Caviar Buying Guide for Restaurants

Running a caviar program at a restaurant is meaningfully different from ordering caviar for personal use. The considerations shift toward consistency, yield, margin, and operational reliability. A guest who orders caviar service at your restaurant expects the same quality on their third visit as their first. Building that consistency requires making the right sourcing decisions upfront.

Step 1: Choose Your Species Anchor

Most restaurant programs work best with one primary species that serves as the anchor of the caviar service, supplemented by one or two secondary offerings for variety and differentiation.

Kaluga Hybrid (Huso dauricus × Acipenser schrenckii) is the most practical anchor for most programs. Large, firm, visually impressive beads. Clean, buttery flavor with the presence needed for spoon service. Consistent supply from established aquaculture operations. Available year-round at predictable pricing. This is TBGC's recommended starting point for any new caviar program.

Osetra (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) makes an excellent secondary or premium offering. Smaller beads, more complex nutty flavor, broader price range by grade. Pairs exceptionally well with warm preparations and blini service. If you want to run a multi-caviar service — a Kaluga standard and an Osetra premium — this pairing covers the key price and flavor differentials effectively.

Step 2: Spec the Grade

Within species, grade refers to bead size (0 to 000, with 000 being the largest). For spoon service and classic presentations, 000 is the right spec — it commands the table visually and justifies premium pricing. For kitchen applications (pasta, eggs, canapés), 0 or 00 is equally appropriate and represents meaningful cost savings without any flavor compromise.

Always specify grade in your standing order to ensure you're receiving the same product consistently. A tin labeled simply "Kaluga" without a grade specification can vary meaningfully from delivery to delivery.

Step 3: Establish Ordering Cadence

Caviar has a 4–6 week shelf life from packing date in an unopened tin stored properly at 34–38°F. Once opened, it must be consumed within 24–48 hours. For most restaurant programs, a weekly or bi-weekly standing order is the right cadence — enough to ensure freshness, not so frequent that you're managing tiny quantities with excessive effort.

Work backward from your weekly covers and caviar attachment rate to set your standing order volume. For a 100-cover restaurant with 15% caviar attach at dinner, serving 30g per table, you're moving roughly 450g per week. Order conservatively until you've established your actual consumption rate — caviar sitting past its window is expensive waste.

Step 4: Service Standards

Mother-of-pearl spoons are traditional and the correct tool for premium caviar service — metal spoons impart a metallic note that compromises the flavor of delicate roe. Present directly from the tin, nestled in crushed ice, with appropriate accompaniments. Classic service: blini or toast points, crème fraîche, finely minced egg white and yolk, shallots, and chives — presented separately so the guest can compose as they prefer.

For standalone spoon service (no accompaniments), ensure the caviar is the undivided focus. A single mother-of-pearl spoon of Kaluga 000 on clean ice, properly labeled with species and grade, is a presentation that speaks for itself.

Setting Up a Standing Order Through TBGC

TBGC offers weekly standing order arrangements for restaurant caviar programs. Your account rep will work with you to establish the right species, grade, tin size, and delivery schedule. Once set up, your order ships on the same day each week and arrives within your delivery window — no reordering required unless you need to adjust volume.

For new programs, we recommend a trial order of two to three tins before committing to a standing arrangement — this lets you validate the product, assess yield, and dial in your portioning before you're on a fixed cadence. Apply for wholesale access to get started, or browse the full caviar catalog to review current SKUs.