7 Best Supplier Management Tools for UK Restaurants 2026

Key Takeaways for UK Hospitality Teams

1. UK hospitality faces 4.5-5.7% food inflation in 2026, which can erode 5-10% of margins when manual supplier processes run at 85% capacity.
2. Jelly offers intuitive invoice scanning, real-time price alerts, and one-week onboarding at £129 a month, delivering 2-3% profit uplifts and 90% bookkeeping time savings.
3. Competitors such as Procure Wizard, MarketMan, and Fourth provide strong features but usually need 2+ weeks setup and cost £200-£500+ a month, which suits larger groups more than independents.
4. Excel spreadsheets create costly errors and missed negotiation opportunities, while automated tools like Jelly provide live margin tracking that protects profits against inflation.
5. Comparison shows Jelly excels in simplicity, UK POS and Xero integration, and value, so book a demo with Jelly today for fast cost savings and efficiency gains.

1. Jelly: Real-Time Price Alerts and Simple Automation for UK Venues

Jelly stands out as an intuitive supplier management platform built for growing UK restaurants, pubs, and hotels. The software scans invoices from photos or email uploads and converts every line item into structured data, so you see ingredient costs and supplier price changes instantly.

The Price Alert feature flags each price increase or decrease, which supports quick supplier conversations and accurate credit note claims. Jelly integrates with UK POS systems such as Square and ePOSnow and with accounting tools like Xero, so VAT stays compliant and bookkeeping time drops by up to 90%.

The Kitchen section turns dish costing from a 28-minute spreadsheet task into a three-minute automated workflow. Live profit margins update as ingredient prices move, which keeps menu decisions grounded in current costs.

Results from real venues back this up. Amber restaurant in East London saves £3,000-£4,000 every month through tighter supplier negotiations and margin control. Chef-owner Murat Kilic says, “Jelly keeps my business alive.” On average, venues see a 2% gross profit uplift within three months, while the flat £129 monthly price per location keeps costs predictable with no per-user fees.

Book a demo to see how Jelly can automate supplier management and lift profitability within one week.

2. Procure Wizard: Purchase-to-Pay Automation for Restaurant Groups

Procure Wizard delivers comprehensive purchase-to-pay automation and can cut invoice processing time by around 95%. The platform offers strong supplier comparison tools and detailed spend analytics, which helps multi-site groups manage centralised procurement.

Smaller operations often find the system complex. Setup and training usually take more than four weeks, which contrasts with Jelly’s one-week onboarding. Pricing commonly starts at £300 or more per site each month, so independent restaurants and pubs may struggle to justify the cost.

Growing kitchens that want quick wins and minimal disruption usually gain faster value from Jelly’s simpler workflow and shorter implementation.

3. MarketMan: Inventory and Supplier Control for Multi-Site Operators

MarketMan offers reliable invoice scanning and real-time inventory tracking across several locations. The platform helps teams move away from manual spreadsheets and introduces structured cost control and supplier management.

Its global product focus can leave gaps for UK operators, particularly around VAT handling and local accounting integrations. MarketMan pricing often starts at £200 or more per month per location, with onboarding that typically takes two to four weeks.

Multi-site brands may still find it useful, yet many independent venues see better value in Jelly’s UK-specific approach. Jelly’s local market focus and faster rollout support average cost reductions of around 3%.

4. Fourth: Enterprise Platform for Large Hospitality Chains

Fourth provides enterprise-level tools with advanced POS-linked gross profit tracking and detailed menu engineering. Large restaurant chains use it to combine workforce management, inventory, and financial reporting in one environment.

This breadth of functionality introduces trade-offs for smaller operators. Implementation often takes more than two months, and costs can exceed £500 per month per location. Teams usually need dedicated staff for training and ongoing management.

Independent restaurants and boutique hotels generally achieve stronger returns with Jelly’s focused feature set. Jelly delivers the core automation they need at £129 a month with a one-week setup.

5. Lightspeed: POS-Based Inventory for Pub Operators

Lightspeed builds inventory management into its POS system, which gives pubs smooth stock tracking and automatic deductions based on sales. This tight link between front-of-house and back-of-house works well for wet-led and food-led pubs.

The platform includes analytics such as inventory forecasting and supplier integrations. However, it does not match Jelly’s dedicated real-time price alerts and supplier negotiation workflows. UK POS systems are growing at 11.4% CAGR, yet venues still need specialist supplier management to fight inflation and protect margins.

