Hospitality stock list: free Excel & PDF template

Need a stock list for your hospitality venue? Here it is – free, instant and without an email address.

Whether you call it a stock list or a stocktake template – what’s meant is a structured overview of all the stock in your venue. (Strictly speaking, the stocktake is the process of counting and the inventory is the result – more on this in the FAQ.) In this article we explain how the template is structured, how to fill it in correctly, and what’s specific to bars, restaurants and hotels. Also: the legal basis for the stocktaking obligation and when it’s worth switching from Excel to stocktaking software.

1. Download free templates

We provide four templates that you can download and use straight away:

Template 1 – drinks stock (Excel): For bars, cocktail bars and restaurants with a drinks menu. Columns for spirits, wines, beer, soft drinks. With preset SUM formulas for the total value. Download link (German).

Template 2 – food/kitchen (Excel): For restaurant kitchens and catering businesses. Columns for food categories (meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, dry goods), best-before date and storage location. Download link (German).

Template 3 – print version (PDF): To print out and fill in with a pen. 4 pages in landscape format with all categories for drinks and food, subtotal rows and total stock value. Simply print, fill in, file. Download link (German).

Template 4 – print version (Word): The same structure as the PDF, but as an editable Word document. You can rename categories, add rows or adjust columns before printing – ideal if you want to adapt the template to your venue. Download link (German).

2. How the stock list is structured

A good stock list for hospitality needs a clear structure so that you can answer questions like “What is my stock value?” or “How many bottles of Aperol are left?” at any time. The following table shows the most important columns:

Our Excel template contains all these columns pre-filled, with working formulas for total value and totals.

3. Step by step: how to fill in the template correctly

Here are concrete instructions so you can get started straight away:

Step 1: define areas. First decide which storage locations you have. Typically: bar (behind the counter + storeroom), kitchen (dry + chilled + frozen), cellar/drinks store. In the Excel template you can create a separate sheet for each area or enter the area in a column.

Step 2: build your item master. Enter all the products you regularly have in stock. Use precise names: not “Aperol”, but “Aperol Aperitivo 0.7 l”. This avoids mix-ups at the next stocktake. You build the item master once – for subsequent stocktakes you only enter the quantities.

Step 3: count. Go area by area. In practice, working in teams of two has proven effective: one person counts, the other records. Best start at the top left of the shelf and work systematically to the right and down. For opened bottles: estimate the fill level in tenths (0.1 = almost empty, 0.5 = half full, 0.9 = almost full).

Step 4: enter prices. Enter the net purchase price per unit. The formula =quantity×price calculates the total value automatically. At the end of the list is your total stock value – that’s the figure your accountant needs.

Step 5: save and archive. Save the completed stock list with the date in the file name (e.g. “Stocktake_2026-03-31.xlsx”). For your accountant, also export the file as CSV or PDF.

4. Stock lists for bars – what’s different

Bars face a particular challenge: most of the inventory consists of opened bottles. A bottle of gin with a 30% fill level has a different value from a full one. That makes stocktaking in bars more complicated than in restaurants, where most ingredients are counted as full packs.

That’s why our drinks stock template has a column for the estimated fill level of opened bottles. You enter the number of full bottles plus the fill level of the open bottle (e.g. 3.4 for three full bottles and one with 40% of its contents).

Bar-specific tips: Sort spirits in the order they stand on the shelf – not alphabetically. That way you count faster, because you simply follow the shelf from left to right. Record beer separately by keg and bottle. For wines, use a separate category with vintage.

5. Stock lists for restaurants – kitchen and storeroom

In restaurants the focus is on food. Different rules apply here than at the bar: perishable goods have a best-before date, the units are more varied (kg, litres, pieces, bunches), and there are more storage locations (dry, chilled, frozen).

Our food template takes this into account with predefined categories: meat & fish, dairy, vegetables & fruit, dry goods, spices, frozen goods, consumables (napkins, candles, cleaning products).

Restaurant-specific tips: Record perishable goods with their best-before date. This helps not only with the stocktake but also with FIFO management (first in, first out). Don’t count frozen goods with bare hands – gloves and a second team for cold rooms save time and nerves.

6. Stock lists for hotels – multiple outlets

Hotels are the most complex case, because stock is spread across several outlets: restaurant, bar, room service, banqueting kitchen, minibar, possibly a café or spa. Each outlet has its own stock that must be recorded separately – but should come together in a consolidated report at the end.

In Excel you solve this with separate sheets per outlet and a summary sheet that adds up the totals of all outlets with a SUM formula.

