Does it ever make sense to choose a large supplier over a local market?

We support those that support us , we have great suppliers that will go the extra mile to help us but the most important piece of the puzzle is your vendor representative , we have a incredible sales person that deals on  a personal level, fixes problems and finds solutions , keeps us advised when there items that are available at reduced prices and when price changes are coming on our regular use items , find a sales person that works for YOU , most companies sell the same product for the same suppliers so the sales person is the key    

Local local local! Good so many ways. They care about you as a customer and give better service. You can truly know what you are getting regarding the truth of the product and the level of quality. Environmentally better re transportation impact. You might be Helping a small business be successful. Yes itmay not be the cheapest way to go - but if you can make it fit your business model and can make hay from marketing the positive sides it's a much more satisfying business relationship in the long run.

Although I do support local , I also get products from out of state to set my taste apart from other similar restaurants.

I love to use small local businesses for alot of things, have to keep america going and stop supporting the big box. But when it comes to my restaurant I tend to use local mom and pop distributors with the  exception of US foods. Larger Nationwide Distributors carry items you can't always get from the locals or smaller distributor. I also find your not always getting what you think, I have been to many farmers markets where all the farmers are selling is vegetable's that are bought in bulk and repackage to sell. Local farmers markets in New Jersey shouldn't be selling products from Mexico, California, etc. but they are.

Large suppliers are better for their product availability. BUT.. you have to meet minimums, you are on THEIR delivery schedule, and most of the time, to resolve an issue such as trying to get a credit thru becomes more than I would like to deal with. I have dropped Large suppliers because of their poor customer service and accounting departments.  Local companies are much better on customer service. I try to use local whenever possible. Remember, local, you are supporting a local family trying to make a living.  I would assume if you are on this forum, YOU are a local business as well. 

If you consistantly use hard to find items or special order items than YES it can be better to go with a larger perveyer like FSA or Sysco for those items. Just understand that they may have order minimums. If you have developed a relationship with a local supplier you can usually depend on them for the last minute items, and late add ons without any kind of problmes.Local is almost always better for quality and service! Weather issues can sometimes create problems for certain items but that is when you get creative with your supplier and come up with a solution together. They want to help a loyal customer and will try to work with you to find a solution to most issues. Also don't put all your eggs in one basket - have several people you can call upon for all the items you need and especially for the hard to find products. Don't burn bridges you may need a seldom used relationship to gain access to limited stock items from time to time.

Depends on what you're ordering and the quantity.   You have to balance your values with the fact you're in business to make money.   Broadline distributors can (not always) provide pricing that is significantly better than what you can get locally.  Margins are critical to success and can't be ignored.

Not necessarily, small local establishments can’t afford the high overhead prices and buying local helps other small mom and pop business thrive and succeed

I've always used both. Two reasons. First, because of the seasonal aspect of produce you have to be able to get a fresh product and a decent price. Second, we need to know how much produce should cost at any given time. Having more than one supplier, tells you if product costs are inline or not. If suppliers know you have more than one source, they also know they have to be competitive, without us stating it. 

To answer the question, yes it absolutely makes sense to choose a large supplier sometimes. It really depends on your business. We have a very large scale of events we will do. Everything from simple BBQ's to black tie affairs for as little as 20 guests up to 3,000. My suggestion is to keep all of your options open. Support small local business as much as you can. Be aware of what is offered, prices and availability at all of your suppliers / markets. You also have to consider your time. Shopping locally usually means go get it and large suppliers usually deliver as long as you meet their minimum order amount. For us we simply plan out our sourcing depending on the weeks events. For us it's typically a combination.