Counting inventory is like counting money. Simple as that. Only instead of bills, you’re counting tomatoes. Carrots. Bottles of wine. And even the plates (yes, even the ones that were broken when the new waiter was apprenticed).

Why is this important?

Inventory = Money

Every product on the shelf is worth money. More than that—every single item in your restaurant is something you’ve already paid for. Yes, that pound of onions in the corner of the fridge is worth money too. And the thing about stock is that it’s money you’ve already spent, so it makes sense to use it wisely. In summary, stock is a financial status, but is also the status of raw materials that could be turned back into money.

Order Planning:

No one wants to serve a steak without… well, steak. If you’re not counting stock properly, you’ll find yourself mid-shift missing pitas, lemons, and—you can probably fill in the rest with the usual suspects that always seem to run out. 

waste prevention:

An expired product or a sad lettuce are things you wouldn’t want to serve and customers don’t expect to receive. Inventory counting keeps you in the loop about what’s really in your storage, helps you avoid over-ordering, and stops you from bringing in supplies too early that’ll end up just sitting there.”

Good service:

Sorry, we’re out of stock” isn’t exactly a line you’d want to hear from the waiters, and if there’s enough stock, the menu can always be served.”

Now, some tips from the field:

•  Start with a complete inventory list — products, types, quantities, and expiration dates
• Pick two or three people you can trust to handle the count and do it right
• Set fixed times for counting: basically book a meeting with your inventory
• Manage using the FIFO method (First In, First Out)—the first product that comes in should be the first one out.
• Use inventory management software: let’s be real, if it’s not digital, simple, and quick, it just won’t happen. So, management software helps streamline operations in the restaurant. And maybe we’re biased, but Zestt makes all inventory counting easy and simple (and the inventory counting tutorial is on us).
• Holidays and other celebrations: Holidays can lead to longer delivery times and a higher volume of customers. This means that you should order products 10-14 days before the holiday and make sure there is enough space for storage in the refrigerators.