Hotel-specific tips: Plan the stocktake outside peak occupancy. The minibar stocktake is best linked to room cleaning – that way the housekeeping team records minibar stock during their normal routine. For banqueting kitchens: record stock for planned events separately so that you know whether you need to reorder.

7. Legal basis: when is a stocktake mandatory?

Not every hospitality venue has to carry out a stocktake – but most do. The German Commercial Code (HGB) sets out the obligations clearly:

Basic rule (§ 240 HGB): Every merchant must carry out a stocktake at the start of their business and at the end of each financial year. The result is recorded in the inventory.

Exemption (§ 241a HGB): Sole traders are exempt from the stocktaking obligation if they do not exceed these thresholds on two consecutive reference dates: a maximum of €80,000 annual profit AND a maximum of €800,000 turnover. If you exceed one of the values, you are subject to bookkeeping and stocktaking obligations.

What must be documented? Type of items, quantity, unit of measurement, storage location, individual valuation (purchase price) and total valuation. A properly kept stock list meets exactly these requirements.

Consequences of non-compliance: In tax audits by the tax office (Finanzamt), the absence of a proper stocktake means the tax office may estimate your profit – usually to your disadvantage. Fines may also be imposed.

8. Seven tips for a faster stocktake

1. Count outside peak times. Plan the stocktake after closing or on a Monday morning. Counting during service leads to errors and stress.
2. Form teams of two. One person counts, the other records. That’s faster and more accurate than working alone.
3. Shelf order instead of alphabetical. Sort your stock list the way the products stand on the shelf. Then you don’t have to jump back and forth, but count linearly from left to right.
4. Standardise opened quantities. Agree on one method as a team: estimating in tenths (0.1 to 0.9) for bottles, weighing for opened food. Consistency matters more than perfection.
5. Use Excel formulas. SUM for totals, VLOOKUP for pulling in prices automatically, IF for threshold warnings (e.g. “Reorder” when stock falls below the minimum quantity). Our template has the most important formulas preset.
6. Monthly instead of annually. An annual stocktake takes forever because nobody remembers how the system works. A monthly routine goes much faster once everyone is familiar with it.
7. Analyse results immediately. A stock list that disappears into a drawer after counting is useless. Compare actual stock with target stock (from purchasing and sales data). Variances reveal shrinkage, theft or recording errors. More on this: “Spotting shrinkage and breakage”.

9. Excel or stocktaking software: when is it worth switching?

An Excel template is the perfect way to start. Free, flexible, no training needed. But it has limits:

As a rule of thumb: with a manageable range (up to around 50 items) and infrequent stocktakes, Excel is enough. As soon as you take stock regularly, count more than 50 items or want several team members to record in parallel, software saves more time than it costs.

Want to see what switching looks like? We’ll show you BarBrain in a no-obligation demo. Book a demo now.

10. Frequently asked questions

What belongs on a stock list for hospitality?

All goods in the venue at the time of the stocktake: food, drinks, spirits, wine, beer, soft drinks, cleaning products, consumables (napkins, candles), kitchen utensils. Each item is recorded with quantity, unit, purchase price and storage location.

How often should you take stock in hospitality?

An annual stocktake at the end of the financial year is required by law. From a business perspective, a monthly stocktake makes sense, because it reveals shrinkage early and makes the cost-of-goods ratio more precise.

How do I value opened bottles?

Estimate the fill level in tenths: 0.1 (almost empty) to 0.9 (almost full). Multiply the purchase price of the full bottle by the fill level. Example: a bottle of gin (purchase price €18) with a fill level of 0.4 = €7.20 stock value. In BarBrain this is done with a visual slider.

Do I have to do a stocktake as an operator?

Yes, if you are required to prepare a balance sheet. The HGB requires an annual stocktake for all merchants. Exception: sole traders below €80,000 profit and €800,000 turnover on two consecutive reference dates. You’ll find details above in the section “Legal basis”.

Is there a difference between a stock list and an inventory list?

Yes. The stocktake (Inventur) is the process – counting, measuring and weighing stock. The stock list (Inventurliste) is the tool in which you record the counted quantities. The inventory (Inventar, also inventory list or stock register) is the result: the record of all stock by type, quantity and value on the reference date. In everyday use the terms are often mixed up.

Can I transfer my Excel data to software later?

In most cases, yes. BarBrain offers a product catalogue with more than 30,000 items, so you don’t have to create many products manually at all. You do the set-up together with our team during onboarding.