How do you build a kitchen order without guessing?How do you build a kitchen order without guessing?

Why does a kitchen order go wrong?

Picture the usual way. It is late. The kitchen is clean. The chef sits down, looks at the shelves for a minute, and orders from memory. Some of it is right. Some of it is a guess. The next day the walk-in has too much cream and no limes.

A kitchen order goes wrong when it is built from memory and a tired mind. It does not need to be fancy to fix. It needs a routine that asks the same questions every time.

What do you need to know before you order?

Five things. Write them on a card and keep it near where you order.

1. What is on the shelf. Count it, or at least look. A number you counted beats a number you remember.
2. What is already coming. An order placed yesterday may still be on its way. Do not order it twice.
3. What you will sell. Think about bookings, the day, and any special. This decides how much you will use.
4. The cutoff time. Companies you buy from often need your order by a set time before they deliver. After that, it waits for the next truck.
5. The minimum. Many companies have a smallest order they will deliver. Know it, so you are not surprised.

If you have par levels, this gets much easier. Read our guide to par levels if you have not set them yet. Par tells you how much you want. Your count tells you how much you have. The gap is the order.

What is a simple ordering routine?

Here is one that fits in a few minutes. Do it at the same time every day, before the cutoff, not at midnight.

1. Walk the shelves with a sheet. Count each item you buy from this company.
2. Write what is already on order next to it.
3. Subtract. Your count plus what is on order, compared to what you will need until the next truck.
4. Write the gap as the amount to order. Round up to a whole case if you must.
5. Check the minimum. If you are under, ask what else you will need soon.
6. Read the order once from the top before you send it.

Do one order for each company. Do not mix them. A produce order and a fish order have different days and different cutoffs.

Why should every line say why?

When you build an order, you know why you added each item. Two weeks later, you do not. If you are away, the person covering for you has no idea.

So put a short reason on each line. “Low after Friday.” “Special on the menu.” “Chef asked.” “Short last time.” It takes a few seconds. It lets anyone check the order and catch a mistake before the truck comes.

It also helps you learn. After a month, you can look back and see which reasons turned out to be right. That is how guessing slowly turns into knowing.

How do you order for a busy weekend?

Look ahead. A busy Saturday starts on Thursday, when you place the order that will arrive before it. Check the bookings, any big party, and any local event that will bring in guests.

Order a little more of the items that hurt when they run out, and a little less of the items that spoil fast. Move the order earlier if the truck does not come on the weekend. Write the plan on the sheet, so the next person knows why the order is big.

What should you do when something comes in short?

Sometimes the truck is short even when your order was right. Plan for it. Check the delivery against the order when it arrives, and note what is missing. We have a separate post on short deliveries and how to ask for credit.

How does Heard build the order?

Heard makes one order for each company you buy from. It uses tonight’s guests, what is on the shelf, and what is already on order. Every line says why, and you check it. You can read more on the orders page.

In the demo, send only marks the order as sent inside the demo. Nothing leaves the page. Try the demo, pick Chef Maya, and ask Heard to build the order for one company. The card above shows the order for one company. The demo builds one for each company.