Inventory & Recipes
Don't wait until the end of the month to see dish costs
Inventory and recipes in OrderNow help you connect sales with real ingredient consumption. Owners can see which dishes hold their margin, where waste occurs, and when product costs start eating into the bottom line.
Back of house process
Recipe → sales → cost
Creates a dish recipe
You enter ingredients, portions, units of measure, and prep cost for a menu item.
Ingredients deplete with sales
After a dish is sold, the system can deduct usage according to the recipe, instead of counting everything manually.
Deliveries update stock
New quantities and supplier prices go into inventory, so dish cost isn't based on old assumptions.
You see cost and margin
The report highlights which items need review: price, weight, waste, or supplier.
In short
What this feature changes in daily work
What it does
recipes tied to sales
Inventory and recipe module for restaurants that connects sales, ingredients, deliveries, and dish costs to help control Food Cost easily.
Who it helps
venues with many ingredients and repeatable recipes
This module is strongest where ingredient costs truly dictate results, and the menu features repeatable recipes.
Works with
Reports and analytics, KDS, Waiter panel
Inventory shouldn't be a separate spreadsheet alongside the restaurant. It delivers peak value when it uses sales data and feeds it back to reports.
Before / after
Before & After: spreadsheets vs inventory with recipes
Sales are visible instantly, but costs often emerge only after inventory counting. Then it's hard to tell if the problem was a supplier price, portion size, waste, or bad menu pricing.
Process
How a recipe moves from sales to cost control
Inventory only makes sense when recipes, deliveries, and sales operate in one loop. Otherwise, the report will just be another spreadsheet.
Creates a dish recipe
You enter ingredients, portions, units of measure, and prep cost for a menu item.
Ingredients deplete with sales
After a dish is sold, the system can deduct usage according to the recipe, instead of counting everything manually.
Deliveries update stock
New quantities and supplier prices go into inventory, so dish cost isn't based on old assumptions.
You see cost and margin
The report highlights which items need review: price, weight, waste, or supplier.
You adjust price, portion, or purchase
Managers get a specific action point instead of waiting for month-end overall results.
Fit
Which venues benefit most from inventory and recipes
This module is strongest where ingredient costs truly dictate results, and the menu features repeatable recipes.
Which venues benefit most from inventory and recipes
This module is strongest where ingredient costs truly dictate results, and the menu features repeatable recipes.
- venues with many ingredients and repeatable recipes
- pizzerias, sushi, burger joints, bakeries, and restaurants with in-house prep
- places that notice problems with waste, shortages, or rising Food Cost
- venues that regularly buy from several suppliers
- restaurants wanting to make pricing decisions based on data, not just intuition
When inventory isn't the first priority
Inventory requires discipline. If a venue hasn't sorted out the basics yet, it's better to implement this in stages.
- very small venues with simple menus and few ingredients
- places without repeatable recipes or with ad-hoc menu changes
- deliveries, units, and product names aren't organized yet
- MVP stage where launching sales, service, and basic reporting is more important
What to measure
What to measure after deploying inventory and recipes
Inventory doesn't improve margin by itself. It gives data that helps quickly find the leak: recipe, portion, purchase, waste, or menu price.
Food Cost per dish
Check which items hold their target cost, and which require a tweak in price, weight, or supplier.
Discrepancies between stock and sales
Compare usage derived from recipes against what's actually left in stock.
Waste and corrections
Gather spoilage, mistakes, and shortages in one place to discuss specific items.
Supplier price impact
Observe which ingredients change dish costs the most and require a purchasing decision.
OrderNow ecosystem
How inventory connects with sales, kitchen, and reports
Inventory shouldn't be a separate spreadsheet alongside the restaurant. It delivers peak value when it uses sales data and feeds it back to reports.
Reports and analytics
Sales, costs, and channels can be read together to quickly spot items needing decisions.
Waiter panel
Floor orders feed sales, which then deduct from recipes and stock.
Current feature
Inventory and Recipes
Flow in the system: Recipe → sales → cost
Questions from owners before deploying inventory and recipes
Do I have to enter all recipes at once?
No. It's smartest to start with items that sell the most or have the biggest impact on margin.
Will inventory detect waste on its own?
Not by itself. The system helps compare sales, recipes, and stock, but waste, corrections, and counts must be entered by the team.
Does this make sense for a small menu?
If the menu is simple, inventory might not be the first priority. It makes more sense when there are many ingredients or prices change rapidly.
Can I calculate Food Cost per dish?
Yes, if the recipe, units of measure, and ingredient prices are up to date. Without that, the report is just an approximation.
What about deliveries from multiple suppliers?
Deliveries and prices should be tracked in one loop, so you can see which supplier or ingredient changes the item's cost.
Who should operate the inventory module?
Usually the manager, head chef, or designated person on shift. It's important to set responsibilities for deliveries, waste, and corrections.
Demo without overpromises
See Food Cost on a real recipe example
During the demo, we'll go through an ingredient, recipe, sale, delivery, and report to check if inventory gives your venue data for decisions.