Receiving & Inventory Count: the full procedure
Check deliveries against the invoice and run a consistent inventory count so food cost is accurate and quality holds.
- Applies to: Receiving staff / kitchen manager.
- Frequency: Receiving: each delivery. Inventory: weekly (key items daily).
- Scope: Covers receiving and inventory counts. Cold-chain/temperature acceptance criteria follow ServSafe / local code.
What you need
- Invoices / purchase orders
- Scale
- Inventory count sheet
The procedure, step by step
- Check the delivery against the invoice — Verify quantity, quality, and price against the order. Weigh/count where needed; inspect produce and frozen goods (cold-chain acceptance per ServSafe / local code).
- Reject and document discrepancies — Reject anything wrong, short, or below standard, and note credits/discrepancies on the invoice before signing.
- Store it promptly — Put product away quickly and correctly, dated and FIFO-rotated (see the Storage & FIFO SOP).
- Count inventory consistently — Run the inventory the same day/time each week, counting the same way each time. A two-person cross-check improves accuracy on high-value items.
- Reconcile and order to usage — Reconcile counts against POS usage (watch for variance beyond ~2–5%), and drive ordering from real usage and par levels rather than habit.
Quality check before you finish
- Delivery checked vs invoice (qty/quality/price).
- Discrepancies rejected and documented before signing.
- Product stored promptly, dated, FIFO.
- Inventory counted same day/time, consistent method.
- Counts reconciled vs POS; ordering driven by usage.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Restaurant business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- OpenTextBC — Basic Inventory Procedures (receiving + count) (opentextbc.ca)
- 7shifts — Restaurant Inventory Management (7shifts.com)
- WebstaurantStore — FIFO / Inspect Deliveries (webstaurantstore.com)
About Free Restaurant Receiving & Inventory SOP
Free printable receiving and inventory SOP: checking deliveries against the invoice, storing correctly, and running a consistent inventory count for accurate food cost.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
How should restaurant deliveries be received?
Check each delivery against the invoice (quantity, quality, and price), reject anything wrong or below standard, note discrepancies, then store it promptly and correctly with FIFO rotation. Receiving is the first line of defense for both food cost and quality.
How often should a restaurant take inventory?
Most run a full inventory weekly (some key items daily), counted the same way each time, so food-cost percentage is accurate and ordering is driven by real usage. A consistent count method is what makes the numbers trustworthy week to week.
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