Why Enterprises Should Adopt Dynamic Product Catalogs

Enterprise restaurant groups face a constant challenge: how do you guarantee every location uses the right equipment when you can't physically be in each store to verify purchases? The standard approach to procurement relies on approved vendor lists and franchise agreements that outline specific equipment requirements.

But here's the problem: there's no real-time visibility into what franchisees are actually buying. By the time the franchisor discovers that a location ordered the wrong ice machine or opted for a cheaper fryer that doesn't meet brand specs, it's too late. The equipment is installed, money is spent, and now you're managing the fallout…maybe not it’s too late, when customer complaints about inconsistency roll in.

Beyond compliance, there's another critical issue: price transparency. Are your negotiated manufacturer agreements actually competitive? You renew contracts based on previous years’ pricing and hope you're getting a fair deal, but equipment costs fluctuate constantly due to supply chain disruptions, tariffs, and competitive pressures. Most enterprises only validate pricing during contract renewals, missing opportunities to capitalize on better rates in between.

Backhouse resolves these problems by creating a dynamic product catalog where franchisees are always routed to the right SKUs and enterprises get full visibility into both purchase prices and product lifecycles. Here's how it works.

Set the specs

In Backhouse, sourcing teams can define specifications for every piece of equipment their operators will need. They can be as specific as necessary: lock in exact SKUs for manufacturer models, set dimensions for equipment that needs to fit within a particular buildout, or define performance specs that allow flexibility while maintaining quality standards.

This level of control means you're not just handing franchisees a list and hoping they follow it, you're creating a governed marketplace where only compliant options are available to purchase. If a piece of equipment doesn't meet your specs, it simply doesn't appear in their search results.

After a franchisee makes a purchase, it becomes immediately visible to both the franchisor and the franchisee. Everyone can see what was bought, from which vendor, at what price, and for which location. This real-time visibility means you can verify compliance instantly rather than discovering issues months later. Accountability is automated, while the administrative burden of manual tracking is eliminated.

Follow the lifecycle

Visibility into product purchases doesn't just support compliance; it supports asset tracking, too. Both the enterprise and the franchisee have straightforward access to warranty information for all of the equipment they own.

Having the purchase date and warranty specifics available and searchable ensures that equipment isn't being replaced or repaired out of the franchisee's own pocket when it's actually covered by the manufacturer or supplier. It’s particularly valuable for large enterprises where thousands of warranties need to be tracked across thousands of locations in several states. One centralized system means no more hunting through filing cabinets across the country or endless email threads to find proof of purchase.

Beyond individual warranty tracking, this visibility helps the enterprise understand the total lifecycle of products. If you notice a pattern of certain SKUs failing early or immediately after the end of a warranty period, it may raise a red flag. Has the manufacturing location changed? Is the model not well-suited to high-volume kitchens? Having this data easily accessible helps you make smarter decisions about which products to keep in the brand standards and which to phase out.

Asset lifecycle data also informs capital planning. When you can see the age and condition of equipment across all locations, you can forecast replacement needs more accurately and budget accordingly. Instead of reactive purchases when equipment fails, you can plan strategic refresh cycles that minimize disruption.

Confirm fair pricing

Manufacturer agreements are typically set through one-time negotiations without any ongoing market validation. You negotiate a rate, sign a contract, and assume you're getting competitive pricing for the next several years. But equipment pricing fluctuates constantly, so the deal that enterprises secured two years ago might not feel like much of a deal today.

Backhouse brings market transparency to your procurement process. When you submit an equipment request through the platform, you see price estimates upfront before we collect competitive bids from every possible vendor within 24 hours. You get actual market data in front of you faster and more efficiently than traditional sourcing methods that require phone calls, emails, and waiting for quotes to trickle in.

This transparency translates directly into negotiation power. When your procurement team sits down to renegotiate contracts or evaluate new suppliers, they're armed with competitive pricing data from Backhouse that shows exactly where the market stands. It’s not a guessing game anymore when you’re negotiating with real data.

Want to check prices across all your markets to make sure you're getting the best deal? Backhouse shows you what vendors are charging in different regions, helping you identify opportunities to standardize pricing or leverage volume across locations. You might discover that franchisees in one market are paying significantly more for the same equipment than those in another market, revealing additional opportunities to renegotiate or source differently.

Get more efficient across thousands of locations

Coordinating equipment purchases for an enterprise doesn't have to mean endless spreadsheets, complicated compliance audits, and hoping franchisees make the right choices. Backhouse creates a system where control and flexibility coexist: enterprises maintain compliance through governed specifications while franchisees access competitive pricing and streamlined procurement.

The result is better consistency across locations, stronger negotiating position with vendors, and complete visibility into your equipment assets from purchase through end of life.