Ordering food without data is like cooking blindfolded. Most restaurant owners rely on guesswork, creating costly inventory imbalances. Smart purchasing requires three critical numbers to eliminate waste and prevent shortages.
Which numbers do you need for smart purchasing?
Smart purchasing demands three core metrics: sales volume, current inventory, and per-dish consumption. Missing any of these creates expensive blind spots in your ordering decisions.
💡 Example:
You sell an average of 40 pasta carbonaras per week. Per portion you use 125 grams of spaghetti.
- Weekly consumption: 40 × 125g = 5 kg spaghetti
- Current inventory: 8 kg
- Supplier packaging: 5 kg bags
Conclusion: You have enough for this week, order 1 bag next week.
Calculate your weekly consumption per ingredient
Begin with your top-performing dishes. Calculate weekly sales volume and multiply by ingredient quantities per serving.
Formula: Weekly consumption = Number sold per week × Quantity per portion
💡 Steak example:
You sell 25 steaks per week at 200 grams each.
- Weekly consumption: 25 × 200g = 5 kg beef
- With 15% trimming loss: 5 kg ÷ 0.85 = 5.9 kg purchase needed
So you need to purchase 6 kg of beef per week.
⚠️ Note:
Don't forget to factor in trimming loss. With fish and meat you often lose 15-25% through trimming and processing.
Keep track of your inventory levels
Count your primary ingredients every Monday morning. This prevents duplicate orders and eliminates surprise shortages mid-service.
- Meat and fish: count in kilos
- Dry goods: count in bags/cans
- Vegetables: count in kilos or crates
- Dairy: count in liters/units
Plan with seasons and busy periods
Sales fluctuate dramatically throughout the year. Winter drives soup sales up 40%, while summer boosts salad orders by 60%. Factor these patterns into your calculations.
💡 Seasonal planning example:
In December you sell 60% more game dishes than in July.
- July: 10 game dishes per week
- December: 16 game dishes per week
- Extra purchase December: 6 × 250g = 1.5 kg game per week
Use ABC analysis for your ingredients
Not every ingredient deserves equal attention. One of the most common blind spots in kitchen management is treating all products the same - focus your energy where money's actually at stake.
- A-products (80% of your purchasing value): Meat, fish, specialty ingredients - plan precisely
- B-products (15% of your purchasing value): Vegetables, dairy - plan roughly
- C-products (5% of your purchasing value): Spices, small items - keep ample stock
⚠️ Note:
Spend 80% of your planning time on your A-products. That's where your biggest risk of losing money is.
Create a purchasing schedule
Establish fixed ordering days to eliminate forgotten items and manage delivery timing effectively.
- Monday: count inventory and plan week
- Tuesday: order meat and fish for weekend
- Thursday: order vegetables for weekend
- Friday: check if everything has arrived
Food cost tracking tools like KitchenNmbrs automatically calculate consumption per dish and alert you before inventory runs dangerously low.
How do you plan your purchasing based on numbers? (step by step)
Analyze your sales data
Look at how much of each dish you sold over the past 4 weeks. Calculate the average per week. Focus on your 10 best-selling dishes.
Calculate your ingredient consumption
Multiply the number of dishes sold by the amount of ingredients per portion. Add trimming loss (15-25% for meat/fish). This is your weekly purchase per ingredient.
Check your current inventory
Count your inventory of important ingredients every Monday. Subtract this from your weekly consumption. The difference is what you need to order this week.
Plan for busy periods and seasons
Adjust your calculation for expected busy times. 20% more on weekends than weekdays? 50% more during holidays? Factor this into your order.
Create your ordering schedule
Plan fixed days to order and check. Account for your suppliers' delivery times. Perishable goods order shortly before, non-perishable goods you can plan ahead.
✨ Pro tip
Track your top 5 dishes for exactly 14 days - measure every gram used and every portion sold. You'll control 70% of your purchasing spend with this focused approach.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
How often should I adjust my purchasing plan?
Review your numbers monthly to catch seasonal shifts and menu changes. Weekly quantity adjustments are fine, but avoid constant plan overhauls.
What if I don't have sales data from previous weeks?
Start with educated estimates based on your kitchen experience. Track everything precisely for two weeks to build your baseline data.
How much buffer should I keep in my planning?
Maintain 10-20% buffer for perishables, 25-50% for shelf-stable items. Balance customer satisfaction against cash flow - disappointed guests cost more than slight overstock.
Do I need to plan all ingredients equally precisely?
Absolutely not. Use ABC analysis to prioritize expensive proteins and specialty items. Salt and basic spices can handle looser inventory management.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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