Supplier prices rarely jump. They creep: 20 cents on oil this month, a smaller pack of cheese at the same price next month, a "fuel surcharge" that never goes away. Each change is too small to notice on a busy delivery day. Together they can push your food cost up several points in a year while your menu prices stay the same.
Catching them takes one habit and two minutes per delivery.
Why invoices alone won't tell you
Invoices show what you paid. They don't show whether the price changed. Packs change size, you buy different quantities, and the same item comes from two suppliers. The only fair comparison is the price per unit: per kilo, per litre or per piece.
The habit: log every delivery
After each delivery or invoice, write one line per item:
- Date, supplier and item name (always the same name for the same item)
- Quantity and unit (10 kg, 5 L, 30 pieces)
- Total paid for that line
Then work out price per unit = total paid ÷ quantity and compare it with the last time you bought the same item.
An example
| Date | Item | Supplier | Per kg / L | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep | Beef chuck | Fresh Meats Ltd | €12.50 | – |
| 8 Sep | Beef chuck | Fresh Meats Ltd | €13.50 | +8.0% |
| 15 Sep | Beef chuck | Hill Farm Butchers | €12.50 | –7.4% |
| 1 Sep | Potatoes | Green Valley Produce | €0.84 | – |
| 8 Sep | Potatoes | Green Valley Produce | €0.82 | –2.4% |
| 22 Sep | Potatoes | Green Valley Produce | €0.95 | +15.9% |
| 3 Sep | Olive oil | Dry Goods Wholesale | €8.80 | – |
| 15 Sep | Olive oil | Dry Goods Wholesale | €9.70 | +10.2% |
Three price rises in three weeks, all easy to miss on paper: beef chuck up 8.0%, olive oil up 10.2% and potatoes up 15.9%. The small dip in potatoes on 8 Sep stays under the 5% line, so it is not worth a second look. And a second butcher sells the same beef chuck for €1.00 a kilo less.
Set an alert line
Decide how big a change deserves your attention. 5% is a good starting point: small enough to catch real creep, big enough to ignore normal day-to-day wobble. Anything above the line gets a second look that week.
Watch the items that matter most
In most kitchens, a small number of ingredients make up most of the spend: proteins, dairy, oil, coffee and a few staples. Make a short watch list of your top 10 by spend and check their latest, lowest and highest price each month, and which supplier is currently cheapest.
What to do when a price rises
- Ask the supplier. A polite question about a rise sometimes reverses it, especially for a regular customer.
- Compare. Check what other suppliers charge per unit for the same quality.
- Recost the dishes that use it. A 10% rise on oil matters more for a fried menu than a salad bar.
- Adjust the recipe or portion where the rise has pushed a dish over your food cost target, or reprice it.
A five-minute monthly routine
- Scan the month's alerts and note which items rose.
- Update those prices in your menu costing.
- Check which dishes moved above target and decide what to change.
Track it without the maths
The Supplier Price Tracker works out the price per unit for every delivery, compares it with your last purchase, and flags it Up, Steady or Down against your alert line. A Price Watch tab shows the latest, lowest and highest price for your key items and the cheapest supplier. It's also part of the Restaurant Starter Kit.
Related
- Read: How to Calculate Food Cost per Plate
- Read: The Weekly Numbers Every Restaurant Manager Should Review
- Also useful: Supplier Order Guide, order days, cut-offs and minimums for every supplier
Every template in Restaurant Notes is in the Complete Restaurant Collection: 25 tools in one download.