Selling Produce to Restaurants: Availability Lists and Chef Emails With AI

Approach a restaurant with a one-page weekly availability list, not a brochure: eight to fifteen items, each with unit, price, quantity available, plus a minimum order, a cut-off time and a delivery day. Send a short first email to the chef with this week's list attached, offer a small trial order, and follow up once.

Chefs rarely say no to good produce. They say no to uncertainty: unclear prices, unclear days, no reply when something runs short. A tidy list sent at the same time every week answers all three, and AI can turn your messy harvest notes into that list in a couple of minutes.

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What a chef actually reads on a Tuesday afternoon

Picture the person on the other end. A head chef in a ten-table restaurant gets a dozen supplier messages a week, reads most of them on a phone, and orders in a ten-minute window. They want to know four things quickly: what is good this week, how much it is, whether you can bring it on the day they need it, and how much they must order to make it worth your trip.

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That drives the shape of the list. It fits on one screen, shows the price beside the item, and ends with the order rules in two lines. It does not open with a paragraph about your farm. A sentence of story at the bottom is welcome once they have decided to read; at the top it pushes the items below the fold.

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The weekly availability list, filled in

This is an illustrative list from a small market-garden business. Copy the columns, change the content.

Below the table, two lines carry the rules: Order by Thursday 10:00 for Friday delivery. Minimum order $75, delivery free over $150, otherwise $12. Then a closing line with how to order ("reply to this email with quantities") and who to contact. That is the whole page.

Columns that earn their place

Each column answers a question a chef would otherwise email you. Unit stops "is that per bunch or per pound?" Quantity available stops them ordering what does not exist and tells them what is scarce. The note column is where you earn the order: "peak week", "small size", "cut this morning" tell a cook how to use the item. If a note is only decoration ("lovely!"), cut it.

Avoid adding a column for growing method or certification unless you hold the paperwork, and even then keep the exact wording the certificate allows. Restaurants repeat what you tell them on a menu, so a loose word travels further than you expect.

Turning harvest notes into the list with AI

Most growers keep notes in a phone or on paper: "Tues walk: chard loads, toms starting, rad ok, zucs 10 cases maybe." The job for AI is to turn that shorthand into the clean table, and it does that job well, as long as you give it your standing rules and ask it not to invent anything.

You are helping a small grower prepare a weekly availability list for restaurant chefs.

Standing rules (keep these every week):
- Order by Thursday 10:00 for Friday delivery
- Minimum order $75; delivery free over $150, otherwise $12
- Prices below are my wholesale prices; do not change them

My notes this week:
chard loads, about 40 bunches, $2.50
toms mixed, 12 5lb boxes, $16, peak week
zucs 8 cases 10lb $18 small ones
rad breakfast type 50 bunches $2
basil short, 10 bags 8oz, $7
leaves maybe 20 bags 1lb, $9, cut wed

Produce a table with columns: Item, Unit, Price, Available, Note.
Sort by what is best this week first. Do not add any item, quantity,
price or claim that is not in my notes. If something is unclear, list
it under "Questions for the grower" after the table.

Illustrative reply: the table in the same order you see above, plus a short "Questions for the grower" such as "You wrote 'leaves maybe 20 bags'. Is 20 confirmed, or should the list say 'up to 20'?" That question is the useful part. A chef who orders twenty bags and receives twelve is a chef who stops ordering, so write "up to 20" when you are unsure, and update the list on Wednesday evening if the harvest falls short.

Review the output against your notes line by line. The mistake that appears most often is a quantity slipping from one unit to another (a 5 lb box becoming a 5 oz box) or a price moved to the wrong row. It takes a minute to check and saves a credit note.

The first-contact email: four versions for four situations

You do not need a clever opening. A first email works when it is short, specific and easy to answer. Here are four scripts for different starting points. In each, [first name] and [your name] are placeholders, and every detail should come from you, not from the assistant.

1. Cold email to a restaurant you have never spoken to

Subject: Weekly vegetables from a small grower, list attached

Hi [first name],

I grow salad leaves, chard, tomatoes and courgettes about 20 minutes from
your kitchen and deliver to a handful of restaurants on Fridays.

This week's list is attached, with prices. Orders close Thursday 10:00,
minimum $75.

If anything on it is useful, I can bring a small trial order this Friday
at no delivery charge. I will send the list every Tuesday after that; you
can tell me to stop at any time.

Thanks,
[your name]
[phone]

Notice what is missing: no history of the farm, no adjectives, no "I would love to". The offer (a small trial order, free delivery on the first drop) lowers the risk for the chef and the ask is a single reply. Note that a trial delivery cost is yours; work it out first (see the sum below).

2. Email after a conversation or a market stall chat

Subject: Following up from Saturday

Hi [first name],

Good to talk at the market on Saturday. As promised, here is this week's
availability list. The heritage tomatoes you asked about are at their best
now, 12 boxes available.

Do you order on a particular day? If you tell me the day, I will send the
list the afternoon before.

[your name]

3. Follow-up when there is no reply

Send it once, after a week. A second follow-up becomes noise.

