Quick answer: A good weekly stock control routine is simple: count on the same day and time each week, check deliveries against orders as they arrive, count high-value items more often than dry goods, and compare actual usage with what your sales say you should have used. Done consistently, it turns stock from guesswork into a number you can act on.
Most owners know stock matters, yet the weekly count is often the first job to slip when a rota gets tight. The routine below is deliberately small. It is built to fit into a busy week in a restaurant, café, pub or hotel kitchen, and it works whether you use a clipboard, a spreadsheet or recipe-level stock control software.
Key takeaways
- Stock control is a commercial habit, not a legal requirement. Pick a rhythm you will actually keep.
- Weekly counts are the usual baseline for most UK venues, with fast-moving, high-value lines checked more often.
- Count at the same time every week, ideally after close or before the first prep, so the numbers compare like with like.
- Variance (what you used against what you should have used) is the number that matters, not the stock value alone.
- Rotate stock first in, first out, and never sell food past its use by date.
How often should a restaurant count its stock?
There is no UK law that tells you how often to do a stocktake. One UK stock-control guide states plainly that frequency is a commercial choice, not a legal requirement (Jelly). Industry guides commonly suggest a weekly full count as the baseline for UK restaurants, pubs and hotels, because it gives you food cost figures while they are still fresh enough to act on (Jelly). These are vendor blogs, so treat their benchmarks as a guide rather than a rule.
A tiered approach is the most practical. Count proteins and spirits weekly or even daily, and count stable dry goods less often. One inventory guide suggests daily checks on proteins and liquor (MarketMan).
| Item type | Suggested count | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Meat, fish, spirits | Weekly (spot-check daily) | High value, highest risk of waste or loss |
| Fresh produce, dairy | Weekly | Short life, so counts show waste quickly |
| Frozen goods | Weekly or fortnightly | Longer life, but often over-ordered |
| Dry goods, oils, cleaning stock | Fortnightly or monthly | Stable, low variance |
| Draught and bottled drinks | Weekly | Easy to count and a common source of variance |
What does a weekly stock control routine look like?
Think of the week as five small jobs rather than one big one. Each takes minutes if it is done on the day.
| Day | Job | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Count stock, compare with last week, set par levels for the week | Under an hour once organised |
| Every delivery day | Check deliveries against the purchase order, record credits | 10 minutes per delivery |
| Midweek | Spot-check the five most expensive lines | 15 minutes |
| Daily | Record waste and staff meals as they happen | 2 minutes per shift |
| Weekend close | Review sales mix and plan next order | 20 minutes |
Estimates for a full weekly count vary between sources, from under an hour for a tightly organised kitchen to two or three hours for a mid-sized restaurant (Jelly; Jelly). Your own storeroom layout will make the biggest difference.
How do you run the weekly count step by step?
- Pick the same time every week and stop deliveries and big prep jobs during the count.
- Tidy and label storage areas so every item has one home: walk-in, freezer, dry store, bar and any prep fridges.
- Count in the same order each week, following the layout of the store rather than the order of your spreadsheet.
- Use two people where you can: one counts, one records. It catches errors and discourages shortcuts.
- Record opened items as partials (for example, half a bottle or a part-used bag) and agree one method for this.
- Check the result against last week and investigate anything that moved sharply.
- Sign and date the count so someone is accountable for it.
How do you check deliveries properly?
Many losses begin at the back door. Check each delivery against the order and the invoice before anyone signs. Weigh or count the items that matter, look at temperatures and dates, and record shortages or damaged goods straight away so you can claim a credit.
Systems that raise purchase orders and match them to goods received make this faster, because the order is already on screen when the van arrives. If you run several sites, a multi-outlet setup lets head office see what each kitchen has ordered and received.
How do you rotate stock and handle dates?
Use first in, first out (FIFO): new deliveries go behind older stock, and labels face outwards. The rule that matters most is the date type. A ‘use by’ date is about safety, and selling food after it is an offence (Lincoln City Council; Caerphilly County Borough Council). A ‘best before’ date is about quality, and food can generally still be sold after it provided it is safe and of acceptable quality (Lincoln City Council).
Put a short ‘use first’ shelf in each fridge and walk-in. Check it at the start of each shift and use those items in specials or staff meals where it is safe to do so.
Why does stock control reduce waste and food cost?
WRAP has said that around 75% of food wasted in UK hospitality and food service could have been eaten, costing businesses and organisations £3.2 billion (WRAP press release). Over-ordering, poor rotation and inaccurate par levels sit behind much of that. Weekly counts expose the pattern, and recording waste turns it into something you can fix. For practical kitchen tactics, see our guide to reducing food waste in a restaurant kitchen.
The counts also feed your food cost figure: opening stock plus purchases minus closing stock, divided by food sales excluding VAT (Jelly). Our worked example in how to calculate food cost percentage shows the sums.
What is variance and how do you act on it?
Variance is the gap between theoretical usage (what your sales and recipes say you should have used) and actual usage (what the count shows). A small gap is normal. A large or repeated gap on one item points to a cause you can check.
| Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|
| Over-portioning | Weigh a sample of plates against the recipe |
| Unrecorded waste or staff food | Is the waste log being used on every shift? |
| Supplier shortfall | Delivery notes against what was ordered |
| Recipe or price out of date | Recipe costs against current invoices |
| Ring-up errors | Are items sold under the wrong menu item? |
This comparison is much easier when sales and stock are linked. A POS such as Sanguine POS paired with WebStocks can deduct ingredients at recipe level as dishes are sold, so the theoretical figure is ready when you count. The dashboard BI app helps you spot trends across the week.
What should you do when the numbers look wrong?
Recount the item first, because counting errors are common. Then check the last delivery, the waste log and the recipe. Fix one cause at a time and see whether next week’s variance moves. If nothing explains a persistent gap on high-value lines such as spirits or steak, tighten who has access to those stores and count them more often.
If you want to see how recipe-level stock fits your venue, you can book a free demo or start a 14-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Is a weekly stocktake a legal requirement in the UK?
No. Stocktake frequency is a business decision, not a legal requirement. Weekly is a common baseline, but you can count high-value items more often and dry goods less often.
How long should a weekly stocktake take?
It depends on size and organisation. Guides suggest anything from under an hour for a tidy, well-labelled store to two or three hours for a mid-sized restaurant. A clear layout and a fixed counting order shorten it.
What is the difference between use by and best before?
A use by date relates to food safety and food must not be sold after it. A best before date relates to quality, and food can generally still be sold after it if it is safe and of acceptable quality.
What is par level in stock control?
A par level is the amount of an item you want on hand at the start of service or after a delivery. When the count falls below par, you reorder. Review par levels against your sales each week.
Can software do stock control for me?
Software can deduct ingredients as dishes are sold, raise purchase orders and show variance, but someone still needs to count and record waste. It saves time and makes the numbers more reliable.
Sources
- How to Do a Restaurant Stocktake: Step-by-Step Guide (Jelly)
- Stocktake Frequency for Restaurant Stock Control UK (Jelly)
- Restaurant Stocktake Checklist (Jelly)
- Stock Control In Restaurant Inventory Management (Jelly)
- Food Cost Calculator for UK Restaurants (Jelly)
- How Often Should a Restaurant Take Inventory? (MarketMan)
- Food complaints (Lincoln City Council)
- Use By and Best Before Dates Explained (Caerphilly County Borough Council)
- WRAP urges hospitality and food service leaders to take a stand against food waste (WRAP)