Description

Most restaurant ordering happens the same way: someone glances at the shelf, guesses, and orders “a couple more of everything.” Then you run out of your top seller in the middle of a Friday rush, while a case of romaine you didn’t need turns brown in the walk-in.

Counting takes two hours because nobody counts in the same order twice. Deliveries get signed for without being checked. Credits for short cases never show up, and nobody notices.

This system fixes all of it. Map your storage once and count in shelf order every time. Set a par level for every item, so ordering becomes simple math: par minus what’s on hand. Check every delivery before the driver leaves, and track every credit until it’s paid.

What’s inside the printable system (13 pages):

• How to Use This System: when to count, who counts, and how to set it up the first time.
• Storage Map & Count Order: map every storage area and shelf once, plus six counting rules that keep counts consistent from person to person.
• Inventory Count Sheet (2 pages): 50 lines with columns for walk-in, line, dry storage, freezer, and bar, plus value per item and page totals.
• Par Level Builder: four weeks of usage, days between deliveries, and a safety buffer, giving the par level for each item, with a worked example.
• Order Guide: one per vendor, per order. On hand against par gives the order quantity, with a check against the vendor’s order minimum.
• Vendor List & Delivery Schedule: every rep, cutoff, delivery day, and minimum on one page, plus a weekly calendar to post where orders get placed.
• Receiving Checklist & Log: seven checks for every delivery, and a log of every short, damaged, or substituted item and the credit owed.
• Monthly Inventory Summary: inventory value by category, monthly usage, and how many days of stock you’re sitting on.
• Common Mistakes to Avoid: six ways inventory and ordering go wrong.

What’s inside the companion spreadsheet:

• Enter each item once: vendor, order unit, count unit, cost, and weekly usage
• Par levels calculate automatically from usage and each vendor’s delivery schedule
• Enter your count by storage area, and order quantities calculate in cases, bags, or packs, rounded up
• An order list for each vendor, ready to copy into an email, text, or ordering app
• Order totals checked against each vendor’s minimum, with a warning when you’re short
• A receiving log with a running total of credits vendors still owe you
• Inventory value by category, monthly usage, and days on hand
• Comes loaded with example items and vendors so you can see how it works before you add your own

Built for real kitchens:

• Printable PDF, US Letter size, in black and white
• Spreadsheet works in Excel and Google Sheets
• Large write-in tables you can fill in by hand in the walk-in
• No theory and no filler, just what’s on the shelf, what to order, and what you’re owed

Who it’s for: owners, chefs, and kitchen managers of independent restaurants, cafes, bars, and food trucks who order from several vendors and want to stop guessing.

How often to use it: count before every order, or at least weekly. Do a full count at month end. Re-check pars every 90 days, and after any menu change, new vendor, or seasonal shift.

Pairs with the Food Cost & Recipe Costing Workbook. Your month-end inventory numbers feed straight into its actual food cost check.

Instant digital download: one PDF and one spreadsheet (.xlsx). The printable system is not a fillable form. The spreadsheet’s vendor order list needs Excel 2019 or later, Microsoft 365, or Google Sheets; all other tabs work in any recent version of Excel.