Streamlining Restaurant Inventory Management: Challenges and Solutions

Since September, I have been fully committed to this project, and one of the main challenges I encountered was: “How can we manage inventory more efficiently?"

At first glance, this might seem straightforward. For example, if we’re talking about items like pens, it’s pretty simple: I have 10 pens, sell 2, and I’m left with 8. However, when it comes to running a restaurant, things get significantly more complex.

Consider beans, for example. When I purchase 5 kg of beans, I also incorporate ingredients such as water, onions, garlic, and oil during the preparation. Moreover, we must factor in the portions served on-site compared to those prepared for takeout.

To address these challenges, I developed a streamlined and functional workflow that starts with supplier registration.

Next comes the manufacturer registration process, allowing users to track which manufacturers offer the best quality or cost efficiency.

Following that is a critical feature of the application: purchase list creation. This step links market and manufacturer data to purchased products. For items without a specific manufacturer (like bulk potatoes, onions, etc.), the system is pre-configured with a "default manufacturer" labeled as "unknown/bulk." At this stage, we record details such as the purchase date, market, product, and manufacturer (when applicable).

I'm returning to the initial challenge: how do you track ingredient usage while preparing dishes? The solution was to introduce a feature for recipe registration, enabling the system to calculate the average yield for each recipe automatically.

When a recipe is created, it generates an item called a “Prepared Meal.” Based on configurations set in the "Settings" section, portion allocations are defined for each type of meal: dine-in or takeout. This way, one portion is deducted from the “Prepared Meals” inventory when a sale occurs.

There’s still plenty to refine, add, and improve, but this represents the progress so far.

I welcome suggestions and constructive feedback! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

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