Track Waste to Shave Points
By David Scott Peters
Restaurant Tip of the Week
Use waste sheets. All causes for waste are avoidable and are a direct result of a lack of management and training. Waste includes a burned steak, food that spoiled because it was buried in the back of the walk-in and wasn’t rotated properly, and serving portions that are too large (this ties in to the importance of recipe costing cards). Keep track of what gets wasted, and you’ll see a drop in waste and an automatic drop in your food cost. The waste sheet includes what the item was, that it was wasted, why it was wasted and how much that cost. Some people also like to put how much money it would have been worth if you sold it. Another benefit to waste sheets is they’ll show you whether you have a mismanagement problem of a theft problem. Educate, train and track.
David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, coach, trainer and speaker, specializing in systems for independent restaurant owners. He is the nationally acclaimed restaurant coach whose unique “SMART Systems” approach to boosting profits has earned him the title of, “The man who can walk into any restaurant in America and find $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door – Guaranteed!” Visit www.TheRestaurantExpert.com for more.
