Sheet to Shelf Organization
Published By
Mike Sorrentino
Published On
February 2024
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Successful managers set up their count sheets using the sheet-to-shelf method. First organize all your racks and storage locations. The shelves should be organized from left to right and top to bottom. Then match the layout to your inventory and order sheets in the same order. You also have to match your order and inventory layout to the computer application used for ordering and inventory. Not only will this save you time but it will make your orders and inventory more accurate. Using the shelf-to-sheet method will allow you to look at what’s on the shelf and match it to what’s on your inventory sheet. Systematically facilitate counting quickly and accurately.
Start your inventory counts by making sure the freezer, the walk-in, the dry storage, etc. are arranged properly. Items on the shelf should be faced forward with labels facing out and open cases should be removed from the box. Removing box tops to make counting bagged products easier to count. This ensures a full case is counted as a full case, with no items missed. This can be accomplished by a closing duty done every night but its especially important to be done correctly the night before count or order.
For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned. -Benjamin Franklin
The way I used to set up my sheets was first to input all the items I was ordering on an excel sheet. I would reserve the far left column for a location number. Depending on how many items are in each location you can follow the same systems. The first pass is started with just locations. For example all the Freezer items would be 100, then all the dry storage items would be 200 and so on until you get through all your storage locations. Then I would sort the list by using the sort feature in excel; this will put all the location items together. Next I would refine my list by storage area. I would start with the leftmost rack in the first storage area and then start on the top shelf on that rack and with the leftmost item. That item would be 101, the next item would be 102 and so on. When you are done with all the items on that rack you move onto the next rack. Then you sort the sheet again. Now all the items should be in sheet to shelf order.
Good order is the foundation of all things. -Edmund Burke
Sloppy inventory/ordering sheets will increase the chances of having write-ins on your order sheets. Write-ins reflect the items on the shelves that aren’t on your inventory taking sheet. They could also be the items that have dropped off the inventory sheet for one reason or another. A lot of the time, they’re the newly purchased items that haven’t been added to your inventory taking sheets.
Make your restaurant's product counts easier, more efficient, and more accurate, by using the shelf-to-sheet method. It will streamline the process, eliminate the guesswork, and make sure it is consistent and accurate every single time. Just maybe you won't waste time chasing down products that you forgot to order.