Wholesale Resources
Hot Pot Base Sourcing for Restaurants, by the Case
A hot pot restaurant should source soup base by the case and forecast in pots, not dollars: the standard 400g base packet makes one pot, and a case packs 25 packets, so one case is very nearly 25 pots of service. Count weekday and weekend pots separately, divide the weekly total by 25, and you have a standing case order plus one safety case for peak nights. This guide covers packet-versus-paste formats, per-serving yield math, spice-level menu coverage, storage and FIFO, and pairing base cases with the dipping-sauce station in one order.
Key takeaways
- •One 400g packet makes one pot and a case packs 25 — forecast in pots and packets, never in revenue.
- •Weekly case order = (weekday pots × 5 + weekend-day pots × 2) ÷ 25, plus one safety case for peak nights.
- •Carry two spice tiers plus one non-spicy base so split-pot tables never stall service.
- •Sealed packets store ambient with FIFO rotation; counting packets left is counting pots left.
- •Order base and dipping-station cases (sesame sauce, chili oil, fermented tofu) together for one delivery.
Packet or paste: pick a format you can count
The format decision drives everything downstream. Sealed single-pot packets — in our catalog, 400g per packet, 25 per case — are portion-controlled: every pot gets the identical charge, so the broth tastes the same on a quiet Tuesday as on a packed Saturday, whichever cook builds it. Inventory is equally simple: packets left equals pots left.
Bulk paste tubs let you scale broth strength pot by pot, but only with a house measuring standard — a fixed scoop count or scale weight per pot — or consistency drifts with each cook's hand. For most small and mid-size hot pot rooms, packets win on both consistency and counting; browse the formats under /category/hot-pot-bases, where each product page lists packet size, per-case count, and current case pricing.
- •Single-pot packets (400g, 25 per case): a fixed charge per pot, identical broth every service.
- •Paste tubs: flexible strength, but they demand a written scoop-or-weight standard per pot.
- •Packet counting doubles as inventory: packets on the shelf = pots you can still serve.
Yield math: from packets per case to service days
One packet, one pot makes forecasting mechanical. Say the room turns 12 pots on a weekday and 30 on each weekend day: that is 12 × 5 + 30 × 2 = 120 pots a week, which at 25 packets per case is just under five cases — a standing order of five covers the week with a few packets spare.
Service-days per case is the same math turned sideways: at 12 pots a day a case lasts about two weekdays, while at 30 pots a day a case is gone before one weekend day ends. Run both numbers — cases per week for ordering, service-days per case for a shelf-glance sense of how deep the stock really is.
- •Weekly cases = (weekday pots × 5 + weekend-day pots × 2) ÷ 25.
- •Worked example: 120 pots a week ÷ 25 ≈ 5 cases, plus one safety case.
- •Service-days per case = 25 ÷ pots per day — the shelf-glance depth check.
Cover the whole table: spice tiers and the dipping station
Hot pot tables rarely agree on one broth. Carry at least two spice tiers of the signature spicy base plus one non-spicy base — clear, tomato, or mushroom — so split-pot orders never stall the line; track your split-pot ratio for a few weeks and set the case mix between spicy and mild from that count.
The dipping-sauce station consumes steadily alongside the base: sesame sauce, chili oil in 350ml bottles at 30 per case, and fermented tofu at around 20 units per case are the staples. Ordering station cases with base cases from the same importer lands the whole hot pot program in one delivery — see /category/sauces-seasonings, /category/chili-oils, and /category/fermented.
- •Menu floor: two spice tiers of the house spicy base + one clear, tomato, or mushroom base.
- •Station staples by the case: chili oil 350ml × 30, fermented tofu ~20 per case, plus sesame sauce.
- •Base + station in one order = the whole program arrives in one delivery.
Storage, FIFO, and reordering around weekend peaks
Sealed base packets are ambient inventory: a dry storeroom shelf, no cold chain, and a long printed best-before window — only fresh-style products explicitly labeled for refrigeration need cooler space. Date-mark each case on arrival and always open the oldest first, so the back of the shelf never expires.
Time reorders around the weekend, because that is when a base shortage hurts most. A simple trigger: when packets on hand fall below one full weekend of pots plus the weekday pots of your delivery lead time, reorder. US-warehouse shipping keeps that buffer short and one safety case absorbs a surprise Saturday; recount pots each season, since cold months run higher than summer.
- •Ambient, dry storage for sealed packets; refrigerate only items labeled for it.
- •Reorder trigger: packets on hand < one weekend's pots + lead-time weekday pots.
- •Keep one safety case for peak nights and recount pots each season — winter runs higher.
Frequently asked questions
How many pots does one case of hot pot base make?
The standard format in our catalog is a 400g packet sized to one full pot, packed 25 packets per case — so one case is very nearly 25 pots of service. Counts vary by SKU, so confirm the packet size and per-case count on the product page before building a standing order.
Should a restaurant buy base packets or paste tubs?
Packets, for most rooms: each pot gets the identical 400g charge, so the broth is consistent across cooks and shifts, and counting packets doubles as inventory. Paste makes sense only when you want to tune broth strength per pot and you enforce a written scoop-or-weight standard.
How do I calculate how many cases to order each week?
Count pots, not revenue: multiply average weekday pots by five, add each weekend day's pots times two, and divide the weekly total by 25 packets per case. A room doing 120 pots a week needs about five cases, plus one safety case for an unexpected peak night.
Does hot pot base need refrigeration?
Sealed packets store at room temperature on a dry shelf with a long best-before window; only fresh-style bases explicitly labeled for refrigeration need the cooler. Date-mark cases on arrival and rotate first in, first out so the oldest case is always the next one opened.
What belongs at the dipping-sauce station, and in what case sizes?
The staples are sesame sauce, chili oil, and fermented tofu: chili oil ships in 350ml bottles at 30 per case, and fermented tofu packs around 20 units per case. They consume steadily alongside the base, so ordering them with the base cases puts the whole program in one delivery.
Where do I check what a case costs?
Each product page lists current case pricing next to the packet size and per-case count. This guide sticks to quantities — packets, pots, and service days — because those hold steady; the live price is always on the product page.