists and your incumbents bid on the categories or the whole basket. We evaluate and present the best option.
- 04
You award and we lock it in
You pick the winning supplier and we lock the contract in on the agreed term — usually 1 to 3 years — with lead times and a savings tracker you can watch each month.
See what you'd save.
A 90-second savings estimate. No obligation. No cost.