Configured with you — because a bad item catalog ruins everything after it
Most failed inventory rollouts fail in setup: mismatched units, half-built recipes, unmapped POS items. We do that work with your team before anyone is asked to count.
- Discovery on your locations, vendors, systems and calendar
- Item catalog, units and recipes built with your chefs
- Pilot location proves the numbers before group rollout
Airport food cost is 3.2 points above group. Beef usage explains most of the gap.
Six stages from kickoff to steady state
- 01
Discovery
We map your locations, entities, vendors, POS, accounting system and period calendar, then agree the success measures.
- 02
Catalog & units
Item list, purchase and count units, categories and GL mapping — the foundation everything else depends on.
- 03
Recipes
Recipes and sub-recipes built with your chefs, with yields captured honestly rather than assumed.
- 04
Data mapping
POS item imports, vendor catalogs and price files, and the accounting export path — tested with real data.
- 05
Pilot
One location runs a full period: count, order, receive, match, report. We fix what the real world exposes.
- 06
Rollout & training
Group rollout on the proven configuration, with manager training and a support cadence for the first periods.
A realistic picture of the commitment
- An internal project owner with authority to decide
- Access to vendor invoices and current item lists
- Chef time for recipe and yield validation
- Finance input on categories and the chart of accounts
- A pilot location willing to run the full cycle
- POS and accounting exports or an internal systems contact
- Agreement on count frequency and period calendar
- Manager availability for training sessions
After go-live
One person accountable, not a queue
Through the first full periods
Included with every plan
Revisited as your operation changes
Implementation questions
How long does it take?+
It depends on location count, recipe volume and integration complexity. We scope a realistic timeline in discovery rather than quoting a number that assumes everything goes perfectly.
Can we import our existing spreadsheets?+
Yes. Item lists, recipes, par levels and vendor catalogs can be imported and then cleaned up together.
Do you train our managers?+
Yes, on the flows they'll actually use — counting, ordering, receiving and waste — plus back-office training for the office team.
What if our recipes aren't documented?+
That's common. Building them is part of implementation, and it's usually where the first margin gains are found.
Talk through a rollout for your group
We'll scope discovery, pilot and rollout against your real location count and systems.
Tailored to your group's structure
Configured with you, not handed over
SmartOPS Margin is part of the SmartOPS OS suite.