Supply

Most Indian restaurants carry either too little (crisis every mandi spike) or too much (shrinkage eats the savings). Buffer stock is not hoarding — it's a calculated safety margin by category, turnover, and storage capacity.

Commercial LPG shortages hit Indian restaurants in clusters — monsoon logistics, subsidy reforms, or regional supply crunches. When your 19kg cylinder lead time goes from same-day to 5 days, margin and throughput collapse unless you have a fuel playbook ready.

Broiler chicken swings 40-60% in 3-4 weeks when feed costs rise, heat stress hits farms, or festival demand outpaces supply. Chicken-heavy menus lose 4-8 margin points unless you act in week one — not week four.

The 2019 and 2023 onion crises pushed mandi prices from ₹20/kg to over ₹80/kg in two weeks. Most owners absorbed it. Here is the playbook that protected the ones who saw it coming.

Indian kitchens lose 4-7% of food cost to shrinkage. Half is over portioning, a quarter is waste, a quarter is mismeasurement. Outright theft is small but real. Here is the audit framework that finds it.

Most restaurants pick suppliers by who answered the WhatsApp first, then never re evaluate. A quarterly vendor scorecard surfaces who is actually delivering, who is drifting, and where to negotiate.

Edible oil is India's most globally exposed restaurant commodity. Ukraine sunflower, Indonesia palm, Malaysia palm; one shock and oil costs swing 40-80%. Here is the sourcing, storage, and blending playbook.

Paneer prices spike 30-45% during November February wedding season as catering demand swamps the dairy supply chain. Here is the playbook to protect margin on butter masala, kadhai paneer, and pasanda.

Tomato is India's most volatile commodity; 5-10× off season spikes are normal. Here is the playbook for the May July crisis window: how to spot it 2-4 weeks early, what to substitute, and which dishes to 86.

Restaurant supply chain in India is mandi driven, fragmented, and prone to 50-300% price swings within weeks. Here is the complete map; supplier types, lead times, commodity volatility, and the 5 supply moves that protect margin.