If you’re not currently keeping production records, you really need to start. Once they are in place, and you start to build a history of what sells and what is going to waste, you can really start to refine your operation.
The power in production records is that you don’t need to rely on your memory to know what did and didn’t sell well on any given day. Want to know what the big seller was on the 4th of July so you can make sure you have enough ready this year? You could ask one of the cooks that were around last year to see if he remembers. But what about the year before…or the year before that? Was last year part of a trend, or was it a one time occurrence. It’s hard to come up with that kind of detail when you’re relying on your own or someone else’s memory.
That’s where good record keeping is invaluable. Now you will know with certainty what the big seller was last year, and what went to waste. This year you can adjust your production so you can be sure to have enough of the things that have sold well historically, and cut back on preparing things that don’t sell as well.
By adjusting your production based on past trends you can maximize your sales potential while minimizing the amount of waste due to over-producing items that aren’t selling as well. By studying your production records and comparing them to sales records you can know what is really selling and what is being snuck out the back door.
You can also see trends developing early. Now you are in a position to run specials or put new items on the menu that take advantage of those trends, and maybe even beat your competition to the punch.
