How par works
Par is how many of a bottle you want on the shelf right after a delivery. It has to cover everything you'll pour until the next delivery shows up, plus some extra for a busy week.
Say you go through 12 bottles of Tito's a week, your delivery comes every 7 days, and it takes 2 days to show up after you order. That stock has to last 9 days. 12 a week is about 1.7 a day, so 9 days is about 15.4 bottles. Add 50% for a busy week and you get 23.1. Round up: your par is 24.
If you have 9 on the shelf when you order, you need 15 more. If Tito's only comes in cases of 12, that's 2 cases.
Pars at common weekly use
With 50% extra and 2 days from order to delivery.
| Used in a week | Delivery every week | Delivery every 2 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 4 | 8 | 14 |
| 6 | 12 | 21 |
| 12 | 24 | 42 |
| 24 | 47 | 83 |
Too high or too low
- Too high and your cash sits on the shelf. Ten extra bottles at $25 is $250 you can't spend on anything else.
- Too low and you run out on a Friday. A well bottle that's gone means pouring something pricier or losing the sale.
- Slow sellers don't need a par. If a bottle hasn't moved in a month, buy one when you're out.
When to change your pars
Look at them once a month, and again when the season changes, a menu changes, or a big week is coming. A summer patio or a football season can double what you go through on beer.
The hard part is knowing what you really used. That takes counting what's on the shelf and comparing it to what you sold. That's the part Rotely fills in for you.
More free tools
Pour cost calculator: what every pint, glass and shot really costs you. Bar inventory count sheet: your bottles in shelf order, ready to print. See all free bar tools.