100 Reasons for High Food Costs
Receiving
24. Theft by delivery person
25. Failure to check invoices for correct prices, quantity, quality
26. No system to assure proper credit for returned merchandise
27. No weighing items purchased by weight
28. Failure to adhere to purchase specifications
29. Signing invoices without checking deliveries
30. No backup record of purchases to compare to delivery invoice
31. Acceptance of less than complete shipments with “full” billing and failing to receive back-ordered items
32. Improper storage temperature of perishable items
33. Failure to properly cover supplies
34. Poor sanitation of storage areas
35. No periodic report of dead stock or inventory turnover
36. Spoilage due to vermin
37. No daily inspection of perishable foods
38. No locks on storage areas
39. Unorganized storage areas
40. No limited access to storage areas
41. No written record of issues
42. No “forced issues’ of dead stock
43. No serially numbered guest checks
44. No audit of cash register readings
45. No control of voids and payouts
46. No reconciling of kitchen checks and guest checks
47. No reconciliation of statements to invoices
48. No record of reported waste and spoilage
Preparation/Processing
49. Excessive trim waste on meats and vegetables
50. Inability to incorporate trim / by-products into production items
51. Overproduction
52. Failure to follow standardized recipes
53. Failure to follow standardized cooking techniques
54. Not cooking in small batches
55. Inadequate or improper processing equipment and utensils
56. Preparing too much food in advance
57. Failure to check portioning standards
58. Over reliance on value-added (convenience) products
59. Overcooking foods and resulting low yields
60. No production / menu mix history to guide production amounts
61. Oversized portions
62. Using more costly varieties / grades than needed for intended use
63. Excessive use of high convenience foods
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