What is food inventory management?
It’s tedious, cumbersome, and difficult, but food inventory management may be the most important responsibility on a restaurant manager’s long list of tasks. It directly affects every other aspect of the business. It’s about what items you have on hand, the stock levels on your shelves, the organization in your pantries, and the stocking in your refrigerators and freezers. Too much can be wasted—too little is restrictive and will affect customer service.
Why is this important?
Food waste
Despite the fact that nearly a billion people go to bed hungry every night , improvements in food management in some parts of the world are being offset by equally inefficient efforts in other regions. The United germany whatsapp number States, for example, wastes just under half of its food, much of which is still edible . There are several causes for this waste, including weather, unstable markets, and inefficient purchasing practices. Unfortunately, restaurants play a significant role in this waste , with up to 33 billion pounds of food misused, wasted, and thrown away. This is a direct result of over-ordering and mismanaging dishes and the ingredients that go into them.
Financial loss
As with any business, your restaurant’s purchasing practices have a direct impact on your profits and bottom line. Proper tracking systems will help you understand what items you’re using, how much you’re using, and how often you need to replenish your inventory to keep your inventory running low. By definition, any waste within a business costs that establishment money— this is magnified in the restaurant industry, where waste accounts for an estimated $25 billion annually . Restaurant waste occurs before and after customer contact. Between the food that never reaches your customers’ tables and the food that’s left on their plates after they eat, a large portion of revenue is being thrown away. In fact, effective inventory control could save your business as much as five or six percent of restaurant costs—do the math for your business and see what that translates into dollars.
Customer satisfaction
In golf, customer satisfaction is king. Every part of your facility should be geared toward customer relations, including your restaurant. As we’ve mentioned, inventory management and control extends upward to affect every other facet of a restaurant, not the least of which is customer satisfaction and enjoyment. Building customer loyalty starts with your processes and procedures – make the ordering process simple and consistent, and you’ll be ahead of the game. Make sure you have enough of all supplies and ingredients to avoid that unfortunate conversation – “I’m sorry – we’re out of stock.”
Tips on Managing Your Food Inventory
Keep your storage clean and organized
Accurate inventory control starts with organization. Make sure you have adequate shelving and effective categorization methods. Label everything accurately and apply a unique identifier to each item for easy cross-referencing with your inventory spreadsheet. These steps will prevent double counting and ensure the correct quantity of each item is on hand or on order.