every wednesday 2-4pm i do this. costs dropped 30% in 3 months. sharing because this community saved me, time to give back:
2:00 - check all walk-in coolers, list what’s dying soon
2:15 - check pos for last 7 days sales by item
2:30 - cross reference dying products with slow sellers
2:45 - create thursday-friday specials to move product
3:00 - calculate exact needs for weekend
3:15 - place orders for friday delivery (ONLY what’s needed)
3:30 - update prep lists to use dying products first
3:45 - brief kitchen on priority ingredients
used to order monday for the whole week like an idiot. now i order 2-3x per week, small amounts.
key: finding suppliers who don’t penalize small frequent orders. boxncase, local farms, specialty suppliers who get it.
waste went from 2 full bins weekly to barely 1. that’s literally money in the trash we’re not throwing away anymore.
what’s your ordering routine? always looking to improve