One system that links your recipes to your purchasing can be the key to better control of your margins. Many restaurants have recipes, but don't use them when ordering ingredients. This creates inventory problems, waste, and loss of profit.
The problem: recipes and purchasing live separate lives
In most kitchens, there's a disconnect between what's documented (recipes) and what gets ordered (purchasing). Your chef knows that the steak needs 200 grams of meat, but orders 'by feel'. The result: too much of one thing, too little of another.
⚠️ Note:
Without linking recipes to purchasing, you often buy 20-30% too much of some ingredients and too little of others. This costs you an average of 3-5% of your revenue per year.
What an integrated system does for you
A system that connects your recipes to your purchasing automatically calculates how much you need based on:
- Your expected sales per dish
- The exact quantities in your recipes
- Your current inventory
- Product shelf life
The result: you order exactly what you need, no more and no less.
💡 Example:
Restaurant De Smaak expects to sell 80 steaks next week:
- Recipe: 220g beef per portion (incl. cutting loss)
- Needed: 80 × 220g = 17.6 kg
- Current inventory: 3 kg
- Order: 15 kg (rounded to whole kilos)
Without a system, the chef would probably order 20-25 kg 'to be safe'.
The benefits of one integrated system
Less waste
By ordering exactly what you need, you throw away less. This can lower your food cost by 2-4 percentage points.
Better cash flow
Less money tied up in inventory means more money for other things. Your inventory value can drop 20-40%.
No shortages
The system alerts you if you don't have enough for your planned sales. No more disappointed guests.
Time savings
No more manual counting and calculating. The system does it for you.
💡 Example calculation:
Restaurant with €400,000 annual revenue:
- Waste drops from 8% to 4% of purchases
- Purchases are 30% of revenue = €120,000
- Savings: 4% of €120,000 = €4,800 per year
That's €400 extra profit per month.
One of the most common blind spots in kitchen management is this exact disconnect between recipe planning and actual ordering behavior. You'll see chefs who can recite their recipes from memory, but still over-order ingredients by 25% because they're not systematically connecting the two processes.
How food cost management tools solve this
A food cost calculator connects your recipes directly to your purchasing decisions. Once you create a recipe, all ingredients are automatically linked to your suppliers and prices. The system can then:
- Calculate how much you need per week
- Track your current inventory
- Suggest what you should order
- Alert you to shortages
This gives you control of your purchasing without having to do the math yourself.
⚠️ Note:
A system is only as good as the data you put into it. Make sure your recipes are accurate and keep your inventory updated. Otherwise, you'll get incorrect purchasing advice.
The first step: start with your bestsellers
Don't start with all your dishes at once. Choose your 5 best-selling dishes and make sure those recipes are accurate in the system. These dishes probably represent 60-70% of your purchasing.
Once these are running smoothly, you can add the rest. Within a month, you'll have control of your complete purchasing.
How do you link recipes to purchasing? (step by step)
Enter your recipes exactly in the system
Enter all ingredients with precise quantities. Include garnishes, sauces, and oil. Factor in cutting loss and waste in the quantities.
Link ingredients to suppliers
Make sure each ingredient is linked to the correct supplier with current prices. Update prices regularly, especially for seasonal products.
Plan your sales and let the system calculate
Estimate how many portions you expect to sell per dish. The system then automatically calculates what you need to order based on your recipes and current inventory.
✨ Pro tip
Connect your most expensive ingredients first within the next 2 weeks - that's where the biggest profit gains live in better purchasing. A 10% reduction on your meat spend has far more impact than 10% on your spices.
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 does the system know how much I'll sell?
You need to estimate that yourself based on experience and historical data. The system then calculates what you need to purchase based on that forecast.
What if my supplier raises their price?
Update the price in the system as soon as you receive the new price list. The system will then automatically recalculate your cost prices and purchasing needs.
Can I do this without a system using Excel?
Theoretically yes, but it will cost you hours per week. An integrated system does this automatically and prevents calculation errors.
📚 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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