Prepared Items: Simple Batch Tracking
Prepared Items Overview
The Prepared Item (Prep Items) method is a great option for businesses to track their batches during inventory checks but doesn’t need a constantly updating theoretical stock count. This approach allows you to cost and count prep items in audits while keeping inventory management simple.
How It Works:
Prep Items are created using recipes, but unlike the Batching method, the system does not automatically deduct ingredients from inventory. Instead, depletion occurs when the final product is sold, pulling from the raw ingredients rather than the prep item itself.
Because of this, theoretical inventory will not reflect the actual quantity in real time. Instead, stock levels for prep items are updated manually during audits, making this method ideal for bars and restaurants that don’t have the time to enter every batch as it's made. Review the Preps vs Batches article for a deep dive into the differences.
Key Benefits:
- Simplified Tracking: Prep items appear in inventory audits, so you can cost and count them without extra data entry.
- Less Manual Input: No need to enter prep items as they’re created—just update actual stock levels during audits.
- Ingredient-Level Accuracy: Since prep items deplete based on their raw ingredients, inventory tracking remains aligned with sales.
- Better Reporting: When running Actual vs. Theoretical (AvT) reports, be sure to select Items + Preps to see your prep item counts properly factored into raw ingredient usage.
This method is great for businesses that want an easy way to track without updating inventory in real-time but still need them to show up in audits.