Running a restaurant costs a lot of money, which means you don’t want to waste your money anywhere. One of the best things you can do to manage food costs is to keep track of your restaurant inventory. There are lots of options available that will help you keep track of your inventory. Keep reading to learn about some of the best ways to keep track of restaurant inventory.
Use Technology
We now have lots of technology at our fingertips to help us manage our restaurants well. Don’t be afraid of using this technology to help keep track of your restaurant inventory. You can use any software you want to keep track of your inventory, such as electronic records that employees regularly update and point of sale systems that track when customers make purchases. There are also apps available for creating spreadsheets where you can easily keep track of the inventory items you bring in and how much they cost.
Train People
You’ll need to train people to use the inventory technology you choose or entrust people to take care of your inventory manually. Regardless of the task itself, they will need plenty of training on how to use the system you have in place. Even if the technology or system is easy to learn, it’s best to have a select few team members handle inventory. This way, your more experienced staff can recognize problems or inconsistencies faster and keep the inventory you need in stock.
Avoid Food Waste
Do you ever feel like inventory just disappears? This may be because of food waste. If you keep track of food waste just like you keep track of incoming inventory, you can figure out how much food waste your restaurant creates.
Once you know how much food waste you generate, try to combat it. The most popular method of avoiding food waste is the “first in, first out” method. In this practice, you use the food closest to expiring first and work your way to using newer food and nonperishables.
The best ways to keep track of restaurant inventory involve technology, properly trained people, and avoiding food waste. Your restaurant will run better when you commit to monitoring your inventory and seeking opportunities to improve your processes.
