The key to solving this dilemma may lie where you least expect it: in your technical data
sheets. Technical data sheets are essential for managing your restaurant’s kitchen. Without a detailed technical sheet, financial and stock control is almost impossible, as they are essential for calculating menu engineering and stock control. This is because if you don’t have your technical sheets up to date, you won’t be able to see information such as the real costs of producing dishes and their variations.
In this article, we’ll explore how implementing and optimizing your restaurant’s technical data sheets can transform your management and boost your profits.
Let’s start with the definition: what is a technical file?
A restaurant’s technical sheet is the document that defines the guidelines by which the
manager or chef should take economic or labor decisions.
This tool contains important information about all the dishes on the menu, such as ingredients, costs, supplier information and more.
What does it include?

• Name of the dish
• Ingredients and quantity
• Cost of each input
• How to prepare
• Cooking time
• How many servings
• Nutritional information
• How the dish should be stored
• Administrative costs
• Total cost
• Illustrative image

Advantages of having a technical sheet

1. Cost management and profit margins are perhaps the most important advantages of Technical Data Sheets. By having detailed information on the quantities and prices of ingredients as well as information on your suppliers, you can:

• Calculate the production cost of each dish
• Arriving at the final price of the dishes without running the risk of not charging less than you need to
• Making informed decisions about changing suppliers

1. The technical data sheet allows you to standardize your recipes and maintain the quality of your dishes, which guarantees customer loyalty.
2. Another important advantage is the ease of training new members of your team, as they will have quick and easy access to cooking methods and the more technical details of each dish.
3. Optimizing production time is also a central point, since standardizing cooking methods will give your employees an idea of how to organize their time.
4. Using the technical sheet in your restaurant will also allow you to control your stock more precisely, thanks to access to information such as the inputs and ingredients used in each recipe.

How to make and organize your data sheets
The effective creation of technical data sheets involves the collaboration of your entire team
to document the recipes on the menu.
Although it is possible to use paper, using Excel or Google Sheets to develop technical sheets is the easiest way to edit, print and share them.
There are 3 types (General, Operational and Administrative), but we recommend only using the last two, since the general type is the combination of both.

• Operational: this contains information about the method of cooking the dishes, which is only necessary for those who prepare them
• Administration: focuses on costs and prices, and is more important for restaurant management

The purpose of using the two separately is that each one has the necessary information for those who are going to use it, and, in this way, reading is made easier.
Now that you have all the information you need about the importance of technical data
sheets, it’s time to create your own.

Download it here: