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Store issues, stock counts and wastage

The kitchen asks the main store for what it needs with an indent, the store approves and issues it, and every movement is recorded. Stock counts show what is really there, and wastage is written off with a reason, with an approval when the value is large.

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The problem it solves

The cook walks into the store and takes what he needs, and the store register is filled in at the end of the week.
The monthly count finds 12 kg of dal missing, and nobody can say where it went.
Spoiled vegetables are thrown away without a record, so the food cost looks right on paper.
One person counts, corrects the stock and approves their own correction.

How it works

The kitchen manager opens Food Service > Stores > Indents, clicks New and chooses Issue, the From Store and the To Store. They add the items and clicks Request. The suggested indents of the stock levels arrive the same way.
A storekeeper, kitchen manager or Food Administrator approves it, lowering the quantities if needed. The indent shows who it waits for.
The source store clicks Issue. The stock moves, oldest use-by date first. What it does not have stays open as Partly Issued, or goes to purchase with Request Purchase for Shortfall.
To count, open Stock Counts, click New, choose the store and click Start Counting. The sheet lists every item and batch; tick Blind Count to hide what the system expects.
Type what was counted on every line and click Counted. A small difference is applied at once; a difference worth more than 500 waits for a Food Administrator.
For wastage, open Wastage, choose the store and the reason, add the items and batches and click Write Off. Wastage worth more than 200 waits for approval.

Everything it does

Indents

Three kinds: Issue (stock for a kitchen or outlet store), Return (stock sent back) and Transfer (between any two stores)
From Store, To Store, Needed on, items with Requested, Approved and Issued quantities, and what the source store has now
States: Draft, Requested, Approved, Partly Issued, Issued, Cancelled
Approvers can lower the approved quantities; the next level sees them
Issued in one go or in parts, batches expiring first leaving first
Between stores of two Entities: the stock leaves one and is received in the other with the same batches
Request Purchase for Shortfall: what the source store cannot give becomes a purchase request delivered to it
Only a draft can be cancelled; once requested, an approver refuses it

Stock counts

Start Counting fills the sheet: every item and batch in the store, and every item with a stock level, at what the stock says
Blind Count hides Expected, Difference and Difference Value while counting
Every line must be ticked Checked; a zero count is a count
Difference Value is worked out at the item's cost
Applied to the stock as an adjustment of the store; refused counts change nothing
Food Service > Reports > Stock and Purchase > Stock Count Differences shows them over time

Wastage

Reasons: Spoiled, Expired, Damaged, Leftover discarded, Pest / contamination, Other
Kitchen void: recorded by the system for food the kitchen had started when the item was voided at the table
Per line: item, batch, quantity, note; Value at cost
Written off from the store as scrap; refused wastage changes nothing
Food Service > Reports > Kitchen and Meals > Wastage Analysis: value by store and reason, with a date filter

Who decides

Indent chain: one level, any Storekeeper, Kitchen Manager / Chef or Food Administrator, to start with
Stock count difference chain: approved at once unless the Difference Value is above 500, then the Food Administrators
Wastage chain: approved at once unless worth more than 200, then the Food Administrators
Levels, people and amounts are changed on the chain, not on the count or the Entity
Stock moved by the system itself (a kitchen dispatch, a central purchase share) needs no approval

Who uses it

Kitchen Manager / ChefAsks for stock with indents and records wastage in the kitchen store.

StorekeeperApproves and issues indents, counts the store and writes off spoiled stock.

Food AdministratorApproves large count differences and large wastage, and sets the chains.

AccountsReads count differences and wastage by value.

Where you use it

Web: Food Service > Stores > Indents, Stock Counts and Wastage; Food Service > Reports > Stock and Purchase > Stock Count Differences; Food Service > Reports > Kitchen and Meals > Wastage Analysis
The SmartMy Feast Store app: Ask for more, Issue (Approve and issue), Count (with a blind count) and Waste. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
The chef's tablet (SmartMy Feast Kitchen): leftovers, not indents
Not built: a count on paper sheets to print; counts are typed on the screen or the tablet

What you control

Settings

Indent chain: one level of Storekeepers, Kitchen Managers and Food Administrators; add levels or name people
Stock count difference chain: approval above 500 (an Only For filter on the chain)
Wastage chain: approval above 200 (an Only For filter on the chain)
Requester May Approve: on for these chains; switch it off so that nobody decides their own indent

Approvals

Indent: one level, Storekeepers, Kitchen Managers and Food Administrators
Stock count difference: at once, except a Difference Value above 500, then Food Administrators
Wastage: at once, except wastage worth more than 200, then Food Administrators

Notifications

Request Waits for Your Approval: to the people who decide the level, in the app and by email. App push once the apps are in the stores. Sent at once. Each also gets a to-do
No message goes to the person who asked when the indent is issued; they see its state on the indent and in the Store app
Each person can switch off a channel, such as email, for themselves; in-app notices always arrive

Questions

Can the kitchen take stock without the store knowing?

Stock moves between stores only through an indent that is requested, approved and issued. Or it moves through a production order that takes ingredients from the kitchen store. Each movement keeps who asked and who approved.

Can the person counting see what the system expects?

Not with Blind Count ticked. Expected, Difference and its value stay hidden until the count is sent. The Store app has the same switch.

Who approves a large count difference?

To start with, a Food Administrator when the difference is worth more than 500. You can change the amount, add levels or name other people on the stock count chain.

Do we have to approve every bit of wastage?

No. Wastage up to 200 in value is written off at once. Above that it waits for a Food Administrator, unless you change the chain.

What if the main store does not have what the kitchen asked for?

It issues what it has and the indent stays Partly Issued. Request Purchase for Shortfall makes a purchase request for the rest, delivered to the main store.

Related features

STORES AND PURCHASEStock per store with batches and use-by datesKeep the stock of your main store, kitchen store and outlet stores apart, with each batch and its use-by date. Stock that expires first goes out first, and each store asks for more by itself when an item falls below its reorder level.STORES AND PURCHASEPurchasing, rate contracts and vendorsBuy for your stores with purchase requests, approval above a value, orders at the prices of your rate contracts and receipts checked at the gate. Vendor bills that do not match the order and the receipt cannot be posted, and vendors with an expired food licence cannot be ordered from.KITCHEN PRODUCTIONFood cost, leftovers and plate wasteRecord what was left after each meal and what became of it, and weigh the plate waste. Every night SmartMy Feast works out the cost per plate and food cost % of each outlet and meal. It sets what was cooked against who came, with the reasons in plain words.PORTAL AND APPSChef and storekeeper appsA tablet in the kitchen lets the chef start and finish production, record leftovers and plate waste, log fridge temperatures and keep food samples. A tablet in the store lets the storekeeper issue indents, receive deliveries with batches, count stock and write off waste.ACROSS SMARTMY FEASTApproval chainsDecide who approves what in your canteen. It may be a void or discount at the counter, a guest meal or a promotion. Or an indent, a purchase request, a stock count difference or wastage. Each kind has its own chain per Entity, with levels and amounts, and small requests can go through at once.ACCOUNTING AND REPORTSFood service dashboard and outlet scorecardsOpen Food Service and see the day's sales, bills and reversed bills at once, in every plan. On Scale a nightly scorecard per Entity adds food cost %, waste, stock value, items to reorder and what you owe customers. It has charts per outlet and analyses of stock, purchase, production and discounts.

See it with your own menu.

Tell us how many outlets you run and how people pay today. We will show you a day in your mess or canteen on SmartMy Feast.

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