5 Best Practices for Your Restaurant’s Inventory Workflow

Inventory management is one of the most foundational (yet often misunderstood) components of restaurant operations. It can make or break profitability, influence team efficiency, and deeply affect daily workflows. 

At Crunchtime’s 2024 Ops Summit, we took a closer look at what it really takes to implement an effective, scalable inventory workflow, from setup to review. Here's what we learned.

1. Start with Smart Inventory Configuration

A streamlined inventory process begins with thoughtful configuration. The way your products are stored and counted should feel intuitive, not burdensome. That means using Storage Locations as your organizational anchor.

• Storage Locations represent the physical places where inventory is counted (e.g., walk-ins, dry storage, bar rails).
• These locations also dictate how products appear on count sheets, so organizing them clearly and consistently is critical.
• Prep Stations should be tied to specific Storage Locations to maintain clarity across workflows.

Each location is unique, even when layouts are similar. Your setup should reflect that, while also making it easy to:

• Copy configurations to new locations.
• Roll out new products company-wide.
• Avoid confusion when duplicate products (like well vodka) live in multiple places.
  
  

Most operators don’t love doing math, especially in a freezer after a long shift. That’s why Alternate Count Units (ACUs) are vital.

An Alternate Count Unit is an additional way of measuring a product, for example, not just in pounds, but also in cases or cans. The goal is to make it easier and more logical to count inventory accurately.

Best practices:

• Be specific: The unit must clearly relate to a known pack size. Avoid vague units that can change depending on supplier or pack changes.
  
  
• Be logical: Choose count units that reduce math complexity and serve the majority of users. If most locations buy garbanzo beans in 6-can packs, make that a count option.
  
  

Avoid location-specific count units unless absolutely necessary; they increase complexity and reduce scalability.

The Inventory Setup screen is your best friend for aligning shelf-to-sheet efficiency.

From here, you can:

• Assign products to specific Storage Locations.
• Decide which products show on count sheets.
• Organize the order they appear in.
• Manage whether Alternate Count Units are visible.
  
  

Understanding Primary vs. Secondary Storage Types:

• Primary = main location where inventory is received and depleted.
• Secondary = additional locations where products are counted but not depleted from.

Pro Tip: When deactivating a product in a location, uncheck "Storage Active" and reassign the Primary to "Unassigned" to avoid confusion on count sheets.

Whether you're using Crunchtime or other inventory management methods, the goal is the same: reduce steps and errors.

If you're using Crunchtime:

• Count and input data simultaneously, in one step.
• Features like voice entry and a built-in calculator boost speed and reduce mistakes.
• Multiple users can count at the same time, each claiming a Storage Location.
  
  
• Once finished, just:
  1. Claim all Storage Locations
  2. Mark as Complete
  3. Sync
  4.  

Counting is only half the battle; reviewing and analyzing inventory is where you identify real opportunities for improvement. Crunchtime offers three essential reports to do just that:

 1. Physical Inventory Summary / Inventory Review

• Uses Inventory Units (lbs, bottles, etc.)
• Tells a logical story (Beginning, Received, Sold, etc.)
• Excellent for spotting entry errors and large discrepancies
  
  

Watch for:

• Visually overwhelming lists (filtering helps)
• Broad "Adjusted" field that includes many types of transactions
  
  

Best practices:

• Sort by physical value or variance value
• Use Crunchtime’s Inventory Data & Formulas guide to understand what’s behind each number
  
  

 2. AvT (Actual vs. Theoretical) Cost Report

• Best for reviewing by P&L Groupings, GL, or Prep Recipes
  
• Focused on dollar value (great for financial reviews)
  
  

Considerations:

• Doesn’t show true quantity variances
• Can be misleading if invoice timing is off
• Rounds units, so you might miss significant product losses
  
  

Use this report second, after reviewing the Inventory Summary.

3. Booking Journal

• The most detailed report, showing every transaction by product
• Ideal for investigating cost changes and unexplained variances
  
  

Caution:

• Shows data based on entered dates—not necessarily when the action occurred
• Can be overwhelming due to volume of data
  
  

Use the Booking Journal to validate or challenge assumptions from the other two reports.

Final Thoughts: The “Shelf-to-Sheet” Payoff

By investing in a robust inventory workflow, from intelligent configuration to logical count units to intuitive mobile tools, you eliminate many of the headaches operators face day-to-day.

The result?

• Faster counts
• Fewer errors
• More accurate data
• Better insights
• And ultimately… better decisions

With a little setup and ongoing review, your inventory process becomes a strategic asset, not just a necessary task.

Looking to take the next step? Request a demo today to learn more about how Crunchtime can help your brand achieve operational excellence.