Unchecked supplier invoices drain thousands from restaurants every year through hidden errors. You order 20kg beef, get charged for 25kg, and never notice the €140 difference. These "small" mistakes happen weekly and compound into serious profit leaks.
What goes wrong if you don't check invoices
Your supplier sends an invoice. You glance at the total amount, it seems about right, so you pay. But what if there are mistakes buried in the details?
💡 Example:
You order 20 kg beef at €28/kg. The invoice shows:
- 25 kg beef at €28/kg = €700
- You pay €140 too much
- Per year: €140 × 26 orders = €3,640
Loss: €3,640 per year on one product
The most common invoice errors
Wrong quantities
You order 10 kg, but the invoice shows 12 kg. Happens more than you'd expect, especially with phone orders where someone mishears or mistypes.
Incorrect prices
Suppliers bump up prices but forget to notify you. Or they charge the old, higher rate while a promotion's running.
Double billing
The same delivery gets invoiced twice. Most common with large suppliers juggling tons of orders and paperwork.
⚠️ Watch out:
Small errors compound fast. €20 error per week = €1,040 per year. And that's being conservative.
The hidden costs of not checking
It's not just about the errors themselves. There are ripple effects:
- Skewed cost calculations: If your invoices are wrong, your recipe costs won't match reality either
- Cashflow strain: You're paying more than necessary, leaving less working capital
- Zero negotiating power: Can't negotiate better prices if you don't know what you're actually paying
- Messy cleanup later: Finding errors months later? Good luck getting those resolved
💡 Example impact on food cost:
You think salmon costs €24/kg, but you're actually paying €27/kg due to invoice errors:
- Salmon portion: 180 grams = €4.86 instead of €4.32
- Difference per portion: €0.54
- At 40 portions/week: €1,123 per year
Your food cost calculations crumble and profits vanish
Why it goes wrong so often
No time
Checking invoices takes time. In a slammed kitchen, it doesn't feel urgent. Until year-end when you see how much money leaked out.
Blind trust in suppliers
"My supplier's been solid for years." But even reliable suppliers make mistakes. Their admin teams aren't infallible.
Cryptic invoices
Some invoices are so confusing you can't tell what you're paying for. Random codes, abbreviations, vague descriptions that mean nothing.
Most kitchen managers discover too late that supplier errors aren't rare exceptions - they're a regular drain that compounds over time. The managers who catch this early save thousands annually.
How to prevent this
Make it routine
Check every invoice within 24 hours of receiving it. Put your order next to the invoice and compare line by line.
Use a tracking system
Keep your orders organized so you can easily cross-reference. Excel works, but a food cost calculator makes it clearer.
Always verify these points:
- Quantities: does the kg/unit count match exactly?
- Prices: is this the agreed rate?
- Products: did you actually order this item?
- Discounts: are promotions and deals applied?
- VAT: is the tax rate correct?
⚠️ Watch out:
Dispute within 8 days. After that, getting errors fixed becomes much tougher.
What if you find an error
Call your supplier immediately. Explain exactly what doesn't match. Request a credit note for the overpaid amount.
Good suppliers fix this fast. If a supplier gives you grief about obvious errors, time to find a new one.
💡 Example conversation:
"Hi, I got your invoice 2024-1234. It shows 25 kg beef listed, but I ordered and received 20 kg. Can you send a credit note for 5 kg at €28 = €140?"
Straightforward and clear. Usually gets handled right away.
How do you check invoices efficiently? (step by step)
Lay order next to invoice
Get your order (email, note, app) and compare line by line: product, quantity, price. Make this a routine within 24 hours of receipt.
Check the main points
Verify: do the quantities match? Are the prices correct? Are discounts processed? Is the VAT rate correct (9% for food, 21% for alcohol)?
If errors found: contact immediately
Found an error? Call your supplier within 8 days. Explain what doesn't match and ask for a credit note. Good suppliers resolve this quickly.
✨ Pro tip
Verify quantities within 24 hours of delivery - after 3 days, proving you received 20kg instead of the invoiced 25kg becomes nearly impossible. Your memory fades and delivery receipts get buried under paperwork.
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 much time does checking invoices actually take?
About 2-3 minutes per invoice if you're organized. For most restaurants that's 30 minutes weekly - time that pays for itself many times over.
What if my supplier gets defensive about corrections?
Reliable suppliers fix errors without pushback. If a supplier consistently fights you on clear mistakes, start shopping for a replacement.
Can I still get credit for old invoice errors I just discovered?
Legally you might have longer, but practically it gets much harder after 8 days. Suppliers become less cooperative and you'll need stronger proof of the 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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