Subject: Re: Weekly vegetables from a small grower

Hi [first name],

Just checking the list reached the right person. If there is someone else
who handles ordering, let me know and I will send it to them instead.

This week's list is below. No pressure either way.

[your name]

4. The shortage message to a current customer

Subject: Friday order: basil is short

Hi [first name],

I can only cover 6 of your 10 bags of basil this Friday after the heat.
I will credit the other 4 on the invoice. Rainbow chard has a good
surplus if you want to swap, same price. Reply by 15:00 Thursday and I
will adjust the order.

[your name]

Ask AI to adapt each script to the restaurant: "Rewrite email 1 for a restaurant whose menu is mostly vegetarian small plates, in two sentences fewer." It does that well. What you must not allow is invented facts: "our produce is picked at dawn" is a claim, and if it is not true you will be held to it. Say in the prompt, "do not add any claim about our growing methods or freshness."

Working out what a trial delivery really costs you

Free delivery for a first order is a good opener, so check it still makes sense. A simple sum, with illustrative figures:

• Trial order value: $96 at your wholesale prices.
• Your cost of goods and labour on that order: say 55 per cent, $52.80.
• Fuel and van time for a 40-minute round trip: about $14.
• Left to you: $96 minus $52.80 minus $14 equals $29.20 before packaging.

That is thin, but positive, and it is the price of an account that might order $200 a week. If the same route would carry three trial orders on one Friday, the fuel cost is shared and the sum improves. If your nearest restaurant is an hour away, it is better to offer a "free delivery over $150" rule from the start, so it is not a surprise later. Ask an assistant to run the sum on your own figures, then check it by hand.

Samples and tastings: getting the first order without a meeting

Many chefs will not meet a grower in service hours, so a sample does the talking. Drop a small, labelled bag at the back door with a card: three items, the week's list and a phone number. Choose what shows the difference, such as tomatoes at peak ripeness or salad leaves cut that morning, rather than something every wholesaler sells. Write the card yourself; an assistant can tighten it to 40 words, but the offer should be yours: "Three things from this week's list. Order by Thursday 10:00 and I will bring more on Friday."

Keep a log of who got a sample and when, then follow up with email script 2 above within three days. A sample with no follow-up is a gift, and a gift does not build a trade account.

Standing orders: from a weekly list to a repeating one

When a chef orders the same items most weeks, offer a standing order. Before: the chef reads the list, types quantities, you copy them into a sheet. After: the sheet already holds "bistro: chard 10 bunches, tomatoes 2 boxes, leaves 2 bags, every Friday", you send a Tuesday message that says "your usual order is on; reply with changes by Thursday 10:00", and the chef replies only when something is different.

Ask an assistant to write the one-line confirmation from each sheet row: "Your standing order for Friday: 10 bunches chard ($25.00), 2 boxes tomatoes ($32.00), 2 bags salad leaves ($18.00), total $75.00 plus $12 delivery." A standing order should clear the minimum on its own; if a chef's usual items fall short, say so when you set it up rather than adding a fee later. Check the total against the sheet before sending. Standing orders raise the average chef's weekly spend and cut your typing, but they also make shortages more visible, so keep the Wednesday update habit.

Prices: how to set them and when to change them

Chefs compare you with their usual wholesaler, which means your price needs to be defensible rather than lowest. A practical approach is to price each item at or slightly above the wholesaler's mid-range for the same quality and count the extra as the premium for freshness and traceability. If you do not know the wholesaler's figures, ask a friendly chef what they pay for the five items they buy most, and use those to set your first list.

Change prices on a schedule rather than on a mood. A tomato glut in August cuts the price for everyone; do not hold at last month's figure when the chef can see the surplus. State "price changes on Mondays" in the footer and keep to it, so a price move is a normal part of the list rather than an apology. For stock that must move (a surplus of courgettes), a "this week only" note is better than a silent discount: it tells the chef the price is temporary and gives them a reason to order extra.

Minimum order, cut-off and delivery day: choosing numbers that hold

Three numbers do more work than any marketing. The minimum order protects your time: set it so a delivery with the minimum still pays for the trip. The cut-off protects your harvest plan: choose a time late enough for the chef to see their bookings, early enough for you to pick the right quantities. The delivery day should fit your route, with the same day each week wherever possible.

Write them once and repeat them on every list. If you offer two delivery days, the list becomes harder to read; start with one and add the second when you have a reason. If a chef wants an off-day delivery, it is a one-off with a fee, not a change to the rules.

How the list gets sent without creating more work

A repeatable weekly routine looks like this:

1. Tuesday morning: walk the beds, dictate notes into your phone (about ten minutes).
2. Tuesday midday: paste the notes into the prompt above with the standing rules. Check the table against your notes (five minutes).
3. Tuesday afternoon: send the list by email, blind-copying each chef or sending a separate email, so one chef's reply does not appear to the others. Save a copy as a PDF.
4. Wednesday evening: adjust quantities you could not cut and send a short update only to chefs who have ordered.
5. Thursday: collect orders by cut-off, pack against the list, and print the delivery note.

