Organization is one of the most important aspects of running a restaurant. It controls your efficiency when in the thick of things and what you can and can’t order due to space. On the flip side, a lack of organization can lead to overordering, duplicates that go bad, and a general sense of disarray. If organization is a struggle for you, consider implementing restaurant inventory categories. In this blog we’ll discuss what restaurant inventory categories are, and why they matter.
Why Inventory Categorization Matters in Restaurants
Categorizing your inventory is an incredibly useful tool when trying to wrap your head around what you have. Generally, chefs and restaurateurs break their inventory into several categories such as perishables, nonperishables, dry goods, and cleaning supplies (though we’ll break that down even further shortly).
By dividing your inventory like this, you’ll be able to more clearly examine each subsection of your inventory. In turn, you’ll find that it’s easier to spot what’s in stock, what’s not, and what’s overstocked.
Food and Beverage Inventory
Perishable Ingredients
One of the largest restaurant food categories that you’ll encounter is fresh food. This will include everything that’s perishable. For example, meat, seafood, produce, and dairy will all fall under this category. When establishing inventory at a new place, make a habit of dividing each of these major categories into smaller, more manageable chunks. For example:
Meat
- Poultry
- Beef
- Pork
Seafood
- Shellfish
- Fish
Dairy
- Cheeses
- Cream/milk
- Butter
Produce
- Fruit
- Vegetables
From there, depending on the inventory in question, you may find that it makes sense to split it further. For example, if you keep potatoes and onions in dry storage, consider splitting your veggies into dry and cool storage. Or, if your restaurant uses a lot of fish but very little shellfish, split your inventory into more specific fish types (salmon, cod, eel) and keep the overall category of shellfish for your clams and mussels.
Non Perishable Ingredients
Nonperishable goods are foods that are either stored to prevent expiration (canned goods, sealed pickles or sauerkraut) or that generally have a long shelf life in dry, relatively cool conditions (spices and dry goods like sugar, flour, or rice).
Alcoholic Beverages (if applicable)
If you sell alcohol, it’s incredibly important to keep a clear inventory. Not only is it expensive, but it’s often a major source of income for businesses, making it that much more important. Generally, I divide my alcohol inventory into liquor, wine, and beer — though breweries and wineries will often have a more specific breakdown to help with inventory.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
For your non-alcoholic beverages, it’s generally best to break your inventory into a bar and non-bar split. For example, both sides may use orange juice, but they’ll often be for entirely different uses. The bar needs it for cocktails, whereas the rest of the restaurant will need it for cooking and serving (especially if it’s a breakfast/brunch place). This goes for most citrus juices, for that matter, along with specific canned drinks like Coca Cola or Red Bull.
By dividing your inventory between the two sides, you’ll be able to more easily order to accommodate each and, importantly, they’ll be more able to properly prepare for each side.
Cleaning and Sanitation Supplies
Your cleaning supplies are what keep your restaurant shiny and beautiful. Without them, things can get really gross, really fast — so keeping them organized and stocked is incredibly important. Below are a few restaurant inventory categories for your cleaning supplies.
Cleaning Chemicals
This section is rather self-explanatory. Break down all of the disinfectants, floor cleaners, degreasers, oven/grill/fryer cleaner, and other chemicals that you regularly use.
Paper Goods and Disposables
Restaurants blow through a lot of paper goods and disposables. In general, the biggest things to worry about here are:
- Paper towels
- Toilet paper
- Toilet seat liners
- Gloves (likely in multiple sizes)
- Trash bags
- Grill bricks
Dishwashing Supplies
Dishwashing supplies are tricky, as many restaurants have them delivered directly by their dishwasher supplier. Nonetheless, you’ll need to keep track of things like sanitary solution, degreaser, and delimer for your sinks and dishwasher.
Tableware and Serving Supplies
Tableware
Tableware includes everything that you’d need to set a table — plates, glasses, and cutlery. I generally break this section of inventory down into smaller sections, as many restaurants have a lot of different types of bowls, plates, and glasses.
Tableware
- Plates
- Bowls
- Ramekins and serving dishes
Glasses
- Pint glasses
- Various bar glasses (highball, coup, rocks, etc.)
Guest silverware
- Butter knives
- Forks
- Spoons
- Steak knives
Kitchen silverware
- Tasting spoons
- Plating silverware (knives for sandwiches, cheese knives, etc.)
Linens
Finally, we reach linens, the bane of most ordering managers. Somehow, there’s always just a few too few towels or aprons; that, or you’ve ordered enough for a small army. Nonetheless, it’s important to break these down between the front and back of house.
Front of House
- Tablecloths
- Server aprons
- Server rags/chamois
Back of House
- Hand towels
- Aprons
- Chef whites
Smallwares and Kitchen Equipment
Next up are the things that we need to do our jobs in the kitchen; from knives to cutting boards and timers, there’s a lot, so let’s just dive right in.
Cooking Equipment
This includes everything that you need to actually cook food in, such as:
- Potssome text
- Stock pots
- Sauce pots
- Dutch ovens
- Sautee pans
- Sheet pans
- Baking pans
Hotel pans (including all sizes from 1/9 to 1/3)
Preparation Tools
This will encompass everything that you need to prepare food, such as:
- Knivessome text
- Serrated/bread knives
- Filet knives
- Cleavers
- Chef knives
- Paring knives
- Cutting boards
- Mixing bowls
- Cambro containers, multiple sizes
- Cooling racks
- Speed racks
- Measuring cups
Utensils and Kitchen Gadgets
Here is where we put all of the miscellaneous items that you don’t realize you need until you don’t have it:
- Peelers
- Spatulas
- Wooden spoons
- Slotted spoons
- Ladels
- Scales
- Tongs
- Timers
Packaging and To-Go Supplies
If you take to-go orders, you’ll need a good amount of supplies to properly package them.
Take-Out Containers
Take-out containers can come in many forms, and it’s a mess when you run out. Keep them organized like below to keep things going smoothly:
- Clamshell boxes
- To-go boxes, multiple sizes (#4, #1)
- To-go ramekins (2 or 3.5 oz) and lids
- To-go soup cups and lids (8 or 12 oz)
- Glasses and lids (plastic 12 and 16-oz glasses)
- Straws
Bags and Wraps
Beyond that, you’ll need everything to get it all packed neatly:
- Plastic or paper bags
- Tin foil
- Parchment paper
- Napkins
- To-go cutlery (spoons, forks, butter knives)
Office and Administrative Supplies
POS System Supplies
While POS systems are built to remove as much strain as possible from the kitchen, the simple truth is that we still need to keep it supplied. More often than not, this boils down to receipt paper and printer ink, but that may be moot if you’ve moved onto a screen-based display rather than a printer.
General Office Supplies
Somehow, every kitchen I’ve ever worked in is always experiencing a drought of sharpies and dry-erase pens. Whether they’re stolen or accidentally given to the linen company in an un-checked apron pocket, they have a habit of making a run for it.
Because of this, it’s important to keep a constant stock of as many pens and notepads as you can reasonably fit. Dry-erase, ballpoint, and permanent are the most common, but you’ll also find that things like notepads and server pads are quite important. Beyond that, you’ll likely need to regularly order label tape (or straight-up labels), as well as any stickers that you use for dating and FIFO.
Marketing and Promotional Materials
Lastly, it’s time to talk about menus and promotional items. These will generally take up the smallest portion of your inventory, but they’re still crucial. Keep a par list of menus, both for in-house and to-go use, and regularly inspect your menus for damage. If they need to be replaced, ensure you replace them!
Beyond that, any posters, flyers, coupons, or punch cards that you may use should fall into this category, too.
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