I'll admit something that happens in every kitchen I know: staff constantly make "quick" adjustments without recording them. Bigger portions, different garnish, ingredient swaps because you're out of stock. These changes rarely make it into your system, so your cost calculations drift further from reality each week.
Why "just quickly adjusting" becomes expensive
Every time your chef adjusts something without telling you, a gap opens up between what you think a dish costs and what it actually costs.
💡 Example:
Your pasta carbonara is in the system with 150g pasta, but your chef always gives 200g because "guests prefer it that way":
- System calculates: €1.20 pasta per portion
- Reality: €1.60 pasta per portion
- Difference: €0.40 per portion
At 30 portions per week = €624 per year difference on just one dish.
The most common "silent" adjustments
These changes happen without anyone reporting them:
- Portion size: "A bit more meat" or "Generous vegetable portion"
- Garnish: Extra herbs, different sauce, more decoration
- Substitutions: Different brand, higher quality, seasonal swap
- Additions: "Just throw some extra cheese on it"
⚠️ Watch out:
Small adjustments create big consequences. 10 grams of extra cheese per plate costs you €2,000+ per year if you're doing 100 covers a day.
Why your team needs to trust the system
Your team adjusts things because they think it's better. But without tracking, nobody knows the financial impact.
💡 Example situation:
Your sous chef swaps arugula for baby spinach because "it's healthier":
- Arugula: €18/kg
- Baby spinach: €28/kg
- Difference: €10/kg
At 20g per salad and 50 salads per week = €260 extra per year. Just for this one swap.
How to organize this in your team
Make clear agreements about reporting adjustments:
- Immediate reporting: Every adjustment gets reported right away to the owner or manager
- Daily check: During briefing ask: "What did we do differently yesterday?"
- Weekly update: All changes are entered into the system
- Approval first: No adjustments without discussion, except in emergencies
Digital vs. paper tracking
Many kitchens try keeping track of this on paper. It rarely works. Notes get lost, nobody has time to write during service.
Based on real restaurant P&L data I've seen, digital systems make it easier to quickly record adjustments. You type the change into your phone and immediately see the impact on your food cost.
💡 Practical tip:
Make one person responsible for updating recipes. Usually the owner or head chef. Others report changes, but one person processes them.
The cost of not updating
If your system doesn't match reality, you make wrong decisions:
- You think a dish has 30% food cost, but it's actually 38%
- You don't raise the price because your numbers look good
- You promote dishes that are actually losing money
- You don't know why your profit is falling short
The result: you lose money without knowing where it's leaking.
How do you make sure adjustments get into the system?
Make clear agreements with your team
Explain why it matters and what the financial impact can be. Give concrete examples of how small changes have big consequences for profitability.
Choose one person as 'system owner'
Usually the owner or head chef. This person processes all changes in the system. Others report adjustments, but one person keeps track.
Build it into your daily routine
Ask every day during briefing: 'What did we do differently yesterday?' Process changes weekly in the system and check if the impact is acceptable.
✨ Pro tip
Re-weigh your 3 most popular dishes every 2 weeks to catch portion creep early. You'll often discover that portions have grown 15-20% without anyone realizing it happened.
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
Do I really need to track every small adjustment?
Yes, small adjustments add up quickly. 5 grams of extra cheese per plate costs you €1,000+ per year easily. Start with the biggest cost items: meat, fish, cheese, nuts.
What if my chef forgets to report changes?
Make it part of the daily routine. Ask every day during briefing what was done differently. Explain that it's not about control, it's about understanding costs.
How often should I update my recipes?
Check at least weekly if there have been any changes. Update the system immediately if your supplier raises prices or if you're consistently giving different portions.
What if an adjustment makes the food cost too high?
Then you have three options: reverse the adjustment, raise the selling price, or accept that the margin gets lower. But now you can make a conscious choice instead of bleeding money unknowingly.
📚 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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