Full fridge, empty till: that is the most common picture in a sandwich shop during its first week. Purchasing brings in fifteen deli varieties with great enthusiasm, the menu lists twelve sandwiches, and by the evening of day three eight half-opened packs sit on the same shelf. The sandwich shop supply list proposed here has eight lines, and every one of them must serve at least two sandwiches on the menu.
Eight is not an arbitrary number. The moment a sliced pack is opened its clock starts running; the more lines you carry, the more packs sit open at once and the larger the waste at close of day. Fewer lines mean faster turnover per product, packs finish sooner and the shelf-life problem shrinks on its own.
For operators planning a predominantly cold menu there is an earlier guide on choosing products for a cold sandwich shop; the list below turns that framework into a concrete buying plan.
Which eight deli lines form the core of a sandwich shop?
The eight are built as follows: two white-meat hams, two red-meat slices, one emulsion product, one salami, one spicy line and one hot line. That spread leaves the menu with light, filling and characterful options at the same time.
- Mortella Sliced Turkey Jambon (100 g / 200 g / 450 g): a broad slice and a 120-day shelf life; the base layer of the classic ham sandwich and the club.
- Mortella Sliced Chicken Jambon (100 g / 200 g / 450 g): neutral flavour, 2.8 g fat per 100 g; the slice for children's sandwiches and lighter options.
- Mortella Sliced Smoked Roast Beef (100 g / 200 g / 450 g): 21.5 g protein and 2.5 g fat; the smoky note sets the top price step of the menu.
- Mortella Sliced Beef Jambon (100 g / 200 g / 450 g): pronounced meat flavour; mustard baguettes and charcuterie plates.
- Mortella Sliced Chicken Mortadella with Vegetables (200 g / 450 g): at 1.5 g salt per 100 g the lowest-salt slice in the range; the visible vegetable pattern stands out in the display.
- Altın Dana Sliced Hungarian Salami 500 g: ready-sliced at a fixed thickness; the partner for toasties and cheese sandwiches.
- Mortella Sliced Beef Pepperoni (200 g / 450 g): the heat is built into the product, so no extra sauce is needed; spicy baguettes and hot sandwiches.
- Mortella Beef Bacon 1000 g: the only cooked line on the list; the crisp layer in burgers and clubs.
Shelf life is printed on the pack for every line; the sliced jambons carry 120 days, while sliced roast beef and mortadella carry 90. Noting that difference on the list decides which lines can safely be bought in the larger pack size on the first order.
Which sandwich does each line go into?
The two-items-per-line rule distributes the list like this:
| Line | First sandwich | Second use | Suggested pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey jambon | Classic ham and cheese | Club sandwich middle layer | 450 g |
| Chicken jambon | Children's sandwich | Topping for a light salad | 200 g |
| Smoked roast beef | Mustard roast beef baguette | Charcuterie plate | 200 g |
| Beef jambon | Beef jambon on rye | Breakfast plate | 200 g |
| Vegetable mortadella | Low-salt sandwich | Canapés | 200 g |
| Hungarian salami | Salami toastie | Mixed sandwich | 500 g |
| Pepperoni | Spicy baguette | Hot sandwich | 200 g |
| Beef bacon | Burger | Club sandwich top layer | 1000 g |
The pack suggestions in the table assume an opening scenario of forty to sixty sandwiches a day. If sales fall below that, swap 450 g for 200 g; if they rise above it, do the reverse. Pack size is not a fixed decision but a control lever adjusted against sales.
How is the first-week quantity worked out?
Take a target of fifty sandwiches a day and assume 40 g of deli meat per sandwich: the daily requirement comes to 2 kg. That 2 kg does not split evenly across eight lines, because the classic ham sandwich draws about a third of sales in most shops. A worked split might look like this: turkey jambon 600 g a day, chicken jambon 250 g, roast beef 250 g, beef jambon 200 g, mortadella 150 g, Hungarian salami 250 g, pepperoni 150 g and bacon 150 g raw.
For the weekly figure multiply by six trading days: turkey jambon reaches 3.6 kg, which is eight packs of 450 g. Roast beef comes to 1.5 kg, covered by eight packs of 200 g. Bacon shrinks in the pan, so its order is built on raw weight; a shop that plans portions on cooked weight runs short in the first week.
The first week's number is a guess, the second week's is data. Keeping the opening order small and raising delivery frequency is always cheaper than straining shelf life with one large initial order.
The sample round and the split-case request
All eight lines should be tested in their own bread with their own sauce before they reach the menu. The sample round checks three things: does the slice lift from the tray in one movement, does it reach the edges of the bread, and does its colour change after a day in the fridge? The broad turkey jambon slice is folded into a small sandwich roll, and that fold also sets the height of the sandwich.
At the opening stage ask for a mixed small case rather than full cases. If the supplier can put different pack sizes of the sliced products into one case, the risk of the first order drops. Samples, units per case and account terms are discussed together in the quote conversation; how to put VAT, net weight and units per case on an equal footing when comparing case prices is the subject of a separate article.
Why should pepperoni and bacon be on the opening list?
Because these two lines build the price ladder of the menu. The other six sit in a fairly narrow price band; pepperoni adds character as the spicy option, and bacon, as the only product that is cooked, adds a higher step. Both start with small volume and are carried in a single pack.
The heat in pepperoni is set in production and cannot be adjusted afterwards; for a milder sandwich reduce the slice count. Bacon is cooked over medium heat with no added oil and lifted once the edges crisp; high heat burns the edges while leaving the centre tough.
What belongs in the supplier file?
The file a buyer builds at opening pays off at every later delivery:
- A photograph of the label for each line: name, ingredients, allergens, net quantity, use-by date and the establishment registration number must all appear on it; these requirements are listed in Article 9 of the Turkish Food Labelling and Consumer Information Regulation (yeni sekmede açılır).
- If a halal certificate is required, request it from the supplier in writing; the label shows that the products are made from beef, turkey and chicken, and the certificate itself goes into the file separately.
- A delivery temperature record: the vehicle and product temperatures measured at each receipt, noted with the date.
- Sample evaluation notes: which line was tested in which bread, and what the result was.
What gets added after the eight?
The sales data of the first two months decides what to add. The deli line behind the best-selling sandwich moves up a pack size; a line that never turns is dropped and replaced by a single new one from the same family. Holding the count at eight while rotating the content is a healthier growth path than stretching the list to twelve.
Before placing the opening order, request samples of all eight lines and ask about split cases; getting in touch to open a trade account is the first step.
