Better Stock, Better Profits: Smarter Food Management for Pubs & Restaurants – Blog 2
By Sterling Stock Auditors
Running a hospitality business is hard enough. The last thing you want is to spend your precious weekend wrestling with spreadsheets, counting half-empty bottles, and second-guessing food costs.
Yet for pubs and restaurants, stocktaking is one of the most powerful ways to improve profitability — and protect your bottom line. The problem is, too many owners and managers dread it. Why? Because without the right systems, stocktaking can feel chaotic, time-consuming, and often inaccurate.
In this post, we’ll show you how to make stock control less stressful and more effective, so you can save time, reduce waste, and boost profits — all without sacrificing your sanity (or your Sunday!).
💡 Why Stock Control Matters in Hospitality
Whether you run a gastropub, bistro, sports bar or hotel kitchen, stock control is essential. Done right, it helps you:
- Track what’s being used vs. what’s being sold
- Prevent over-ordering and under-ordering
- Spot shrinkage, waste, or theft early
- Understand your actual gross profit (GP)
- Improve cash flow and reduce losses
Even a 1–2% improvement in GP can translate into thousands of pounds saved annually — all from more accurate, consistent stock management.
🧠 5 Tips to Simplify Stocktaking (Without Losing Your Mind)
1. Create a Simple, Repeatable Process
The biggest cause of stocktaking stress? A lack of structure. Avoid confusion by establishing a consistent routine:
- Always count before trading hours
- Use the same format each time (digital or paper)
- Assign a trained team member or use a third-party auditor
- Don’t change units, product names, or categories mid-way
- Consistency = accuracy — and that’s what allows for meaningful comparisons over time.
2. Train Your Staff to Understand the Why
If your team sees stocktaking as just another chore, you’re missing a trick. Involve your kitchen and bar staff by explaining how portioning, waste, and unrecorded comps directly impact stock results — and the business’s profit.
A culture of awareness can drastically reduce avoidable losses.
3. Watch for These Common Stocktaking Mistakes
Even experienced operators can slip up. Look out for:
- Counting during service (items move!)
- Forgetting about satellite or off-site storage
- Not separating damaged or opened items
- Inaccurate unit conversions
- Skipping wastage logging (e.g. spoilage, spills, staff meals)
- Small mistakes snowball into big inaccuracies.
4. Keep It Regular — Not Just Month-End
Waiting until the end of the month often means missed opportunities to spot issues in real time. If you have high turnover, weekly or fortnightly checks can give you tighter control and faster feedback.
Even simple mid-week spot checks can help catch over-pouring, delivery errors, or theft early.
5. Outsource for Peace of Mind
If you’re too busy (or too close) to do it right, call in an expert. A professional stock auditor can:
- Save hours of staff time
- Give an independent, accurate view of your stock
- Spot trends you might miss
- Provide practical advice to improve GP and reduce waste
- Support you during change of ownership with Stock at Valuation (SAV)
At Sterling Stock Auditors, we’ve been working with pubs, restaurants, hotels, cafés and clubs for over 15 years. We follow the guidelines of the Institute of Licensed Trade Stock Auditors (ILTSA) and offer flexible, professional stocktaking that pays for itself many times over.
🔎 Let’s Take Stock — The Smart Way
No more guesswork. No more weekend stress. Just clear, reliable stock data that helps you make smarter business decisions.
Whether you need regular audits, a one-off SAV, or just want to get your stock under control, we’re here to help.
📅 Book a free consultation today:
👉 bookme.name/Sterlingstockauditors
📞 Or call us on 01733 806 330