CONTRACTING GUIDE4 min readJuly 2026

How to choose a canteen operator without getting it wrong

Ask for four documents before comparing prices: a current sanitary licence for the production site, public liability insurance including product coverage, a written sanitary crisis protocol, and technical sheets for the preparations. An operator who cannot show them today will not have them on the day they are needed.

The mistake that makes this decision expensive

Most operator selections begin by asking for three quotations and comparing the price per meal. That order is the problem: comparing prices before equalising scope means comparing proposals that describe different services, and the cheapest wins by omitting items that reappear later as extras.

The real cost of getting it wrong is not the price difference. It is a quarter of complaints, meetings you should not be having, the internal credibility of whoever signed, and the cost of mobilising the operation again with a different supplier.

First: the four documents

Before looking at a single number, ask for these four. Do not ask by email — ask in the meeting. How fast they appear tells you more about the supplier than the presentation does.

Current sanitary licence for the production site, with issue date and the name it is issued under.
Public liability insurance including product coverage, in force, with the insured amount and the insurer.
Written sanitary crisis protocol: who the spokesperson is, how long to isolate a batch, who absorbs costs.
Technical sheets for the preparations: portion weight, process, presentation and service temperature.

NoteProduct coverage is NOT included by default in a public liability policy. It is common for a supplier to hold a policy without that coverage — which is precisely the coverage that responds to a foodborne illness event. Ask for the policy schedule and look for the wording.

If the supplier produces in a third party's kitchen

Many operators — including serious, growing ones — produce in kitchens they do not own: hotel kitchens, other operators' kitchens, leased kitchens. That is not bad in itself, and it can give you a backup network a single kitchen cannot.

What you must verify is the legal arrangement. Ask whose name the site's sanitary licence is issued under, and under what written document the operator is authorised to produce there. If the licence is in the third party's name and there is no written production agreement, you are contracting someone who cannot demonstrate a right to use the kitchen where your lunch will be cooked.

Two questions that sort suppliers quickly

Ask what happens when they fail: not whether they fail, but what the written consequence is. A supplier who answers with adjectives has no answer; one who answers with a clause has thought about it.

And ask how they hire. In Colombia the contracting company carries joint liability for its contractors' labour and social-security obligations, so a provider that hires by the day or through intermediaries is moving an exposure onto your balance sheet. Ask for payroll evidence, not for a statement.

Related questions

How do I choose a canteen operator in Colombia?

The most expensive mistake in this decision is comparing quotations that are not comparable. A price per meal may include or exclude tableware, thermal transport, service staff, special diets and the initial setup cost. Equalise the scope before you look at the number.

What to verify before signing →

What is the minimum headcount to contract a canteen?

Daily food service under contract starts from 20 employees. If you would rather not sign a contract, DAILY delivery starts from 25 people per order, placed by 4:00 p.m. the previous day. The two minimums measure different things — headcount on one side, order size on the other — because they are different operations.

And if your company is smaller than that? There is still a way in: the events line has no headcount minimum and covers what a small company usually needs — a board meeting, a client visit, a celebration, a month-end close. Write to us with the date and the real number, even if it is eight.

See SAVIA DAILY →

Can we exit the contract if the service does not work?

Yes. The contract allows termination without cause and without penalty during the first 90 days, with 30 days' notice. Before that you can start with a 30-day paid pilot you may leave freely. After day 90 the same 30-day notice applies to both parties.

The reason we can offer this is the same reason you should ask for it: the burden of proof is ours, not yours. A supplier who asks for trust up front is moving the cost of checking onto you.

See the written commitments →

How can we verify how you operate before signing?

Before you contract, we walk you through the operating model, the quality and food-safety protocols, the service structure, the team accountable for it and the indicators the operation is measured by, together with the current sanitary documentation. And if you want to see the performance in a live operation, the 30-day pilot exists for that: you can exit without penalty.

What we do not do is open the production site to visits before signing, and we would rather say so here than have you find out by asking. Controlling the access of external personnel to processing areas is precisely one of the things Good Manufacturing Practices require — Resolución 2674 de 2013 — because every unplanned entry is a cross-contamination risk on food that is about to be served. Verification does not disappear with it: it runs on the same documents a sanitary auditor would review, and on the pilot, which happens at your site and with your people.

How we handle food safety →

Are we exposed to our supplier's labour liabilities in Colombia?

Yes. Colombian law establishes joint liability of the contracting company for the labour and social-security obligations of its contractors. A provider that hires by the day or through intermediaries to reduce payroll charges is transferring that exposure onto your balance sheet, where your parent company's audit will find it.

We hire directly, with full social security from the first shift and no intermediate structures. It is not a differentiator we invented — it is the law, and a significant part of this sector does not comply with it. Ask any bidder for payroll evidence, not for a statement.

How we hire →

If this guide was useful, the assessment will be too.

We apply the same criteria to your own operation and hand you the result in writing. It is free, and the report is yours even if you stay with your current provider.

Request a free assessment See all the guides