The whole routine runs to about 30 minutes before packing. If your list is in a spreadsheet, one row per item with a column for each chef's order, the same sheet becomes your packing list and invoice base. Ideas for turning the spreadsheet into standing orders are in trade accounts and reorder emails, and when you cannot fill an order the template in the backorder notification email tutorial is a good model for the message.

A sample week with three customers

To see how the list behaves, walk through one week for a small grower with three restaurants. Illustrative figures again.

The bistro orders 4 bags of leaves, 10 bunches of chard and a 5 lb box of tomatoes: $36 plus $25 plus $16 gives $77, over the $75 minimum, so delivery is $12, total $89. The pizza place orders two 5 lb boxes of tomatoes and 4 bags of basil: $32 plus $28 equals $60, under the minimum, so the grower replies "add a case of courgettes at $18 to reach $78 and we can deliver". The tasting-menu restaurant orders basil, radishes and garlic scapes: $28 plus $30 plus $16 equals $74, one dollar under the minimum. This is where a human decides: a $1 shortfall is not worth a lost relationship, and the grower accepts it anyway with the usual $12 delivery charge, $86 in all.

That last decision is not something to leave to an assistant. Rules written down are for you to keep or bend knowingly. An automated system that rejects a $74 order is a good way to lose a good account.

A shortfall that cost a customer, and what changed

A grower promised 30 bunches of radishes on the list, harvested 18 after a wet weekend, and said nothing until the delivery. The chef had printed a special around them. The account lasted two more weeks. Afterwards the grower changed three habits: write "up to" for any quantity not already harvested, send a Wednesday evening update, and credit missing items on the same invoice with a line of explanation. None of it needed software, but an assistant can draft the Wednesday message in ten seconds if you give it the three numbers: ordered, available, credited.

Invoices and payment terms that restaurants expect

Many restaurants pay on account, weekly or monthly, rather than at the door. Decide before the first order what you will accept, and write it at the bottom of the list. A grower with little cash buffer can ask for payment on delivery for the first month, then move to seven-day terms once the account is steady. Put the invoice number, date, items, unit prices and total on one page, and keep each delivery note and invoice in the same folder. If you want to speed up the chasing side, an assistant can draft a polite reminder from the overdue list, but keep the decision about when to stop delivering to yourself.

A chef who needs paperwork (insurance, a food-safety plan, traceability records) will ask. Do not guess what applies to you. Ask the buyer what they require, and check with your local food authority or an adviser. For general ideas on sector paperwork and records, see drafting a farm safety plan with AI.

Checking that it is working after six weeks

Review the list as you would a product. After six weeks, look at four numbers: how many chefs received the list, how many ordered at least once, how many ordered three weeks in a row, and the average order value. If many receive and few order, the list is probably too long or the price column is off. If many order once and fade, the problem is usually delivery (late, short, wrong). If a single item sells out every week, raise its price or plant more of it.

Keep a note of what each chef orders and dislikes. A line such as "no bitter greens" or "likes small courgettes" helps you personalise the Tuesday message in ways that feel human. An assistant can sort those notes by customer when you ask it to, which makes the next list quicker to build. Treat the notes as business records and keep them off a public site or shared chat.

Questions growers ask before the second delivery

How many items should be on the list?

Between eight and fifteen. A chef scanning on a phone between services will not read forty lines. Lead with what is at its best this week, group the rest by type, and keep one line per item with unit, price and quantity available.

Should prices be on the list or on request?

Put them on the list. Chefs compare against their wholesaler's sheet, and a list without prices gets a reply asking for prices, which loses a day. Update prices weekly if you must, but never leave the column blank.

When is the best time to send the list?

Send it once a week at a fixed time, ideally the day before the chef's ordering day. A repeatable slot becomes a habit for the kitchen. Ask each chef when they order, and shape your send time around the answer.

Can AI write the chef's first email?

Yes, as a draft. Give it your actual harvest, delivery day and minimum order, then edit the result so it sounds like you. Do not let it add claims about growing methods, certifications or freshness that you have not stated.

What if I cannot fill an order?

Tell the chef as early as you know, offer a substitute or a smaller quantity, and credit the missing item on the invoice. A short honest message keeps the account; a silent shortfall on a busy Friday loses it.

Further reads

• Selling Meat to Restaurants: Order Sheets and Price Updates With AI — Order sheets and credit for another kind of restaurant supplier.
• Farmers Market Stock Planning: How Much to Pack Each Week With AI — Decide how much to harvest and pack each week.
• AI Accounting for Ecommerce: Reconciling Payouts and Fees — Reconcile restaurant payments against invoices.
• AI for Farm Shops: Weekly Boxes, Seasonal Labels and Pre-Orders — Sell surplus through boxes when restaurants take less.
• Restaurant AI Tools: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up — See what a restaurant asks of its own software suppliers.
• AI Personalisation in B2B: Tailor Outreach to Each Trade Account — Tailor outreach to each account without sounding automated.
• Greenhouse Management Software: What AI Climate Alerts Cost and Add — What sensor-alert greenhouse software costs against a spreadsheet and chat-assistant routine, with a break-even sum for a small growing operation.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: general trade practice for wholesale produce (units, minimums, cut-off times); all prices, quantities and sample messages are illustrative.