Restaurant Inventory Control Means Better Logistics

For the majority of restaurants, food cost is second only to labor in terms of an overall liability. It goes without saying that steps need to be taken and measures employed to ensure that this element of the budget does not get out of control. As in any business, it’s all about the bottom line.

While almost every retail establishment needs to carry stocks of some kind in order to operate, certain businesses have special needs and restaurant inventory control falls into this category as in this case the goods are very perishable. It is not easy to manage hundreds of different types of raw food and with poor management structure a lot of wastage can occur.

Senior management are ultimately responsible for good restaurant inventory control. They should ensure that not too many people are involved in the entire procedure as the more complication the more chance of waste. Delegation is always necessary but there should be a strict procedure in place to take into account measurement, handling and ordering.

While a good eatery will stand or fall on the quality of its food and it’s important to have all your menu items available at all times, remember that all this food represents a cost until it is prepared and delivered to the client. You need to practice the process of containment and come up with a system to ensure that you are stocking just the right amount, not too little and not too much.

It is unfortunately true, but as human beings we tend to place less value on anything that we have an abundance of. This is true when it comes to restaurant inventory control and your primary goal here should be to ensure that you can train all your workers in the values of portion control. This is also another reason why you should not have to much of any particular item in stock at any time.

By ensuring that you have an optimum level of inventory in your storage room you will automatically address several issues and find that you end up with less theft, less wastage, a lot less spoilage, perfect control of portions and a healthier bank account.

If you are in the habit of doing a full food cost calculation only periodically, such as once per month, try taking an example from the policies and procedures book of the major chain restaurants and do this every week. They put so much emphasis on restaurant inventory control that this no doubt in part contributes to the fact that they are between two and three times more profitable than a typical independent establishment.

Restaurant inventory control is only one element of overall restaurant management and marketing. Those who are new to the business, or even those who have been “around the block a couple of times,” would do well to seek the services of industry consultants to help them understand the intricacies of this competitive business.

Expert Jose L Riesco shows you the best methods for getting more visitors to your restaurant at www.myrestaurantmarketing.com. Learn more about restaurant inventory control here.