How to manage stock in restaurants and bars
Stock management is a fundamental process for reducing costs and waste. Find out how to do it productively.
Stock control is an essential part of running a restaurant or bar. It requires constant monitoring and teamwork. But if it’s done well, you’ll always know what’s coming in, what’s going out and what’s inside. As a result, purchases are optimized, expiration dates meet, and results optimized. Find out how to do it productively.
"A place for everything, everything in its place"
A kitchen that is not well organized is a source of waste and hidden costs. That’s why the first step to good stock management is to organize your workstations and storerooms. Utensils, packaging, crockery, raw materials – they all need to be clearly marked and visually identified so that they can’t be missed. Always keep this maxim in mind: “a place for everything, and everything in its place”. This way, it’s easy to find what you’re looking for and it’s possible to know what’s out of stock. This will help extend the useful life of some products, avoiding duplicate purchases because you can’t find a product because it’s stored in the wrong place.
Technical sheets reduce the need for manual records
Stock management is made easier with the use of technical sheets, documents that indicate the composition of each dish or drink, including the quantity of each ingredient. They are essential for productive management, because instead of having to record the individual consumption of each ingredient, it is possible to know how much has been spent on sales data. If “x” meals have been ordered during the day and the system knows what’s in each one, the consumption of each ingredient is automatically calculated. This way, you know how much was consumed without any manual recording.
Sales data helps identify trends
Sales data is essential for stock management because, as well as letting you know what has been consumed and needs to be replenished, it helps to identify trends. This information makes it possible to see, for example, which products have fewer sales and are candidates for discontinuation. Or which items are less profitable. Or those that are in greater demand and should be reinforced.
With sales data always up to date, you can calculate the quantities you need to buy a product, and when you need to buy it again.
Training and team involvement are the keys to success
Knowing what needs to be bought, what is left over and what might be missing requires close monitoring by the people in charge of managing it. For example, what should be done when a shortage is detected? Or an item that has passed its sell-by date? If the team isn’t well trained and there’s no dialog, conscious consumption doesn’t exist, and stock management is compromised from the outset. Explain to the whole team the importance of keeping the organization defined and, if possible, involve them in defining the procedures. This way, they are more likely to respect them.
The illusion of quantity discounts
A pensar nos descontos de quantidade, muitos restaurantes preferem comprar em grandes volumes. Isto pode ser uma armadilha: a procura e preferências dos clientes são variáveis e há sempre o risco de perecibilidade dos artigos. A ilusão de poupança rapidamente se desvanece e o restaurante acaba por ser obrigado a escoar produto ou a assumir as perdas. Por isso, as encomendas devem ser feitas na justa medida, numa lógica just-in-time. Ou seja, deve ser encomendada apenas a quantidade necessária para consumo até à próxima reposição do fornecedor, por forma a evitar desperdício e a poupar espaço em armazém.
With quantity discounts in mind, many restaurants prefer to buy at large volumes. This can be a trap: customer demand and preferences are variable and there is always the risk of items becoming perishable. The illusion of savings quickly fades, and the restaurant ends up having to sell out or take a loss. For this reason, orders must be placed in a just-in-time manner. In other words, only the quantity needed for consumption until the next replenishment from the supplier should be ordered, to avoid waste and save warehouse space.
Stock management is a team effort, and that includes suppliers
Stock management is a team effort and involves service staff, kitchen staff, management staff and suppliers. Choose partners who guarantee the quality of their products and the reliability of their deliveries. Research, negotiate and create lasting relationships of trust. But also, don’t be afraid to take risks and try out other options to understand market trends.
An automatic process is a reliable process
Stock management in a restaurant or bar can be made even easier if you have the extra help of a specialized management system capable of automating the whole process. Today, you can count on customized stock control software based on your needs and type of business. In this way, you can take advantage of the benefits of automation to make your staff’s routine easier. Talk to a specialized team of professionals and find out how you can improve your establishment’s stock management. ZPOS is the right answer for your business, get in touch.
