Purchasing & Supply Coordinator

Founders Chuck and Lisa Surack have always strived to do business both better and differently. Following the monumental success of music retailer Sweetwater, Chuck and Lisa turned their attention to developing their growing ensemble of community-focused businesses, which now fall under the umbrella of Surack Enterprises.

From aviation to eyecare to entertainment, the businesses within the Surack Enterprises portfolio represent a broad tapestry of services, but each company shares a common purpose in pursuit of the Surack’s founding principle: to always do the right thing. That means we work to exceed customer expectations at every opportunity. At Surack Enterprises, our dedicated employees help foster a relentless passion for personal and professional growth, which we believe is essential to help better serve our community.

We expect the best from our employees, so we provide the best. As part of the Surack family, all full-time employees can expect competitive pay, bonus potential, a complete benefits package, and a fulfilling work environment.

About the Position

We are seeking an organized, detail-minded Purchasing & Supply Coordinator to bring consistency to purchasing across our hospitality businesses including full service restaurants (Amoré and Club Room), coffee shops (Crescendo Coffee & Café and Crescendo Coffee & More) as well as a commissary opening in 2027 inside our new downtown Fort Wayne grocery store.

This position reports to the Surack Enterprises’ business operations team and supports restaurant leadership making sure each location has the products and supplies it needs while purchasing works as one system instead of several separate ones.

The ideal candidate is a restaurant or food service professional who is comfortable working with vendors, analyzing costs, and spending time in our locations, which sit on two campuses.

This is a hands-on support role, not a multi-unit director position. Our managers run their locations. This person is a collaborative teammate who makes their jobs easier so they can focus on our guests and teams.

Essential Responsibilities

Procurement & Vendor Management

• Evaluate and audit current procurement practices.
• Own day-to-day purchasing across all locations so it runs as one coordinated system.
• Run competitive bids with distributors and other key vendors.
• Negotiate and maintain written agreements covering pricing, terms, and delivery.
• Consolidate volume across locations to earn better pricing and terms.
• Set preferred vendors by product category to reduce overlap.
• Build and maintain required order guides for each location, and manage change requests from managers.
• Track price changes against agreements and resolve discrepancies with vendors.
• Compare pricing across locations and share it with leadership.
• Resolve shortages, substitutions, quality issues, credits, and delivery problems.
• Coordinate transfers of dry goods, paper, and room-temperature product using the daily driver route.
• Keep purchasing and invoicing clean and separate by legal entity.
• Maintain current vendor records, pricing, and agreements. Research new products and vendors as needed.

Commissary

• Own purchasing, receiving, and inventory for the commissary, located in our grocery store, opening in 2027.
• Schedule and coordinate kitchen use by our restaurants.
• Build commissary order guides and par levels.
• Coordinate distributing product from the commissary to the other locations.

Inventory & Cost Management

• Set consistent inventory and receiving procedures across locations.
• Set and adjust par levels with each location manager.
• Support accurate, timely inventory counts.
• Track usage, waste, and spoilage, and flag unusual purchasing patterns.
• Balance stock between locations before placing new orders.
• Work with the accounting team on invoice review, coding, spend reporting, and cost data.

Location Support

• Visit locations regularly to understand what each needs from purchasing.
• Partner with managers to solve product, supply, and vendor issues.
• Help create simple checklists for ordering, receiving, and storage.
• Share purchasing updates and changes with location leadership.
• Be a dependable, go-to resource for managers when supply problems come up.

Qualifications

• 3 to 5+ years of restaurant, kitchen, or food service experience, with purchasing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience negotiating with vendors and managing distributor relationships.
• Strong knowledge of food, beverage, supplies, and inventory.
• Comfortable with cost and pricing data.
• Experience with POS, inventory, purchasing, or accounting systems preferred.
• Multi-unit or management experience a plus.
• Strong organization, communication, and follow-through.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation for regular travel between locations.

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who is organized, proactive, resourceful, and service-minded, and who lives by our guiding principle: always do the right thing.

The ideal candidate:

• Understands both front-of-house and back-of-house operations.
• Knows that small purchasing decisions add up across many locations.
• Builds vendor relationships grounded in integrity, honesty, and respect.
• Turns numbers into practical improvements. Takes pride in supporting teammates and helping others succeed.
• Addresses problems before they become emergencies.
• Aims to exceed expectations for every location, vendor, and teammate.
• Balances consistency across locations with each location's unique needs.

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person