Inventory Night: Weighing In On Inventory Apps & Software
QUESTION FROM: Carl in Tampa FL
“What digital bar inventory system do you recommend? I can’t get a consistent inventory from any of my managers and I’m giving up on teaching people how to count.”
HH ANSWER:
Although I prefer group training (and periodically performing) an old school shelf to sheet method of inventory for managers AND bar staff in tandem; I realize the value of faster, more accurate and robust digital systems. That being said - I would not totally eliminate the old school method of taking inventory by hand which is, to many, a a sacred tradition and carefully honed skill of ascertaining “point 1 though point 9” and then mentoring others in the craft.
Many have called, emailed and texted me asking what I recommend and to be honest, I don’t think there’s any right answer for every operator. Take a look at the few I mention below and see which service you might be most comfortable with.
As I stated in an earlier response - there are always easier ways but there is something that ties a manager and/or lead bartender more intimately to the inventory when they spend time physically examining the inventory and repeating the process until it becomes a mesmerizing repetitive primordial prayer til the last bottle. Inventory, when done in this manner is the Gregorian chant of the bartender monks who, like those who write checks every month to pay each bill, are a little more mindful of what they have to spend/use and what they spent/used. Not only does learning how to complete a physical inventory build a manager’s awareness of the revenue center and the outlet’s demand; it enables them to effectively evaluate digital solutions.
The main concern I have with digital inventory systems is that many rely on a “ product map” or location of previously stored inventory which, IMHO, leads to more bottles being missed than a “shelf to sheet” and “saving empties” system due to the fact that the best bar inventories fluctuate and adapt. But…if you’ve decided to move to a digital bar inventory management tool - BevSpot, Partender, Bevinco, Accubar, Bar Patrol and Bevager all have services that will save you some time and help make the job that you (and/or your staff) currently dread, a bit faster…especially if you’re looking for consistency across multiple outlets.
BevSpot and Bar Patrol (and most other providers) allow you to: count on multiple devices, enter item costs, integrate with many POS systems, cost out mixed drinks, generate PMIXs, check variances, automatically generate email orders (based on pre-established pars) for your vendors and because they use a scale or scanner instead of “eyeballing” or “point system” typically have a margin of error of approx 5% or less (half of the 10% variance that many believe accompanies the “point systems”).
Additionally, most of these are iOS and Android friendly with the exception of Bev Patrol which, last I checked, was only available for iOS. It is, however, about half to 1/3 the cost of the others at around $100/month. Another advantage BevSpot may have over Bar Patrol is their “offline mode” which anyone who has ever taken inventory in a basement liquor room, cage or cellar should be able to tell you, would be an advantage since wireless signals don’t always make it through some walls.
Partender has a lot of the same features as BevSpot and Bar Patrol but doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles like mixed drink costing, requires some manual entry and doesn’t integrate with some of the more popular POS systems out there…but if it does integrate with your POS and it’s a system you like - I wouldn’t let the fact that they don’t allow you to perform functions that your POS likely already does - stop you from going with them. The key difference in my opinion with Partender and other services is that you use a “slider” or image of the bottle with a line you manually slide up or down to indicate where the level or meniscus rests - (don’t often get to use the word meniscus) like some other systems; but Partender is one of those digital inventory software systems that uses an actual snapshot of the bottle so whomever is eyeballing the bottles is likely to call or enter more accurate (and consistent) amounts since they can use the label as a guide.
Bevinco by Structure Hospitality is one of the most popular (and more expensive approx $200-$250/mo depending on the size of your outlet and OH inventory) digital inventory systems in my experience likely due, in no small part, to the fact that this is a third party service that not only comes with a rep to perform the inventory for you (with the help of a handheld scanner that logs each bottle by it’s respective bar code) and frees-up your managers to deal with what you may consider more important moving pieces (namely employees and guests) but also offers improvement / profitability planning. There is a “mobile version” (iOS only I think) where you can use the scanner and scale on your own.
The Barkeep App is another option that, for less than $50, allows you to connect to a bluetooth scale and turn your phone’s camera into a scanner - extra functions and features are available (just as with the others) for additional fees and, in this case, a subscription to the Barkeep online service
WiskAi and Orca are two services that employ artificial intelligence to help you maintain appropriate levels of on hand inventory and make “smart’ ordering suggestions based on order history, useage, weather, events and holidays. My only point is…if your manager can’t do that on their own, you may be able to find someone else who can not only manage the day to day operations, but also think outside the box and understand the intangibles that contribute to your business’ culture, brand equity and increased sales in the long run.
At the end of the day, if you’re just looking to decrease the time (and labor dollars) spend on taking regular or perpetual bar inventory while increasing accuracy; you can really obtain a lot of the benefits these monthly paid services offer for the cost an electric scale, a calculator and the time it takes to create a Declining Inventory sheet or set inventory counts (in pieces/btls or ounces) for each item in your POS
(You’d just have to subtract from beginning inventory and/or multiply the number of ounces of alcohol n a drink by the number of a particular drink sold).
Draft beer inventory (kegs) can be a bit more of a challenge without big scales under each one (a worthwhile investment in my opinion as I believe I was accurate as hell in my prime but lifting a shit ton of barrels is a pain in the ass for anybody) or a window keg. If you’re looking for a little more accuracy without investment, I know of a few bar managers who pull kegs out of the cooler once a month and let the condensation build on the side (to indicate the level of the beer inside) and then multiply the amount of beer in the barrel by the number of beers in a completely filled barrel (e.g. a point 4 would be .40 x 165 if you’re pouring 12 oz beers from a half barrel).
Hope this provides some value and direction to you.
Best of Luck,
Josh
March 4, 2020
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