Company catering (canteens, canteen kitchens, etc.)

Inventory in company catering - why it's so important and how digital solutions can help

Commercial kitchens and canteens are busy every day: hundreds of portions are prepared and served. Ingredients and supplies flow through the warehouse at high speed - a high throughput of goods is part of everyday life. At the same time, budgets are tight and every gram of food must be used optimally to keep costs under control. This complexity in communal catering presents kitchen managers with major challenges. A precise inventory in canteen catering is therefore a crucial tool for maintaining an overview and working economically.

Why stocktaking is so important in canteens and canteen kitchens

In communal catering (company restaurants, canteens, etc.), stocktaking is essential for many reasons:

• Cost control: Only with an accurate inventory can you meet your budget targets and reduce food costs. An efficient inventory reveals losses and prevents over-ordering - studies estimate that this can save up to 20 % of food costs.
• Digital menu planning: Modern digital menu planning and recipe calculation access inventory data. If your stock levels are correct, you can plan menus realistically, purchase ingredients as required and avoid overstocking. This prevents bottlenecks and ensures that nothing ends up in the garbage can unnecessarily.
• Optimize the use of goods: Through regular stocktaking, you know the actual consumption of each ingredient and can detect shrinkage, spoilage or theft. Precise use of goods is the basis for effective kitchen controlling - you can see at any time whether target and actual consumption are drifting apart.
• Hygiene and freshness: exp iration dates are also checked when counting. Regular stocktaking ensures that expired goods are sorted out and older stock is used first (FIFO principle). The result: better hygiene, freshness in the outlets and compliance with HACCP standards.
• Calculation and pricing: Accurate stock data is worth its weight in gold when you are calculating recipes or setting prices. You know exactly what is in stock and how much each plate costs. This allows you to calculate economically - whether for sales prices in the canteen or for internal settlements or subsidies.

The challenges of classic stocktaking in canteen operations

You probably know what it's like: a traditional stocktake in a canteen or canteen kitchen often means overtime and tedious counting. Armed with a clipboard or Excel list, you walk through the storeroom and cold store after work and record bottles, bags and boxes by hand. This old-fashioned method is time-consuming and prone to error. Numbers are easily transposed, items are forgotten or recorded twice. What's more, the procedure ties up staff who are missing elsewhere - the kitchen practically stands still during the counting process. And the next day? New goods arrive, stocks change and the inventory list is immediately outdated again. In short, the conventional canteen inventory is a necessary evil that costs efficiency and nerves.

How BarBrain is revolutionizing digital inventory in community catering

This is where BarBrain comes into play: BarBrain was developed to radically simplify stocktaking in restaurants and communal catering. Instead of spending hours counting manually, you use an app that does a lot of the work for you. BarBrain is an inventory software that allows you to take stock in your canteen or cafeteria digitally and in record time. The solution is specially tailored to commercial kitchens, canteens and similar establishments - it allows you to keep track of the cost of goods and all stock levels, even in complex establishments. Whether you have to count in the storage cellar without WLAN or take stock in parallel with several colleagues - BarBrain makes it possible. Here is an overview of the most important functions with which BarBrain supports company catering:

• Fast counting of large containers and warehouses: BarBrain makes it possible to record even large containers (e.g. whole sacks, boxes or canisters) and extensive stocks in no time at all. Mass counts are accelerated enormously by intelligent input aids.
• Offline function (cold store, storage cellar): Even without an internet connection, you can enter stock in the cold store, cellar or remote storage locations. The data is temporarily stored locally and synchronizes automatically as soon as a connection is re-established.
• Multi-user recording (early and late shifts): Several employees can count on different devices at the same time - even across shifts. This makes stocktaking in a team more efficient and the canteen does not have to close completely to carry out stocktaking.
• Automatic cost of goods report for kitchen controlling: Once the count is complete, BarBrain automatically generates a report showing the cost of goods (consumption) for the period. Ideal for internal kitchen controlling, because you get an immediate insight into costs and consumption patterns without the need for manual recalculation.
• Exports for subsidy reports or monthly financial statements: All inventory data can be conveniently exported (e.g. as Excel) to be used for official verification or internal monthly financial statements. Whether you need a report for the school board, the employer subsidy or the tax consultant - the figures are available at the touch of a button.

Advantages for different types of business

Every communal catering facility has its own processes. BarBrain is flexible and benefits everyone - from small school canteens to large hospitals:

• Production canteens: Hundreds of employees often eat in large company canteens every day. BarBrain helps to maintain an overview despite high throughput and to manage stocktaking between early and late shifts without any problems. The use of goods remains transparent, which is also important for the management.
• School canteens: Budgets are tight and teams are small. A digital inventory saves a huge amount of time so that you can concentrate on the pupils and serving food. At the same time, BarBrain provides reliable data for the school board or authorities, for example to justify subsidies.
• University canteens: University canteens have enormous numbers of portions and often several serving points. BarBrain enables uniform stocktaking across different locations. Your team keeps an eye on all stock levels and can reduce excess stock more quickly - making optimum use of resources and reducing food waste.
• Hospital kitchens: In hospitals, catering runs 24/7, including special diet food. With BarBrain, you can also count step by step during operation without disrupting the supply process. All data is immediately available centrally, which makes planning easier and helps to ensure hygienically perfect conditions in the warehouse at all times.

Success story from the commercial kitchen

The kitchen manager of a large company canteen reports:

"Since we've been using BarBrain, we've managed the inventory in half the time and much more accurately than before. My team is more relaxed because no one has to work overtime for counting anymore. We also have significantly less food waste - our food costs have dropped noticeably."

Conclusion: Test now free of charge

As you can see, with the right digital solution, stocktaking turns from a chore into a routine that is easy to do. BarBrain gives you valuable time, reliable figures and helps to reduce food costs. So why hesitate? See for yourself and try BarBrain now for free - stocktaking in company catering has never been so easy!