Five inventory habits that keep your cafe from running out of milk

Running out of milk on a busy morning costs more than the price of a carton. You lose sales, and regulars learn not to count on you. These five habits make stock problems rare.

1. Set a minimum level for every ingredient

For each item, decide the amount that means “reorder now”. Base it on how long your supplier takes to deliver and how much you use per day.

2. Count on a fixed day

Pick one day a week and count everything, even if it takes twenty minutes. Counting only when something feels low means you find out too late.

3. Link recipes to stock

If every menu item has a recipe, each sale can reduce stock automatically. Then your numbers stay close to reality between counts.

4. Use the oldest stock first

Put new deliveries behind older ones. It sounds obvious, but it is the easiest way to cut waste on dairy and baked goods.

5. Track waste separately

Write down what you throw away and why. After a month you will see patterns, for example a pastry that is always over-ordered.

Tip: start with just your five most expensive ingredients. A small routine you keep is better than a perfect one you drop.

Putting it together

Habit	How often
Check minimum levels	Daily
Full count	Weekly
Review waste	Monthly

Small, steady routines beat occasional big clean-ups.