6. Supy: Chain-Focused Procurement and Hotel Meal Plan Costing

Supy focuses on multi-site procurement and supports hotel teams that manage Bed & Breakfast (BB), Half Board (HB), and Full Board (FB) meal plans. The platform handles complex recipe scaling and portion control across varied service formats.

This focus on large-scale operations makes Supy less practical for independents or small hotel groups. Setup takes time, and teams must commit resources to ongoing management.

Boutique hotels and growing restaurant groups usually gain more immediate value from Jelly. Jelly supports accurate meal plan costing without the overhead of an enterprise system.

7. Excel Spreadsheets: Hidden Margin Losses in UK Kitchens

Manual spreadsheets remain common in UK hospitality and often cause 5-10% margin losses. Errors, slow price updates, and missed supplier negotiations all contribute to this hidden cost.

Excel cannot trigger real-time alerts when ingredient prices move, so teams react late to inflation. The shift from spreadsheets to automation delivers quick wins. With food inflation at 4.5% in December 2025, manual processes struggle to protect margins.

Jelly replaces spreadsheet chaos with live margin tracking and a 90% cut in bookkeeping time. The interface stays simple enough for busy kitchen teams to use every day.

Supplier Management Software Comparison Table

Frequently Asked Questions

What supplier software do most UK restaurants use?

Jelly is gaining rapid adoption among small and medium UK restaurants, pubs, and boutique hotels because of its invoice scanning and POS integrations. Legacy platforms such as Fourth still serve large chains, yet growing venues often prefer Jelly’s simplicity and one-week rollout. The UK restaurant POS market is growing at 11.4% annually, which increases demand for supplier tools that connect smoothly with modern POS systems.

Which software is best for invoice scanning?

Jelly leads on invoice scanning by accepting photo uploads and email forwarding, then digitising every line item, including quantities, SKUs, prices, and VAT. The system sends real-time alerts when supplier prices change, which supports quick negotiations and accurate credit note claims. This automation removes manual data entry and keeps cost tracking precise.

How does MarketMan compare to Jelly?

MarketMan delivers strong multi-site inventory control but does not match Jelly’s UK-specific focus on VAT and local accounting integrations. MarketMan usually needs two to four weeks for onboarding and costs £200 or more per month, while Jelly delivers value within one week at £129 a month.

For UK pubs, restaurants, and boutique hotels, Jelly typically offers better local insight and faster implementation while still covering core inventory and supplier needs.

What is the 30/30/30/10 rule for restaurants?

The 30/30/30/10 rule allocates 30% of revenue to food, 30% to labour, 30% to overheads, and 10% to profit. Inflation now makes these static ratios harder to maintain. Jelly’s gross profit monitoring helps venues track these numbers in real time and adjust menus or prices before margins slip.

What software suits pubs that need real-time food cost tracking?

Jelly’s Price Alert feature works especially well for pubs that need instant visibility on cost changes. With food inflation forecast at 4.5-5.7% in 2026, real-time tracking becomes essential for margin protection.

Jelly connects with leading pub POS systems and sends notifications when supplier prices move, so teams can adjust menus and negotiate with suppliers before profits fall.

What do BB, HB, and FB mean in hotel operations?

BB (Bed & Breakfast), HB (Half Board), and FB (Full Board) describe different hotel meal plans. BB covers accommodation and breakfast, HB adds dinner, and FB includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Jelly’s recipe costing tools calculate dish and menu costs accurately for each plan and update figures as ingredient prices change, which keeps profitability clear for every package.

Conclusion: Why Jelly Is the Practical Choice for UK Supplier Management

All seven tools bring value, yet Jelly combines simplicity, speed, and cost-effectiveness for UK hospitality teams. At £129 a month with one week of onboarding, Jelly supports food cost reductions, around 2% gross profit improvements, and saves 10-20 hours of admin time each month.

UK-focused features such as Xero integration, VAT handling, and POS connectivity with Square and ePOSnow make Jelly a strong fit for restaurants, pubs, and boutique hotels that want reliable automation. With results like Amber restaurant’s £3,000-£4,000 monthly savings, Jelly turns back-of-house work from manual spreadsheets into a streamlined, automated process.

Book a demo and schedule a chat today to see how Jelly can cut food costs and free your team from repetitive admin.