Selling your cheese in the HoReCa sector: partnerships and short supply chains with restaurateurs

For a producer or refiner, commercial food service (Horeca: cafe, hotel, restaurant) represents a high-value-added sales channel.

In the cheese market, selling to food service relies above all on human relationships, product quality, and the reliability of the seller. Restaurateurs look for dependable partners capable of offering products consistent with their menu and culinary identity.

Collaborating with chefs, caterers, or hoteliers therefore requires a more specific, more personalized, and more flexible approach.

In this article, we offer you a complete overview of the trends, expectations, and best practices to successfully sell your cheese in food service networks: from the initial contact to customer loyalty.

The role of cheese in French food service

Culinary trends: from the traditional platter to cheese creativity

Cheese is no longer an accompaniment: it is an element of culinary and identity differentiation.

Long confined to the end of the meal, cheese is now establishing itself as a creative ingredient at the heart of the plate. The traditional cheese platter is giving way, in some establishments, to composed plates that are lighter and more aesthetic: shaved Comté on candied vegetables, fresh goat cheese accompanied by honey or onion confit, caramelized crust on a seasonal cream soup... You choose the recipe you like!

Thus, cheese becomes a taste signature, worked in the same spirit as sauces or wines.

At the same time, formats are diversifying. Appetizer platters to share, melting bites, mini snack portions, or updated desserts: each type of establishment offers its star combinations.

As an extension of this diversification, the opening of new concepts contributes to redefining the place of cheese in French gastronomy and consumption habits. Cheese bars, updated raclettes, "gourmet" fondues: these formats are multiplying in major cities and bear witness to the vitality of the category.

The expectations of restaurateurs: quality, consistency, origin

Restaurateurs look above all for a consistent and high-value product.

High-value, because their customers come to the restaurant to have an experience, to discover flavors they do not consume at home. The cheese must therefore surprise: by its quality, its originality, or its ability to think outside the box. Far from the traditional Comté or Roquefort, simply put.

Consistent, because a customer returns when they know they will find the same quality with each visit. Today, this is an essential criterion at a time when eating out has become a carefully considered choice. Customers do not want bad surprises.

According to the UMIH (Union of Hospitality Industry Businesses), in 2025, patronage of establishments fell by 15 to 20% compared to the previous summer. In some tourist areas, the drop in revenue even reached -25 to -35% for bars and restaurants.

In a context where purchasing power is at the center of concerns, every outing must live up to expectations. That is why restaurateurs place crucial importance on the stability of the experience they offer, while seeking to tell a story, to take their customers on a journey.

In short, taking them out of their daily routine.

And yes, a cheese can do that too.

The main criteria for restaurateurs:

• consistency of taste and aging;

• traceability and labels (PDO, farmhouse, raw milk);

• irreproachable freshness and hygiene;

• price justified by quality and service.

The cheeses that build the most customer loyalty in establishments are those that combine an identifiable origin with sensory consistency.

The impact of locavorism and short supply chains

Locavorism is profoundly transforming restaurant sourcing. More than 60% of French restaurateurs claim to prioritize local and seasonal products, according to FranceAgriMer.

For cheese, this trend is even more pronounced: one out of two restaurateurs says they regularly buy from a regional producer or refiner. And with good reason: it is a product that naturally fits into this search for origin. Rooted in the terroir, made from local milk, often protected by an appellation, cheese alone embodies regional identity. Only a few exceptions, like mozzarella or parmesan, escape this logic. But for similar reasons: they too are traditional products, closely linked to a terroir, even if it is on the other side of the Alps.

This locavore approach relies on three levers:

• qualitative: fresher products, distinctive taste;

• marketing: highlight on the menu (“Tomme from farm X, 15 km from the restaurant”);

• relational: direct contact and lasting trust with the producer.

‍But local sourcing also implies new logistical constraints: irregular volumes, fragmented deliveries, higher prices. This is why producers must structure their offer (pooling, cooperatives, planned deliveries...) to meet the requirements of food service.

How to approach and convince a restaurateur

Identify the right contacts and prepare your pitch

Convincing a restaurateur requires understanding who you are talking to. An independent chef does not have the same priorities as a hotel group, just as a hotel will not have the same needs for its continental breakfast as for its gourmet dinner.

Before making an appointment:

• analyze the menu and positioning;

• identify the cheeses already present;

• prepare a tailored pitch (taste, use, source, service);

• propose a short but targeted tasting, 2 to 3 products maximum. Better three coherent products than an entire catalog that does not fit.

The restaurateur wants to quickly understand what extra value you bring.

To do this, rely on an establishment qualification assessment. It will help you identify those that represent real commercial potential, and set aside those that risk taking up time for too little return.

Build a tailored offer (formats, prices, logistics)

Building a tailored offer requires time, adjustments, and sometimes several attempts. It is rare to get it right on the first try. To refine your proposal, talk with your current clients. Ask them what they appreciate about your products, your services, your logistics. This concrete feedback will allow you to design a truly ready-to-use offer for restaurateurs.

