There are three basic things you need to inventory on a regular basis: your freezer, your fridge, and your pantry. But there are lots of different ways you can keep your inventory. Choose the one that works best for you, because you’re going to have to work with it on a regular basis!
Today's thread is focused on meal planning and preparation. I want to share my thoughts on the meal planning process. It starts before you even head out to the market, farmer or grocery store.
Taking inventory is an essential part of a chefs life, If you don't know what you have, how can you plan what to order or purchase? To begin, let me recommend a little software program I use often for work & personal cooking. It's a great time to purchase a copy with a 50% discount on all products. You can also download the app for free, but I still suggest purchasing the full version. Contact me today, for a student copy at only $60 Canadian; macgillb2@gmail.com
Anyway, on with the topic of inventory...
Because food is what makes up the majority of inventory for a restaurant, how well a restaurant handles inventory is vital to its success. Here are best practices plus a downloadable tracker to minimize food waste and increase profits.
Inventory Management Benefits for Restaurants
Proper inventory management helps you decrease food waste and loss, work with vendors, decrease the overall cost of goods, increase profits and keep customers happy.
Some of the benefits include the following.
Less food loss: Up to 10% of food purchased by restaurants is wasted before it even reaches the consumer. Restaurants buy too much food at a time, so it ends up spoiling before being served to customers. Food inventory management can minimize that loss.
Lower cost of goods: Food costs are generally 28% to 35% of total costs for a restaurant. That goes up when food is lost or spoils.
Better vendor management: Restaurants can use inventory management to more closely track their food and purchases, allowing them to better manage purchases and payments to vendors.
Automatic inventory supply: Inventory management provides insights into a restaurant’s supply levels. The system also creates automatic processes that replenish food supplies to the appropriate amounts and avoids waste.
More satisfied customers: Develop repeat customers and keep them happy by keeping ingredients on hand for all the dishes on your menu.
Increased profits: The total cost of goods sold is a major component that determines net profits. Inventory management decreases waste, which lowers the cost of goods sold and ultimately increases profits.
Yes, we are talking about restaurants, but your household should be managed in the same manner. Especially under the current economic situation. Food is bloody expensive, so is gas, rent, mortgages....basically everything. It's time to scale your home to the economy. Less fast food, less delivery, less junk food. Think about it, your body is a temple, why are you treating it so bad? And the fallout of junk food and fast food has a huge environmental impact...love your planet as yourself!
So, before you leave the house to go shopping today, think about all of the above. Take your inventory, loosely plan your menus for the week. Plan on cooking healthy, delicious foods. Your pocketbook, body, mind and spirit will thank you!
Cheers, and happy hump day!
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