Stock in Our Restaurant
Having previous notions about stocking in restaurants is an essential factor before carrying out any inventory. Having a good organization in our warehouse and having a good structuring and inventory, both factors will help us in the effectiveness and efficiency of the economy of our restaurant, even if it were small or medium.
The inventory control of a restaurant’s warehouse requires time, organization, and common sense, so in today’s post, we will discuss some of the most important points to carry out optimal management of our stock.
What is restaurant inventory?
There are two main types of restaurant inventory: perpetual inventory, generally used in hotels and large stores; and physical inventory, often used in any type of business.
THE PERPETUAL INVENTORY
The control system attempts to immediately account for inventory changes, which is very useful for daily warehouse control. It involves continuous inventory tracking and is almost always performed by a digital system. Its main features are:
- Immediate detection of movements in the warehouse thanks to automatic counting.
- Real-time statistics.
- Automatic reordering from the supplier.
- Technological and digital factor
It is run once at the end of the month and includes manually calculating the company’s inventory by creating a complete list of all stored contents and specifying the unit for each reference. A separate list is usually used as a basis, which includes all the ingredients used to prepare the dishes usually offered. On this basis, it is easier to record only the quantity in storage.
Confirm the turnover rate of the product, i.e. the rate at which the product is sold or circulated within the company.
It shows if the product is in bad condition and caused losses, especially for perishable products.
How to control inventory in our restaurant?
The opening of a new restaurant involves effort and dedication. In the beginning, we bet all the cards to one and we keep informed about everything we have invested and everything we have bought to keep a good stock, but over time many neglects this process and it is a mistake that most often make.
A well-managed inventory will allow you to be aware of the real value of your investment and obtain the necessary cash flow to grow. Knowing the value of your restaurant’s inventory will help you make decisions when purchasing products, acquiring the right amount is good planning to avoid overstocking problems.
Prioritize our stock
A simple way to organize and control those products that are most used in our restaurant’s warehouse is to divide these products into three categories according to their value: high, medium, and low. Also known as ABC analysis, this technique will be useful to prioritize which are the most necessary gastronomic ingredients in our warehouse.
Periodic control
Establishing a periodic calendar to control the inventory of our restaurant and establishing a series of rules to carry out the review on a continuous basis will guarantee us to know in detail the products available and those necessary to offer our best to our customers.
The main objective of the inventories is the continuous counting of the restaurant’s stock and, therefore, its economic quantification.
Our greatest ally for the stocking: the technology
Having a good computer program and a specific one for the sector will allow us to save time and more than 90% of work when it comes to managing our restaurant’s warehouse. So that automation will guarantee us to continue generating income and to have everything under control in a more efficient way.
Staff training
Last, but not least, is the repeated training of our staff. Our staff must be trained and must know at all times when there is a greater demand, know when to order and when it will be necessary to prepare a dish that will allow us to lighten the stock of our restaurant. For this, it is necessary that they receive the most appropriate training.
Technology, periodic review, and staff training are the three pillars on which this management measure must be based to improve the quality and profitability of the restaurant.
What types of inventory exist?
We can distinguish two types of inventories: constant inventory and physical inventory. Throughout the inventory, it is essential to constantly record or monitor the products that we receive and that we offer… On the other hand, constant inventory is a very efficient method… The positive thing about this inventory is the daily control of the merchandise and its costs as well as the easy reordering of the products, and the integral and continuous control of our products.
Physical inventory is the more common of the two. This is done once a month by writing down in a list all the items and quantities we have. It is generally carried out on the last day of the month.
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