A weekly inventory count your team will actually finish

A monthly count is enough for the accountant. A weekly count is what lets a chef catch a problem while it still matters. The difficulty is getting it done every week. This checklist keeps it short.

Before the count

• Pick a fixed time. The same day and hour every week, before the first delivery and before prep starts. Monday at 8 a.m. works for most kitchens.
• Count in shelf order. Set up count sheets by storage area and in the order items sit on the shelves: walk-in, freezer, dry store, bar. Nobody should walk back and forth.
• Agree on units. Decide once whether olive oil is counted in bottles or litres, and stick to it. Most count errors are unit errors.
• Hold deliveries. Anything that arrives during the count goes on a separate trolley until you finish.

During the count

• Two people per area. One counts and calls out, the other records. It is faster than one person doing both and far more accurate.
• Count open containers. Use weight for anything open: half a bag of flour, a cut wheel of cheese. Estimating by eye adds up quickly.
• Do not count what has been issued. Mise en place already on the line has left inventory.
• Note what looks wrong. Expired product, damaged packaging, an item in the wrong area. Fix it after the count, not during.

After the count

• Review variances the same day. Compare each item with what you expected to have. Anything more than 5% off deserves a second look.
• Recount the big ones. Re-check the ten most expensive items before you close the count. They drive most of the value.
• Close it. Lock the count so nobody edits it later, and file the variance report where the owner will see it.

A realistic target

With a fixed route and two people per area, a mid-size restaurant can count a walk-in, freezer and dry store in 40 to 60 minutes. The first count takes longer. By the fourth, the team knows the route.

Alacena builds the count sheets in shelf order, lets several people count on their phones at once, and shows variances before you close, so the review happens while everyone is still in the room.