Inventory KPIs Every Restaurant Should Monitor

Food cost percentage tells you there's a problem. These KPIs tell you where.

The five worth tracking

Theoretical versus actual usage variance shows portioning drift. Stock turnover rate flags slow-moving items tying up cash. Waste-to-purchase ratio catches spoilage before it becomes a habit. Supplier price variance flags creeping cost increases. And stockout frequency shows where under-ordering is costing sales, not just over-ordering costing margin.

Why weekly beats monthly

Reviewed monthly, these numbers explain what already happened. Reviewed weekly against a live dashboard, they're early enough to actually act on.