Restaurant stock reorder and PAR planner

How the stock planner works

This is an order-up-to scenario. It deliberately includes both delivery lead time and the days between your order reviews. Target stock = forecast use per day × (delivery lead days + days between orders) + safety stock. Inventory position = usable stock on hand + confirmed inbound stock. Shortage = the positive part of target stock minus that position. Packs to order = shortage divided by pack quantity, rounded up to the next whole pack.

Businesses use PAR and reorder terminology in different ways. This planner shows its own target formula so you can compare it with your purchasing policy. A reorder trigger based only on lead-time demand is different from an order-up-to target covering both lead and review periods. Do not substitute one for the other without checking the intended process.

1. Choose the stock unit used for this item. If the unit is kg, enter daily use, safety stock, current stock, inbound quantities and pack size in kg.
2. Count only usable stock. Keep quarantined, spoiled, expired or already committed stock outside this simple available quantity unless you explicitly adjust the input.
3. Include inbound stock only when its quantity and expected receipt are confirmed. This tool does not determine whether it will arrive soon enough.
4. Enter a forecast and a safety allowance suitable for the period. Check unusual events, menu changes, supplier closures and ordering cutoffs yourself.

A fictional ingredient order

The tomato sample uses 6 kg per day, two lead days, three days between orders and 5 kg of safety stock. Its target is 35 kg. With 12 kg usable on hand and 3 kg confirmed inbound, the shortage is 20 kg. Five-kilogram packs give four packs to order. The resulting 35 kg stock position is above the 24 kg forecast usage in the entered four-day usable life, so the planner flags 11 kg for review.

Use the perishability flag carefully

Enter zero usable-life days to leave that check off. Otherwise, the flag compares the whole post-order stock position with daily forecast usage multiplied by the entered usable days. It does not subtract existing lot age, model separate arrivals or verify storage conditions. Different batches can expire at different times. A zero flag does not establish that food is safe, and a positive flag does not automatically prove that an order must be cancelled.

Check actual lot expiry, delivery timing, storage capacity, supplier minimums and the cost of a smaller or more frequent order. The model does not place an order, reserve goods or guarantee availability. Currency is a reference label for exported scenarios; the stock calculations themselves use quantities and do not value inventory.

Sources and further reading

The sources below explain the underlying planning tasks. This page's specific formulas, comparison thresholds and fictional scenario are stated above so you can assess whether they fit your own situation. It is independent of the listed providers.

• Square — restaurant inventory, PAR levels and stock rotation
• Restaurant purchasing and supplier control
• Investigate stock and food-cost variance
• Our editorial policy
• About the author