Because that is what they expect: calibrated portions, suitable packaging, regular deliveries, and above all, operational simplicity. They do not want to have to think: you are there to bring them solutions, not constraints.

As a supplier, your role is therefore to be reliable, consistent, and reassuring. And this reliability has value. It justifies your prices. Between two options, restaurateurs will almost always choose the one they trust, who saves them time and reduces their mental load.

Preferred formats:

• individual portions for platters or buffets;

• blocks for grating or slicing;

• tubs, slices, or shredded cheese for kitchen use;

• mini-cheeses or themed cheeses for appetizers.

Pricing policy:

• consistency between price and usage (price/kg ≠ price/portion);

• differentiated conditions based on volume or frequency;

• stability and transparency regarding price increases.

Logistics:

• timely deliveries and sufficient shelf life (DLC);

• packaging suitable for professional food service;

• proactive communication in case of stockouts.

Highlight product quality: tasting, storytelling, provenance

Cheese sells through taste... but also through the story told around it. A well-conducted tasting can be enough to trigger a collaboration. And that is your goal: to get that first order that will open the doors of the establishment to you.

Maintain the business relationship over the long term

Retention: regular visits, listening, responsiveness

Restaurateurs remain loyal when trust is mutual. And this trust is built over time, through simple but consistent actions: regularity of deliveries, responsiveness in case of unexpected events, transparency on conditions... The same actions that allowed you to convert your prospect into a customer will allow you to convert your customers into active customers.

And these are the elements that will make the difference between being an ordinary supplier and being a true partner. Because it is not about convincing once, but about maintaining the business relationship. This involves regular visits to discuss the menu, a call after delivery to make sure everything went well, or a quick intervention in case of a problem.

With your key clients (the famous 80/20 rule), be particularly attentive. An unresolved issue can quickly make them switch to the competition.

Also show flexibility: a well-placed commercial gesture builds more loyalty than a long speech. And do not be offended if they work with other suppliers: you cannot cover all their needs. On the contrary, leaving them that freedom often strengthens the relationship. However, be vigilant: do not let a competitor supply them with your most strategic products.

Train the front-of-house teams

Is it useful?

If you sell your cheese to local bistros or neighborhood restaurants, supporting the front-of-house teams is not always necessary. The menus there are often simple, with few cheeses, and the clientele rarely asks for very advanced advice.

But a cheese with a story sells better. If you offer a lesser-known or original product, take the time to present the product to those who explain the menu. To do this, drop by around 6 PM, before the evening service. This is generally the time when the team eats dinner. By taking 5 minutes (no more either, you are on their break), you can capture their attention without disrupting their schedule. Otherwise, plan for an extra piece, reserved for an in-house tasting, before the rush.

On the other hand, if you sell to gourmet or Michelin-starred restaurants, more advanced training can make all the difference. The origin of the cheese, its aging, possible pairings, or even serving techniques can be part of the customer experience.

In any case, training front-of-house teams creates consistency between the kitchen and the talk in the dining room. A well-(in)formed team becomes a trusted channel, and often, your best ambassador to customers.

Tools to provide:

• product sheets and food/wine pairings;

• simplified talking points;

• cards or visual aids for platters;

• mini seasonal training sessions.

Use a field CRM to centralize contacts and orders

Sales follow-up cannot rely solely on memory or a paper order book. Today, a field CRM designed for Horeca is indispensable to manage your business effectively, track your customers from the first contact to retention, and automate part of your actions.

With a CRM adapted to field realities, you can:

• Centralize your customers' information: contacts, history, orders, past exchanges...

• Prepare your visits effectively: before each meeting, you know who you are talking to, what you said to each other last time, and why you are there.

• Take orders directly on site, have the voucher signed on a tablet, and then hand over to the billing team.

• Schedule delivery reminders so you don't forget anything.

• Schedule an automatic follow-up two weeks before the next planned order to remind your customer.

• Analyze sales by sector, product range, or type of establishment.

• Track your sales targets to know where you stand.

• Anticipate seasonal peaks with targeted follow-ups.

• Share information with your manager without having to repeat everything: they know what is happening in the field, can support you better, and therefore help you sell more effectively.

A good CRM frees up your time to focus on what really matters: customer relationships and revenue growth.

Selling your cheese in food service is much more than delivering a product: it is creating a culinary and human partnership.

Restaurateurs look for reliability, closeness, and sincerity.

To succeed in this demanding market, a producer must:

• guarantee the consistency and regularity of their cheeses;

• be part of a local and transparent approach;

• support their customers with attentive listening and guidance;

• equip themselves to effectively manage their business relationships.

Cheese is a living product.

And like any living product, it requires a lasting relationship, made of passion, rigor, and trust.