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Square for Restaurants: Recipe/Ingredient Management

Square for Restaurants: Recipe/Ingredient Management

How has square inventory worked for you? I’m thinking about using it but I worry how it will work with items that use the same ingredients. Ex. Multiple dishes that use chicken. Would this work well with inventory management. If not what have you used that works? Thanks!

1 Verified Answer
Verified Answer

Re: Feature Request: Bundle items together as a single item, and pull from inventory individually

+1 on this request.

Currently running a retail basic blank apparel store.

I'd like to start selling custom printed T-shirts(both on/offline), while keeping inventory of my blanks.

86 Comments
Beta Member

Yep, there is no way to link multiple items to track inventory. We have a similar issue where we have all of our items three times in the system. First on our POS (standard item), second for our online store (when we first started using Square the POS and Online modifiers were synced), and third for our delivery items (because Square does not allow Surcharging)

 

We may be able to track inventory with Square now by using their hide feature on Online Store Modifiers and using discount instead of surcharges. But we really do not want to discount all of our items because it makes it harder to track legitimate and fraudulent discounts. 

Yes I did not even go into having to manage THREE different platforms.
IPAD and settings in there.
PC & Dashboard to enter and update data and settings.
And Weebly for an online store.
OK- the system works, but it is not what I would expect from a world class software company.

Regarding inventory - here is a simple example.
We sell Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Double Burgers w. 2 patty's and some othres.
We buy hamburgers by the Case - lets say 48 to the case.
We buy 10 cases or 480 burger pattys.
IN square there is no way to ALLOCATE the 480 burger patty's to multiple ITEMS.
IN square there is no way to tell the system that 1 case = 48 patty's
And then get a report that I should have 1.3 cases left if my re-order point is ONE CASE
Then there is lettuce, tomato, onions - that are allocated to multiple items.  
I order 20 pounds of onions, not 100 onions.  
Then there is Ice Cream.
I purchase 5 gallon containers but sell scoops. 

So I do not have any way to even consider how many modifiers I might have.. or suspend or pause a modifier.
I am out of Tomato's or Chili-- but people keep buying items online and adding tomato's and chili to items. 
I can 86 Chili from my Menu's - but then I need to stop the modifiers as some people want chili on a hamburger. 
Simply put orders for restaurants come in bulk - then are allocated to items or dishes - and this is also critical for portioning and cost containment.    So now we are using spreadsheets. 
 
Don't get me wrong - I am using Square and it works and there are good parts of the system.   The support people are nice and I like their music on hold.   Even added Here Comes the Sun - instrumental to my outdoor play list.   I would just like to see some rapid updating on basic functional features.    Software workaround etc are so 1998.  

But common guys and girls -- you are Silicon Valley Elite running some of the biggest and most successful platforms on the planet.   Your companies are profitable and there is no end in sight.   Twitter, Square, CashAp etc.

Get on board with restaurants and you will sell more and keep more customers. 

 

We’ve been using Shopventory for about two months. It took me a while to get it set up but once you learn that it’s not so bad. The setup is similar to square (variations, modifiers, etc.) It could be more user friendly but it’s doing what we need so far. 

Inventory in square for restaurants doesn’t have the option to track items that are made from other items. You’ll have to find a third party app that integrates with square. There are several out there. We’ve been using shopventory for a couple of months and are satisfied so far. Their customer service is very helpful at getting you set up as well. 

You’ll have to use a third party app that integrates with square. We’ve been using shopventory and are satisfied so far. Essentially you input your shipments and tell how much of a case you use for each beverage. Case=192oz. 2oz/192oz=.01 of a full case. Their customer service is very helpful getting you set up and have online chat if you need help. 

+1 for a feature set.    My Salmon Salad, and Salmon Entree both use a piece of salmon.  Having programmed, it's not that hard to reference a variable linked to both items.   Seems like a very easy feature to add.

 

And with the self-serve ordering you guys have rolled out, it's even more necessary a feature.