Where stock really goes
Before blaming anyone, know the usual suspects. In most kitchens and bars, stock goes missing through:
- Portions that slowly grow bigger than the recipe.
- Waste that nobody records: spoiled, dropped, burnt or sent back.
- Deliveries that arrive short or under weight, signed for in a rush.
- Staff meals and free drinks that never make it onto a bill.
- Recipes that changed in the kitchen but not on paper.
- And yes, sometimes theft.
The routine below catches all of them, and shows you which one it is.
Work out what should be on the shelf
Everything starts with one simple sum. Take what you had, add what arrived, then take away what your recipes say you sold and the waste you recorded. That’s what should be on the shelf.
Chicken, main kitchen store, Saturday
For this to work, every dish needs a recipe with quantities, and every sale needs to go through your billing system. If you sell through a POS that knows your recipes, the “sold” number works itself out.
Count what matters most
You don’t need to count every grain of salt every week. A handful of items usually make up most of the value on your shelves: meat, seafood, cooking oil, and in a bar, the bottles.
- Every week: your most expensive ten to fifteen items.
- Every month: everything, on the same day each month, before service.
- In the bar: spirits by the bottle, with open bottles in tenths, at least weekly.
Make every count honest
If the person counting can see what the system expects, the count has a way of matching it. A blind count fixes that: the counting sheet shows the items, but not the expected amounts.
- 1Count before service
Nothing moves while you count.
- 2Count blind
The sheet lists the items, not what should be there.
- 3Have a second person check
A manager reviews any item that’s more than a little out.
- 4Recount before you accuse
A big difference is often a miscount, a missed delivery or a unit mix-up.
Write down waste, every day
Waste you record is a cost. Waste you don’t record looks exactly like theft. Keep a waste log by the kitchen pass, or on a tablet, and record each item with how much and why: spoiled, dropped, overcooked, returned by a guest.
Check deliveries before you sign
A rice delivery that’s two kilos short, or seafood billed at last month’s higher price, costs you just as much as waste. At the back door:
- Weigh meat, seafood and vegetables, and count everything else.
- Compare what arrived with what you ordered, before the driver leaves.
- Check the supplier’s bill against both before anyone pays it.
- Note short or damaged items on the delivery note, and ask for a credit.
Reading a count
Small differences are normal: a little spills, scales round up and down. What you’re looking for is the item that’s well out, and worth a lot.
| Item | Should be | Counted | Difference | Worth (LKR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11.10 kg | 11.00 kg | −0.10 kg | 180 |
| PrawnsLook into it | 6.20 kg | 5.00 kg | −1.20 kg | 4,800 |
| Samba rice | 18.40 kg | 18.20 kg | −0.20 kg | 56 |
| Arrack, 750 mlLook into it | 14 bottles | 12 bottles | −2 | 7,400 |
| Coconut oil | 6.20 L | 6.10 L | −0.10 L | 95 |
When an item is out, check in this order: was a delivery missed, was waste not recorded, is the recipe right, are portions too big? Only then look at whether something went out the back door.
The routine, on one page
- Every dayRecord waste with a reason, before the end of the shift.
- Every deliveryWeigh and count against the order before you sign.
- Every weekCount your most expensive items: meat, seafood, oil and bottles.
- Every monthA full count, and a look at every item more than 2% out.
