Par level

A par level turns reordering from guesswork into a rule. For each item you set the amount that should always be on the shelf: enough to cover normal usage until the next delivery arrives, plus a small cushion for a busy night. Count down to par, and that's your signal to order back up to it — no more staring at the walk-in wondering if three bottles of a London Dry Gin will last the weekend.

Setting it well is a small calculation, not a habit. If you pour six bottles of that gin in a typical week and delivery takes three days, roughly three bottles cover the lead time, so a par around four or five leaves a safe margin. Fast movers get higher pars; slow, perishable, or cash-heavy items get lean ones.

The mistake is treating par levels as set-and-forget. Sales velocity shifts with the season, the menu, and the day of the week; a par that fit January starves a July terrace or ties up cash in stock that spoils. Revisit them as demand moves, and counts, orders, and mise en place all get faster.