Reviewing kitchen orders before the money is spent

In most kitchens, ordering begins in the sections. A cook on the cold larder notices the crème fraîche is low; the sauce section needs shallots; the pass wants more micro herbs. Each request is reasonable on its own. The cost risk appears when those requests reach the supplier without anyone seeing them together.

Where duplication comes from

Two sections often use the same ingredient. When each writes it on its own list, the kitchen can order the same item twice, or order more than it can use before it spoils. UK sector research consistently finds that a significant share of food purchased by hospitality businesses is wasted, and that much of that waste is avoidable.

A single review point

A practical control is to place one review step between the section request and the order. The head chef or manager sees every request at once, alongside the latest stock count, and decides what moves forward. Nothing about the cooks' routine changes; they continue to record what they need.

Keeping the decision visible

Once a request is marked ordered or not ordered, the section should be able to see it. This removes the follow-up messages and repeated requests that otherwise create the next round of duplication.