NE 2008

It all starts at the back door
There are many things to look for when checking in deliveries that can save the typical operator a bunch of money. For example: the receiver should keep an eye out for re-taped or re-marked boxes. While that alone doesn't necessarily mean anything, it's a red flag that your receivers should pay special attention. A sample may have been removed for another customer, and the box put back into inventory accidentally. In receiving, every ounce — and every piece — counts.

When a number 10 is not a number 10
While visiting a cafeteria, I noticed a member of the prep staff with a No. 10 can of green beans and 20 small cups. She was portioning the beans into the cups, putting them back in the can, and then doing it over again. When I asked the owner what she was doing, I was told she was being trained on portion control. I suggested it might not be necessary to go to that extreme.

The owner pointed out to me how one one “lost” portion of green beans per can could add up to $3,600 in the course of a year. He said he had to get 20 portions out of every can. “If I miss one portion from every can, that's 60 cents in profit I did not get from the can, or $3.60 I did not get on the case,” he added. “ I use about 1,000 cases in a year. That totals to $3,600 I would not get because my servers gave it away, one green bean at a time, on the serving line.” The moral? It's often worth doing a drained weight testing and comparison of net weights on your canned goods, noting any variances among brands and packs. Portion control isn't just a server's job — it's also a management function.

How much does a half ounce cost?
If you were to put a 4-oz. portion of thinly sliced roast beef in one hand and 4-1/2-oz. portion in the other, most people could not tell the difference. On the other hand, the same 7,500 lbs. of roast beef would give you 30,000 4- oz. portions or 26,250 4-1\2 oz. portions. If it were costed at .75 cents per portion, the The 3,750 portion difference would be a $2,812 difference.

Another moral: Portion scales and weighing procedures pay off!

POST THIS DIRECTIVE
in your receiving area and watch your costs go down…

Rule #1: If You Buy It By The Piece, Count It!

Rule #2: If You Buy It By The Pound, Weigh It!