Add or Edit Inventory Items

 

To Add or Edit Inventory Items:

1.     Click Items  (Main Menu Toolbar).

NOTE: The window, by default, is in NEW mode until an existing Item is selected.

2.     To select an existing Item to edit, see Selecting an Inventory Item. For new Item, click New .

NOTE: As the default is a NEW Item, you can simply click on the Description field.

3.     Enter the details as below.

4.     Move to Case Size Information to complete the Item, see Item Case Size.

 

Field

Details

Search Description

Enter the Name of the item. We recommend using a clear and simple name for staff’s ease of use, as some Suppliers will have a very complex name for Items they sell.

Inventory Group

Select the Group you wish this Item to report in from the drop-down list.  To add a group, see Adding Inventory Groups.

Main Location

This is the Storage Location (or Ordering Location), where you keep MOST of the stock for this Item. 

How it is used?  

This is probably one of the MOST important questions in Optimum Control. There are three possible answers:

     Weight – When adding this Item as an Ingredient, the Recipe units of measure (UOM) will be by weight units.

     Volume – When adding this Item as an Ingredient, the UOM will be by volume units.

     Unit – When adding this Item as an Ingredient, the UOM will default by Each.

Reporting Unit

This is the Unit that you want to have this Item reported by. Whatever Unit you choose, it will populate under Split Unit on the Supplier Case Size area of the window (to the right).

Default Ingredient Unit

The Default Unit Shown to show in recipe ingredients. The Units to choose from will be selected based on Preferences (see System Preferences) and the type of Unit you chose.

Track Inventory

There are some Items you enter that you do not want on the Inventory Count Sheets (e.g. tap water for recipes, small wares, cleaning implements) but you want them entered into Optimum Control so that Managers can order them.  To NOT Track Inventory, UNCHECK this box.

Key Inventory Item

 

This feature helps when tracking Key Items. You may have 500 inventory items but only want to track 75 on a weekly basis.  This feature allows for you to only see the items that you want on the Inventory Count Sheets and in the Inventory window.

CHECK the box if you would like to count this Item every time you enter Inventory counts. There are some Key Items that you will want to count every time and others that you will only want to count occasionally (e.g. garlic powder, stir sticks, etc.). 

Actualize Usage Values

Some Items you just cannot track properly in a recipe (e.g. fryer oil, napkins, straws, etc.). Although these Items may not be used in any recipes, Optimum Control will show a variance because there is actual usage but no ideal.

The Actualize Usage Values function allows you to tell Optimum Control usage reporting that whatever you used for this Item, is what you should have used…no variance. Each Item that is actualized will be marked with an * next to the ideal usage amount.

Actualize Examples:

     Fryer Oil – Every week you change your fryer oil. You have an opening inventory of four pails, you purchase 10 pails and end up with two pails for an actual usage of 12 pails. The usage report will show an actual usage of 12 pails but no or very little ideal usage (depending if it is contained in any recipes) so you would have a variance in your overall food cost of the value of 12 pails of oil.  If you have selected Actualize, the actual usage would be listed as the ideal usage and no variance would be listed. 

     Sugar Packets – In recipes you have included a couple of sugar packets but different people take different amounts. Optimum Control may calculate an ideal usage of 2 cases but you used 3.5 cases. As such, you have a variance of 1.5 cases even though it’s not really short, so if you Actualize Sugar Packets, the actual usage will match the ideal usage.

 

 

For more information on Adding or Editing Inventory Items, watch this short video titled How to Enter Inventory Items  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksjBiHekuPc .