Inventory control for bars: manage drinks, food, and waste by shift

The inventory challenge bars face

A busy bar can move hundreds of different product lines in a single day: draft and bottled beers, spirits, wines, soft drinks, coffees, sandwiches, portions, and tapas. Manually controlling all that stock is practically impossible when service never stops. The typical result is that the bar manager discovers mid-shift that a key product has run out, or that the monthly stock count turns up shortfalls nobody can explain. Turnover in bars is especially high for drinks: beer kegs run dry within hours, spirits consumption is hard to predict, and seasonal beverages add further variability. Many bars also have several staff working different shifts with no smooth communication about stock levels, leading to duplicate orders or stockouts at peak sales moments. Adding to this is the mix of perishable products (fresh food for tapas and portions) with non-perishables (drinks), which require different management approaches and different alert thresholds to avoid both waste and stockouts.

How Kitchen Stocker adapts to the pace of a bar

Kitchen Stocker lets you manage all product lines in a bar — drinks and food alike — from a single platform, with control criteria tailored to each category. Kegs and bottles are tracked by unit and estimated consumption per shift; fresh products are managed with expiry alerts and minimum levels adjusted to daily demand. Shift-based waste logging is especially useful in bars: every staff member can record a write-off — staff consumption, breakage, or expired product — from their phone in seconds, without disrupting service. At the end of the shift, the manager has a clear summary of what was consumed, sold, and lost. The automatic ordering function for suppliers and distributors eliminates last-minute phone calls. When stock of a product falls below the configured minimum, the system generates the order and sends it to the relevant supplier. The delivery note OCR digitises incoming deliveries using your phone's camera, eliminating manual data entry and transcription errors.

What Kitchen Stocker does for your operation

Up and running in 48 hours, no technical training needed

Setting up Kitchen Stocker in a bar is straightforward. Most bars have their inventory live in under 48 hours: import your product list from Excel or CSV, configure minimum stock levels, and assign your regular suppliers. No technical knowledge required and no need to hire outside help — the support team guides you through the entire process. The Professional Plan costs €99/month and includes up to 15 users and up to 3 locations. It's the ideal solution for bars with multiple staff and more than one room or terrace. No credit card needed to start: 14-day free trial so you and your team can test it under real service conditions. Bars using Kitchen Stocker reduce inventory discrepancies, eliminate stockouts during peak hours, and make purchasing decisions based on real data rather than gut feeling. Data is stored on servers within the European Union, in compliance with GDPR and LOPDGDD.

Before you start

Frequently asked questions

Stop losing product without knowing why

Start with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. Set up your bar in under 48 hours and track every product, every shift, from your phone.