How often should I count?

Count high-value and fast-moving items often, such as every few days, and low-value items weekly or monthly. Compare counted stock with the system, record wastage reasons and review the variance report after every count.

Can software stop theft?

Software cannot stop theft by itself, but recipe-based stock deduction, wastage reasons, counts and the audit log make losses visible quickly. Combine this with supervision, separate duties and regular surprise counts.

Restaurant Inventory Management and Wastage Control

Restaurant stock is perishable and fast moving, which makes small leaks expensive. A simple routine of counts, logging and variance review controls most of it.

Count what matters

You do not need to count everything daily. Count high-value and high-wastage items often (meat, dairy, oil) and the rest weekly.

Use par levels

Set a minimum for each material. When stock falls below, reorder. NexoraRMS-POS shows reorder alerts and turns them into purchase orders.

FIFO and storage

Label with date
Store new behind old
Keep chiller temperature records
Check expiry on pack goods

Log wastage

Record wastage with a reason (spoilage, spill, returned, staff meal). Patterns show up quickly.

Read the variance report

Compare expected stock from recipes with counted stock. Large gaps need action. See restaurant inventory software.

Vendor rates

Record purchase rates so cost changes reach your recipes. See purchase and vendor software.

A weekly wastage meeting

Spend ten minutes each week with the head chef and manager. Read the wastage log, name the top three items and agree one action each. Small, repeated reviews beat a large annual clean-up.

Typical causes

Cause	Fix
Over-ordering perishables	Lower par levels, order more often
Poor storage	Labels, FIFO, temperature checks
Over-portioning	Standard recipe and tools
Dishes returned	Taste check and clear notes
Staff meals not recorded	Log them as a reason