What should you do about a short delivery at a restaurant?
When a delivery comes in short, check it before the driver leaves, write it on the paperwork, tell the chef, change the plan, and ask for credit. Do the first two while the driver is still there.
What is a short delivery?
A short delivery is a delivery with less than you ordered. You asked for ten pounds of salmon and got seven. A case of limes is missing. The paperwork says one thing and the boxes say another.
It happens to every kitchen. The company runs out, a box is left on the truck, or someone counts wrong. The question is not whether it will happen. The question is what you do when it does.
What are the five steps?
Here is a plain routine. Print it and tape it to the receiving door.
- Check. Compare the boxes to the order, before the driver leaves.
- Note. Write what is short on the paperwork and have the driver see it.
- Tell. Tell the chef at once.
- Adjust. Change the prep, the order, or the menu.
- Ask. Ask the company for credit.
Pick Chef Maya in the pretend kitchen and say “The fish order came in.” Try the demo
Let us go through each one.
How do you check a delivery?
Do it at the door, with the order in your hand. Count the boxes. Open and look at the important ones. Weigh the things you buy by weight. Look at the food too, and send back anything that looks wrong.
Use the same spot every time. A table or a scale near the door makes it quick. If you check it later, after it is on the shelf, you cannot prove what came in.
Send the right person to receive. A cook in a rush will sign for anything. Someone who knows what was ordered will catch the gap.
How do you note and tell?
Write the short item right on the paperwork before you sign. Put what was ordered, what came, and what is missing. Ask the driver to see it, and keep your copy. A phone photo of the paperwork is a good backup.
Then tell the chef. Do not wait for the next meeting. If the salmon is short, the chef may need to 86 a dish or change a special. Our post on what 86 means in a kitchen shows how to call it fast.
How do you adjust the plan?
The chef has three choices.
- Stretch it. Make smaller portions, or save the item for the busiest hours.
- Swap it. Use a different item, and tell the servers about the swap.
- Drop it. Take the dish off for the night. Tell the floor.
Also check the order list. Did the missing item get a second order for tomorrow? Is there a backup company to call? A short delivery today should not cause a short shelf tomorrow.
How do you ask for credit?
You paid for food you did not get, so ask for your money back. This is called a credit. It is easy to forget when you are busy. Make it part of the routine.
Send a short, polite note to the company. Include the date, the item, how much was short, and the invoice number. Say what you want: a credit on your next bill. Keep it plain and kind. The person who reads it did not cause the problem and can help.
Keep a simple list of what was short and when. If the same item is short again and again, you have a pattern to talk about. Our post on how to build a kitchen order shows how to check what you ordered.
How do you keep it from happening again?
One short delivery is bad luck. The same one, again and again, is a pattern. Look at your list of shorts every month or so. Is it the same item? The same day? The same driver?
If you see a pattern, call your sales rep. Be calm and specific: “The last few Tuesdays, the fish has been short. Can we look into it?” A good company wants to know. You may fix it in one call.
Also check your own side. Is the order going in before the cutoff? Is it written clearly? A short delivery is sometimes a mixed-up order, not a mistake on the truck.
How does Heard help with a short delivery?
Say what came short, for example “Salmon came in three pounds short.” Heard marks the salmon three pounds short on the delivery sheet, then updates the note to the company, ready for you to copy. It also spots a price that went up since last time. Read more on the deliveries and credits page.
Heard writes the note. You send it yourself. The company in the demo is made up. Try the demo, pick Chef Maya, and say “The fish order came in.” Then say “Salmon came in three pounds short” and watch the note change.
Quick questions
What do you do when a delivery is short?
Check it before the driver leaves, write it on the paperwork, tell the chef, change the plan, and ask for credit.
What is a credit?
It is money taken off your next bill for something you paid for and did not get.
Who should receive deliveries?
Someone who knows what was ordered. A person in a rush will sign for anything.