Where the margin goes
Restaurant inventory management software, counted by recipe
Every dish sold takes its ingredients off the books, so a count tells you what actually went missing, in kilos and in rupees.
Last reviewed 1 Oct 2026
- 1Dish soldA paneer butter masala with rotli, sold on bill #184
- 2Recipe deductsThe paneer, butter and gravy base it uses come off the books
- 3Paneer on handAt 1.2 kg after the recipes have taken the day’s orders
- 4The countEvery ingredient on one sheet; posting takes one confirmation
- 5Variance in ₹What went missing, in kilos and in rupees
- Per dishrecipes deduct ingredients at the sale
- ₹ and %variance against what the recipes used
- Sub-recipesgravies and doughs used inside other dishes
- POsraised per supplier, marked received on delivery
| Item | On hand | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Paneer | 1.2 kg | Low |
| Nylon sev | 0 kg | Out |
| Milk | 14 L | |
| Coffee powder | 2.1 kg |
- On hand is counted down, not typed in.Paneer is at 1.2 kg after the recipes have taken what the day’s orders used.
- Under the reorder level, it says so.Paneer is below its level and the row says so; you set the level for each ingredient.
- Out means out.Nylon sev is at 0 kg, so the dishes that need it can be marked off before a guest orders one.
- Each ingredient keeps its unit.Kilos for paneer, litres for milk, each counted in its own measure.
01At a glance
What the stockroom gets.
- Recipes as the sourceEach menu item lists its ingredients and quantities, so every sale knows what it used.
- Counts on one sheetThe count tab lists every ingredient; Enter moves to the next row, and posting the count takes one confirmation.
- Variance in moneyThe gap between the count and what the recipes used, per ingredient, in quantity and in rupees.
- Wastage, written downSpoilt, dropped or returned: a wastage entry takes the stock off and keeps the reason.
- Purchase orders and receivingRaise a purchase order for a supplier, mark it sent, and mark it received when the delivery comes in.
- A log of every movementSales, counts, wastage and receipts each leave a line in the stock log.
02In detail
Why count stock by recipe at all?
Without recipes, stock is a number someone typed last week. With them, every bill moves the shelf: sell a paneer butter masala and the paneer, butter and gravy base it uses come off the books. A count then has something to be compared with.
The difference is where a restaurant’s food cost hides: over-portioning, waste nobody wrote down, deliveries that came in short, and stock that walked out. Variance does not say which of those it was. It says where to look, and how much it is worth.
What does a good stock routine look like?
Count the few ingredients that cost the most more often, and everything else less often. Write wastage down when it happens, not at the end of the week. Record every delivery on its purchase order. The software makes each of these quicker; none of them happens without someone doing it.
03Questions
Questions about inventory.
Each menu item has a recipe that lists its ingredients and quantities. When the dish is sold, those quantities come off stock, so what the shelf should hold is always worked out from sales.
Count, then compare. The variance view sets your count against what the recipes say was used, per ingredient, in quantity and in rupees. A gap that repeats on the same ingredient is the place to look first.
Yes. A base such as a gravy or a dough can be its own recipe and be used inside other dishes.
No. You raise purchase orders, send them yourself and mark them received. CountStand does not send an order to a supplier on its own.
The owner or a manager. A count is posted with one confirmation, and only the lines that changed are written.
Start counting by recipe.
Recipes, counts, variance and purchase orders are in Single.
From ₹2,999 a month per outlet, plus GST