Purchasing is the second important step after planning a menu to ensure an effective restaurant operation. The objectives of purchasing are to maintain adequate supplies, minimize investments, run a smooth operation, and maximize quality. The key steps in the purchasing process are accurately describing needs, selecting suppliers, determining price and terms, issuing purchase orders, expediting and receiving orders, paying invoices, and maintaining records. Negotiation is an important method for determining price that requires planning and establishing ground rules. The best buy considers both technical factors like quality and usability as well as procurement factors like price, delivery times, and lead times. For a purchase to be legally binding it requires identifiable parties, a legal purpose, an offer and acceptance, and consideration