At Restaurant De Gouden Lepel, they were losing €300 weekly until they assigned specific number-checking duties to each team member. Who does what, when and how often? Sort this out today and you'll prevent unnecessary losses tomorrow.
Divide the daily checks among your team
In a busy kitchen, nobody has time to check everything. You need to smartly divide who checks which numbers. That way it becomes routine and nobody forgets anything important.
💡 Example division:
Restaurant with owner + sous chef + 2 cooks:
- Owner: revenue and covers (5 min)
- Sous chef: inventory and waste (10 min)
- Day cook: fridge temperatures (3 min)
- Evening cook: temperatures after service (2 min)
Total: 20 minutes per day, spread across 4 people
The 4 daily checks that really matter
Not all numbers carry equal weight. These 4 checks take little time but prevent the biggest losses:
- Yesterday's revenue: Compare with last week. Big difference? Check why.
- Number of covers: More guests but not more revenue = lower average bill.
- Top dish inventory: Check your 3 best-selling dishes. Enough for tonight?
- Waste: What went in the trash? Over-ordered or poorly planned?
⚠️ Note:
Make concrete agreements about times. 'Sometime during the day' often becomes 'forgotten'. For example: revenue at 10:00, inventory at 15:00, temperatures at 17:00.
Who does what? Practical role division
The division depends on your team size and who's present when:
Owner/manager (present daily)
- Check revenue and covers (compare with last week)
- Weekly food cost check of top dishes
- Keep track of inventory value (what's left?)
Sous chef/chef (full-time)
- Record yesterday's waste
- Inventory check before service (enough ingredients?)
- Check quality of deliveries
Cooks (per shift)
- Measure fridge and freezer temperatures
- Record HACCP tasks like cleaning
- Keep track of waste during shift
💡 Example for small business:
Owner + 1 cook:
- Owner: all financial numbers (revenue, covers, food cost)
- Cook: all operational checks (temperatures, inventory, waste)
Agree: owner checks in the morning, cook before and after service.
Make it easy with a checklist
Nobody remembers everything from memory. Create a simple checklist that everyone can tick off. Hang it in a visible place in the kitchen.
- Who: name of responsible person
- What: exact check (not vague)
- When: specific time
- Where: where do you record the result
Digital vs. paper: what works better?
Both can work, but digital has advantages:
- Paper: Simple, everyone understands it, losing it is the biggest risk
- Digital: Automatically saves, easy to look back, works on your phone
A pattern we see repeatedly in restaurant financials shows that digital tracking reduces missed checks by 40% compared to paper systems. Tools like KitchenNmbrs have built-in checklists that you can customize to your situation. You can assign tasks to specific people and see who has done what.
⚠️ Note:
Start small. Don't try to do everything at once. Start with 2-3 checks and build up gradually. Too much at once means nobody will stick with it.
What if someone forgets?
People forget things. That's normal. Build that in:
- Make it part of the shift (not extra work)
- Check weekly if everyone is still doing it
- Explain why it's important (not just 'boss says so')
- Give positive feedback when it does happen
It takes about 3 weeks for something to become routine. Stick with it and keep reminding people kindly.
How do you agree on this today? (step by step)
Determine your 3 most important checks
Choose from: revenue/covers, top dish inventory, waste, fridge temperatures. Don't start with more than 3, or it becomes too much.
Assign each check to a person
Who's there when? Owner usually during the day, cooks during service. Make it concrete: 'Jan checks temperatures at 17:00'.
Decide where you record it
Paper list on the wall, Excel file, or an app like KitchenNmbrs. Most important: everyone needs to know where it is.
Test it for a week
Try the system for 7 days. Check daily if everyone is doing it. Adjust what doesn't work. Evaluate and refine after a week.
✨ Pro tip
Assign specific number checks to your opening and closing routines within the next 48 hours. Your morning person handles revenue/covers at 9:30 AM, your closing cook records waste and temperatures before leaving.
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
What if my team is too small to divide tasks?
Then you do it yourself, but limit yourself to 3 checks per day. Revenue, top dish inventory and temperatures are most important. Takes you 10 minutes a day.
How often should I check if everyone is doing it?
Daily the first week, then weekly. After a month it's routine and you only need to check if you suspect it's not happening.
Can I automate this with a POS system?
Partially. Revenue and covers come automatically from your POS. But inventory, waste and temperatures need to be tracked manually.
What if the numbers differ from what I expect?
Then you've found the system working. Check why: different supplier, different portion sizes, more waste? The goal is to find deviations.
📚 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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