Make Butchered Inventory Perpetual

The majority of the cost of most entrées comes from the “protein” component – meat or fish.  Chefs try to maintain a consistent portion size, usually based on weight.  Despite consistent portions, the cost will fluctuate depending on the raw purchase cost and the butchering yield.  Even if you don’t have recipes fully documented and costed [...]

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Cooking the Books

Rest assured, today’s post is not about tax evasion.  But, it does have a very important implications.  If your food recipes use any alcohol, it’s important to account for it properly. Proper Accounting Your food cost of sales should include all of the costs that are incurred in preparing the food menu items.  Sometimes, restaurants forget to [...]

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Cost Control is the Key to Survival

While there are some signs that we may be emerging from the recession, I think you’ll find that consumer behaviour has been changed, perhaps for many years to come.  Even your “well-off” customers are much more price conscious that they have ever been before.  Actually, they are more value conscious.  In order to “survive and thrive”, you have [...]

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Counting Inventory a Waste of Time?

I’m sure all restaurant consultants and accountants advise their clients to count inventory regularly.  Depending on how many menu items and ingredients in use, and how many times you count inventory, this simple procedure can represent a very significant time commitment.  Let’s take a closer look at inventory counts and see whether they’re worth the time and [...]

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Wine Cost Control

Wine inventory is different from food inventory in one very important aspect.  Wine turns over a lot slower than food.  In other words, it stays on the shelf longer.  While food must be sold quickly, or it perishes, wine often improves with age. The size and composition of a wine list depends on the type [...]

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