Cost control checklist
16 questions about your back office
Answer honestly: «yes» means it works every month without you. Each question says what it looks like when it works and what usually breaks.
Your score
0of 16
13-16Control works. You probably do not need us.
7-12Control exists, but it rests on people and their spare time.
0-6Discrepancies turn up after the month is closed, if at all.
Your score0 of 16
Block 1 - 4 questions
Documents and data
It all starts with whether invoices reach the system in full and on time.
01
Does every invoice reach the books on the delivery day?
When it works: the document is in the system the same day, with no manual entry
What usually breaks: some invoices sit in a mailbox or a folder until month end
02
Can you see when one document was posted twice?
When it works: a repeat is caught by supplier, amount and lines
What usually breaks: the duplicate turns up weeks later, through a stock mismatch
03
Do you know which invoices are missing from the books?
When it works: numbering gaps and missing documents show up as a list
What usually breaks: the accountant finds the missing document at closing
04
Are units and packs reduced to one base?
When it works: the price per kg, litre and unit is calculated automatically
What usually breaks: a case is booked as a kilogram and the cost drops on paper
Block 2 - 4 questions
Prices and suppliers
This is where margin leaves most quietly: the percentage looks small, but at volume it is money.
05
Do you learn about a price rise on the delivery day?
When it works: every line is checked against this supplier's own history
What usually breaks: the increase shows up a month later, in the cost report
06
Is the contract discount checked against the document?
When it works: the price list is loaded and the discount is verified automatically
What usually breaks: the invoice carries no discount, and there is nothing to check it against
07
Can you compare one item across two suppliers?
When it works: one click compares the price per base unit
What usually breaks: it is compared by hand, and only once an argument starts
08
Does the conversation with the supplier carry numbers?
When it works: the email comes with the price history and the amounts at stake
What usually breaks: «it looks like you raised the price» - with no export and no proof
Block 3 - 4 questions
Food cost and the menu
An average food cost hides the difference between the kitchen and the bar and names no culprit.
09
Can you name a dish's food cost at today's prices?
When it works: the cost is recalculated with every delivery
What usually breaks: it is worked out by hand once a quarter, on old prices
10
Can you see which ingredient moved the cost?
When it works: the rise is broken down by ingredient, with the effect in euros
What usually breaks: you know food cost went up but not what caused it
11
Do you separate a price rise from a sales rise?
When it works: it is clear whether margin grew on turnover or was passed into prices
What usually breaks: only the percentage is watched, and the conclusion is wrong
12
Do you know which dishes have no recipe or an incomplete one?
When it works: such items are flagged and do not spoil the averages
What usually breaks: items with zero cost pull the overall food cost down
Block 4 - 4 questions
Month-end close and people
Control breaks not from ignorance, but because there is no spare hour for it in the evening.
13
Is the month-end close a checklist or a search?
When it works: a list of blockers, each with an owner and a deadline
What usually breaks: the last days of the month go on hunting for the cause of a mismatch
14
Is the stock count checked against goods movement?
When it works: differences per item show up right after the count
What usually breaks: only large amounts are reviewed, and only some of them
15
Does every discrepancy have an owner?
When it works: the exception goes to a person and is tracked to a decision
What usually breaks: exceptions live in email threads and get lost
16
Do you know how much margin control protected this month?
When it works: there is a protected-margin figure, traceable down to the invoice
What usually breaks: the assumption is that «we probably saved something»
Your score
0of 16
13-16Control works. You probably do not need us.
7-12Control exists, but it rests on people and their spare time.
0-6Discrepancies turn up after the month is closed, if at all.
The checklist found a hole. What now?
Connect RestoAudit for 30 days on your own data: 100 digitisation documents, no card needed. The checks from this list start working on your invoices from day one.
Trial period30 days
Digitisation documents100
Cardnot needed
Cost control checklist