How to count your bar faster
- Count in shelf order, the same order every time. Top shelf to bottom, left to right, then the walk-in. Your sheet should be in that order too, so you never hunt for a line.
- Count before you open or after you close, never during service. Bottles that move while you count throw the whole number off.
- Count open bottles in tenths. Judge it by eye: a bottle a little under half full is 0.4. A full one and an open one at 0.4 is 1.4.
- Count beer by the can or bottle, not by the case. 3 cases of 24 and 5 loose is 77, not 3.2.
- Weigh kegs if you can. A full half barrel is about 160 lb and an empty one about 30, so a keg at 95 lb is about half full.
What to do with the numbers
Fill in "To order" by taking what's on the shelf away from your par. Par 24, 9 on the shelf: order 15. Not sure what your par should be? The par level calculator works it out from what you use in a week.
Then compare this count to the last one, plus what came in and minus what you sold. If 3 bottles of a well vodka are gone that the register never rang, that's pours that weren't charged, a heavy hand, or a bottle that broke. That comparison is where the money is, and it's the part that takes the longest by hand.
How often to count
Every week for liquor, beer and wine if you can. Once a month is enough to know your cost of goods, but by the time a monthly count shows a problem, it's been going on for weeks.
More free tools
Pour cost calculator: what every pint, glass and shot costs you. Par level calculator: how many of each bottle to keep and order. See all free bar tools.