Dining in restaurants has long been associated with lifestyle and leisure. Restaurants are establishments serving food and beverage that can be consumed on its premises. A number of restaurants also offer home delivery, where people can enjoy a meal at home after a hard day's work or entertain guests at home. Restaurants range from simple dining areas that offer budget meals to expensive establishments serving exquisite cuisine. Regardless of their capacity, restaurants would not be efficient and functional if they did not stock adequate restaurant supplies at all times.

The efficient management of supplies plays a major role in determining a restaurants success. In all restaurants, supplies are categorized under different sections to ease the process of acquiring and storing stock. A separate section is earmarked for products that are needed for food preparation, preservation, storage and consumption. This includes processors, dishes and trays. There are separate sections for other products such as tissues, napkins, spoons, groceries, heaters and coolers. Restaurant supplies of food products are categorized as perishable and non-perishable. Perishable food items such as dairy products need to be stocked on a short-term basis, while non-perishable food items such as poultry, can be stocked for a longer period.

Most restaurants purchase their supplies from various manufacturers and retailers in wholesale. A restaurant that does high business volumes would face continuous demand for surplus stock to meet sudden orders. In such a situation, wholesale purchases are profitable, as the supplies are made available at reduced rates. When restaurants stock excess supplies, it is important to have adequate storage facilities in order to avoid spoilage. Inefficient storage of restaurant supplies can result in immense losses. Traders typically do not exchange rotten food and chipped crockery if they have deteriorated because of poor storage. Efficient handling of restaurant supplies plays a critical role in the profitability of a restaurant along with other key factors such as marketing, service standards, location and dcor.