Before you start
Count while the place is closed, before opening or after closing, so nothing is sold while you count. Use the same units you buy in and that the recipes use.
You don't have to count everything every time. Start with what is worth most or goes missing most: drinks, meat and spirits.
Step by step
Go through the place by area, always in the same order: cold room, storeroom, bar. Write down each product with its quantity, including open units. Then compare with what should be there and look at the biggest differences first.
Example: counting drinks
In this count, 5 cans of beer and one bottle of wine are missing: $10.00 at cost. A difference that repeats every week is a problem; a single one may be a data entry mistake.
| Product | Should be | Counted | Difference | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canned beer | 12 | 7 | −5 | −$4.00 |
| Red wine | 20 | 19 | −1 | −$6.00 |
| Soda 500 ml | 30 | 30 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Total | −$10.00 |
What to do with the difference
First rule out mistakes: a purchase not entered, a sale recorded wrong or a freebie nobody wrote down. What is left is a real shortage and has to go to the profit statement as a loss, not stay hidden in the stock.