When a fast-food owner thinks about losses, they usually picture an employee stealing from the till. It happens, but rarely. The losses that really matter are different: small, repeated, and almost invisible in your sales reports.
Where the Money Goes
- Extra items given out: a drink, a portion of fries, a sauce that never shows up on the receipt.
- Cancellations after payment: the customer leaves with their order, but the receipt is voided.
- Discounts and 'on the house' items repeatedly given to the same group of friends.
- Packing mistakes that turn into complaints and remade orders.
Why You Don’t See Them in Reports
Your sales report tells you what was rung up at the register. It doesn’t tell you what actually left the kitchen. The gap between the two is exactly where money is lost—and you’ll never spot it unless you compare what’s served with what’s on the receipt.
How Much It Can Add Up To
Here’s a sample calculation: a restaurant with 300 orders per day and an average ticket of 9 €, with just a 2% discrepancy, loses about 1,620 € per month. This is just an estimate; the real percentage varies from place to place and can only be measured from your own data.
What You Can Do
The first step is to find the real number. A demo using your own recordings shows you exactly where the discrepancies happen, at what time, and on which shift. Only then can you decide what to change.
See also: Fast Food · Cafés · Loss Calculator
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