Stock count: full and partial
How the two kinds of count differ, how to do one, how to read the differences and what to do with the result.
A stock count answers one question: how much is really there — and brings the book balance in line with reality.
Two kinds of count
| Full | Partial | |
|---|---|---|
| What is counted | The whole store | Selected products or a category |
| How long it takes | Several hours, usually after closing | Fifteen to thirty minutes |
| How often | Once a month | Once a week for expensive groups |
| What happens to what was not counted | Nothing is left uncounted | Products outside the list are not touched: their balance stays as it was |
| When it is needed | Month close, a change of chef, a handover | Regular control, investigating a specific loss |
The main difference is in the consequences. A full count clears the accumulated differences across the whole store at once — after it, balances match reality everywhere. A partial count brings to reality only what was counted, and that is its strength: you do not need to stop the kitchen to check the bar.
Counting fifteen bar items once a week is realistic. Counting the whole store once a week is not, and the attempt ends with people copying figures from the books. Four honest partial counts are better than one made-up full one.
How to do it
- Create a stock count, choose the store and the scope: the whole store or specific products.
- Print or open the list and count shelf by shelf, not screen by screen.
- Enter the actual quantities.
- Look at the differences: the system shows the difference in quantity and in money for each item.
- Sort out what stands out before posting — often it is a forgotten receipt or a write-off that was not posted.
- Post the document: balances become equal to reality.
If a person sees “should be 4.2 kg”, they almost always write 4.2. That is called a count, but it is not one: the differences disappear from the report, not from the store. The best way is to count blind, with a sheet without book figures.
How to read the differences
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A shortage of one expensive product | The recipe understates usage — or the product is being taken |
| A shortage across a whole category | Write-offs were not posted or a receipt was forgotten |
| A surplus in the store | A receipt was posted twice, or the recipe overstates usage |
| A shortage of a prep while raw ingredients are fine | Batch production is not recorded with a document |
| Exactly zero on every item | The book figures were almost certainly copied |
In the first months most differences are inaccurate recipes, not people. First check the recipe and the prep yield, then talk to the shift. The reverse order spoils relationships and finds nothing.
What happens after posting
- the document becomes unchangeable;
- balances are brought in line with reality;
- the difference is recorded in money and goes into the stock reports;
- previous periods do not change: last month’s report stays as it was.
If you made a mistake entering the actual figures, the correction is made with a new stock count or a correcting document, not by editing the posted one.
How often to count
- bar — once a week: small, expensive, used up fast;
- expensive kitchen products (fish, meat, cheese) — once every week or two;
- preps — together with the bar, they spoil faster than anything else;
- full count — once a month, when closing the period;
- always — when the chef or storekeeper changes: this protects the people themselves, it is not suspicion.
Stock counts and untracked products
A product with stock tracking turned off does not take part in stock counts — it will not be on the list. This is normal for spices and disposable tableware during the transition period; if a product suddenly becomes important, turn tracking on and give it a starting balance with the very first stock count.