HoReCa Sales in Nepal: Selling to Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés

Hotels, restaurants and cafés, grouped as HoReCa, are a different kind of customer from household retail. They use your products as ingredients or for service, so what matters to them is quality consistency, delivery reliability and clean paperwork. A stock-out at a retail shop loses a sale; a stock-out at a hotel kitchen can disrupt a day's service and cost you the account. In return for the higher standard, HoReCa customers often order in larger quantities and reorder predictably.

How HoReCa buyers behave

• They order bigger packs and care about cost per use.
• They need dependable delivery at set times, often early.
• They notice quality variations between batches.
• They value a single contact who knows their needs.
• They often work with monthly invoicing instead of cash on delivery.

Segment the accounts

Segment	Typical need
Hotels with kitchens	Variety, bulk packs, steady supply
Standalone restaurants	Core ingredients, fast reaction
Cafés and bakeries	Specific items, freshness, smaller lots
Caterers and events	Occasional large orders, advance notice

Give each segment a rhythm and a price list that fits.

Build the service model

1. Account owner. Assign one salesperson per group of accounts.
2. Order channel. Agree how orders arrive: phone, message or in person. Book everything in the system.
3. Delivery window. Agree a time slot and stick to it.
4. Standing orders. For repeat items, agree a standard list with the customer, confirm it before each delivery and book it as a normal order.
5. Substitution rules. Decide in advance what happens when a product is short.
6. Quality feedback. Record complaints with batch information.

Pricing and terms

Use pack sizes that match usage, not retail pack sizes. Keep a dedicated price list, and record any special arrangement. HoReCa accounts often pay monthly; fix due days at dispatch, keep invoices accurate and review aging weekly. See how to collect payments on time.

Stock for HoReCa

• Hold safety stock for key accounts' staples.
• Rotate batches by oldest first, since customers notice freshness.
• Note shelf-life constraints for dairy, bakery and fresh lines.
• Review demand around events and holiday seasons using your own order history.

Read how to prevent stock-outs at retailers for tactics that apply equally here.

How to run it in gamitrack

1. Add each account as a party with location, a HoReCa party type and a dedicated price list.
2. Create a visit route for account owners, so check-ins, photos and notes are recorded.
3. Book orders for each delivery; orders are priced from the price list with VAT only on taxable lines.
4. Assign delivery to a driver, who records GPS, photo and receiver at the door.
5. Invoice with gap-free IRD-style numbering and track payments by mode.
6. Track batches and expiry so freshness is controlled.
7. Use follow-ups for quotes, tasting sessions and pending decisions.
8. Review the ledger for each account's statement and aging.

Bakery, tea and coffee suppliers commonly sell in this channel; see bakery and confectionery and tea and coffee. The delivery person's day explains the driver workflow.

A hypothetical example

Imagine Example Tea (an invented name) supplying a group of cafés and two hotels. The account owner agrees early-morning delivery windows and sets a standing order for each café. Each Thursday the owner reviews next week's standing orders against stock, flags one product that may be short, and arranges a substitution with the customer in advance. The next month, the invoice and statement match the delivery records, and payment arrives without argument.

Monthly checklist

• Orders delivered on time versus agreed windows.
• Complaints by product and batch.
• Overdue balances by account.
• Safety-stock levels for core products.
• New accounts and lapsed accounts.

Common mistakes

• Using retail price lists for hotels.
• Missing delivery windows.
• Not recording batch with complaints.
• Letting monthly invoices pile up.
• No agreed substitution rule.

Building trust with kitchens and purchasing staff

HoReCa buyers are usually chefs, kitchen managers or purchasing staff who are under time pressure. They remember suppliers who deliver exactly what was agreed and who tell them early when something is short. A few habits make a difference:

• Confirm orders back in writing so both sides agree on quantity and pack size.
• Tell the customer about shortages the moment you know, with a proposed substitute.
• Deliver within the window and have the invoice ready at the door.
• Ask for feedback after the first few deliveries and note the answers.
• Visit occasionally without selling, to see how your product is used.

Pack sizes and yield

Kitchens care about cost per portion, not only price per pack. If your product comes in several sizes, help the customer choose the one that matches usage and wastage. A larger pack is only cheaper if it is used before it spoils. Record which pack each account prefers, and stop sending sizes they never use.

Handling seasonal and event demand

Hotels and cafés see demand rise and fall with visitors, weddings, festivals and events. Ask key customers about known events and note them in the account. Compare past orders from your own history in similar periods and raise safety stock ahead of the busy times. Afterwards, review what sold and adjust the pattern for next time.

Managing credit sensibly

Because HoReCa accounts tend to be repeat customers, it is tempting to let balances run. Set a limit per account, send a statement at the agreed interval and follow up the day after due date. A friendly, prompt reminder is easier than a hard conversation three months later. If a customer regularly pays late, consider shorter terms or smaller deliveries until the balance clears.

Summary in one line

For HoReCa, reliability beats price: agree the pack, the window and the paperwork, keep them every time, and record each delivery so that any disagreement can be settled from the records within minutes.

Next step

Take your five most important HoReCa accounts, set their prices, windows and standing orders, then review after a month. Plans are described on the pricing page.