Inventory tracking is arguably one of the least exciting tasks to conduct, but it is absolutely essential to the success of your restaurant. The ability to optimize your kitchen’s inventory will help your restaurant reduce costs.
Many kitchens increase their costs indirectly through a variety of inventory mishaps. These mishaps come in the form of overordering product, improper storage, food spoilage, waste, and employee errors. It is not uncommon for kitchens to experience a variety of these errors at the same time. The good news is that all of these issues are manageable with the proper inventory management techniques.
Menu Optimization
Menu optimization will help you distinguish between products that must be used immediately and products that can be stored long-term. This process will help you develop features that utilize ingredients that must go first.
It is essential to document and track the movement of every menu item. Ensure to start from the moment an ingredient is received, all the way to the final prepared meal.
Document every step of the process. Make note of every single ingredient used. Identify the quantities and costs associated with each ingredient, and establish how to create each dish. This includes the preparation, and the types of restaurant equipment and supplies required. This process will help prevent errors and food waste during the preparation and cooking process.
Accurate Inventory Tracking & Forecasting
Menu specifications help you forecast food inventory and set par levels for your next purchase order. This enables you to improve how your costs of goods sold is managed. Ideally, you want no more than just enough inventory on hand to serve every customer who places an order with you.
It is important to assign members of your team to conduct inventory counts. This will maintain consistency and keep your staff accountable for all restaurant inventory. Once you have assembled your team, it is time to assign a regular inventory schedule. Once per month is not enough to keep an accurate track of stock levels. Weekly counts are advisable for improved accuracy of your kitchen costs.
This team will enforce essential procedures. These procedures include performing quality checks on received inventory, and accurately labelling all products to ensure proper rotation. This will also improve storage and ensure ingredients are being used before they spoil.
Ensure to track any spoilage or mistakes made through waste sheets. It isn’t always easy to convince staff to follow through on this. Educate your staff on the reasons why they should track waste. Talk about the impact that tracking waste has on the business. By attaching an actual dollar value behind an error, your employees will realize the impacts of their action. This will encourage them to be proactive about proper inventory management.
Furthermore, if you have the budget for it, your restaurant may benefit from inventory management software to help improve tracking accuracy. The money you can save through professional software could very well pay off in the long-run.
Efficient Restaurant Equipment
Ensuring you have the proper commercial kitchen equipment in place is invaluable for managing your inventory. When it comes to food preparation and cooking, you want the best and most efficient setup you can get. Equipment that operates at high efficiency saves you money by utilizing less resources and producing exquisite results.
When it comes to proper storage, you need the perfect tables and shelving, and commercial refrigeration units suited to your menu and operations. The right equipment will maximize space and enable effective organization. Furthermore, these units will maintain critical temperatures, ensuring your product stays at optimal quality for longer. Just another reason why regular maintenance of commercial kitchen equipment is so important.
Start Reducing Costs
Babak Food Equipment has been Canada’s provider of essential restaurant equipment and supply for 20 years. Our trained professionals have the expertise to identify the equipment you require for optimizing your inventory. Contact us today. We are here to help.