Managing COGS Within Your Four Walls:Discipline That Protects Your Margin
- Micah Moore
- Feb 4
- 3 min read
In today’s restaurant environment, margins are won or lost long before the guest ever takes a
bite. Food costs don’t simply “happen” to an operation—they are managed, protected, and
controlled through daily habits that either reinforce discipline or quietly erode profitability.
The truth is simple: COGS control is an inside job. And it comes down to five operational
fundamentals that every successful restaurant executes with consistency.
1. Order It Well
Great COGS start with great ordering.
That means:
Ordering to par, not to fear
Using accurate sales forecasts, not gut instinct
Leveraging vendor data and approved product specs
Avoiding “just in case” inventory that becomes tomorrow’s waste
Managing days on hand to optimize inventory levels
When ordering is tight, everything downstream becomes easier.
When it’s sloppy, everything downstream becomes expensive.
2. Receive It Well
The back door is one of the most overlooked profit centers in the building. Strong operators treat
receiving like a nonnegotiable checkpoint:
Count it in
Weigh it in
Check temperatures
Verify quality
Match invoices to POs
Reject anything that doesn’t meet spec
If it’s wrong at the door, it will be wrong on the plate—and wrong on your P&L.
3. Store It Well
Inventory is cash. How you store it determines whether that cash grows or disappears.
First In, First Out (FIFO) every time
Clear labeling and dating
Proper shelving, spacing, and temperature control
Logical organization that supports speed and accuracy
Daily line checks and weekly deep dives
A well organized walk in is a sign of a well organized business.
4. Make It to Recipe
Recipes are not suggestions—they are systems. They protect consistency, guest experience, and
cost.
Follow the recipe, not the memory
Use portioning tools, scales, and measuring devices
Train and retrain until execution is muscle memory
Audit prep and line builds regularly
Reinforce that “extra” is not generosity—it’s shrink
When every ounce matters, discipline becomes a competitive advantage.
5. Don’t Let It Die
Waste is the silent killer of profitability. It rarely shows up loudly, but it always shows up
eventually.
Track waste daily
Identify patterns and root causes
Use production sheets to match prep to demand
Repurpose safely and creatively when appropriate
Celebrate teams that protect product and call out issues early
Food that dies in the walk in is food that never had a chance to earn revenue.
The Bottom Line
Managing COGS isn’t about heroic fixes or end-of-month surprises. It’s about daily operational
discipline—the kind that happens inside your four walls, shift after shift, without exception.
Order it well. Receive it well. Store it well. Make it to recipe. Don’t let it die.
Do these five things consistently, and your margins will thank you.
Why SSCP Has the Experience to Help
At Strategic Supply Chain Partners (SSCP), we understand that managing COGS requires more
than quick fixes—it demands consistent, disciplined execution every day. With decades of
combined experience in restaurant procurement, vendor management, and operational strategy,
SSCP partners with operators to embed these five fundamentals into their daily workflows.
Our team has led successful onboarding, vendor consolidation, and cost optimization initiatives
across multi-unit restaurant groups, ensuring that ordering, receiving, storing, recipe adherence,
and waste management are not just concepts but practiced disciplines.
We bring a strategic, data-driven approach that integrates vendor insights, operational audits, and
continuous training to help your team execute with precision and protect your margins shift after
shift.
When you work with SSCP, you gain a trusted advisor who knows the restaurant industry inside
and out and delivers repeatable, measurable results that improve your bottom line.
Micah Moore
SVP Business Development | Partner
c. 225-772-9730
Website: https://ssc.partners/
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