Inventory Management for Multi-Branch Restaurants
Control stock, food cost and purchasing across every branch, store room and central kitchen
Multi-branch and multi-location stock
Items with purchase and count packaging
Supplier catalogue and price history
What is the Inventory Management for Multi-Branch Restaurants?
Zinen Technologies' Inventory Management for Multi-Branch Restaurants is a back-of-house inventory and food-cost system for restaurants, hotels, bars, cafes, cloud kitchens and central production kitchens. It shows what you bought, what you used and what you wasted at every outlet, so you can see where margin is leaking instead of guessing at month-end.
Each branch has its own storage locations (dry store, chiller, freezer, bar, kitchen, central kitchen) with par levels. Orders go to suppliers from suggested quantities, goods are received against the purchase order with price and quantity checks, and stock counts are compared with what recipes and sales say should have been used. Recipes are costed live from current prices, so food cost percentage and gross profit update when a supplier changes a price, and a menu engineering view shows which dishes earn their place.
Everything included in the Inventory Management for Multi-Branch Restaurants
The results businesses see
- See food cost percentage and gross profit by dish and by outlet instead of one blended number.
- Catch price increases the day a supplier changes them, not when the invoice is paid.
- Compare theoretical and actual usage to find waste and shrinkage branch by branch.
- Three-way matching of order, receipt and invoice reduces overpayment and disputes.
- Central kitchen transfers and production are costed and tracked, with discrepancies recorded on receipt.
- Par levels and suggested orders cut both stock-outs and over-ordering.
- Menu engineering shows which dishes to promote and which to drop.
- Works with Odoo POS or any POS via API or CSV, so you do not have to replace your till.
Built and supported from Nairobi
Zinen Technologies is based at Bazaar Plaza, Moi Avenue, Nairobi. Every Inventory Management for Multi-Branch Restaurants deployment is configured, tested and supported by a local team who understands how businesses in Kenya operate — including M-Pesa payments and local compliance requirements.
Speak to our Nairobi teamInventory Management for Multi-Branch Restaurants — frequently asked questions
Is this suitable for a restaurant group with several branches? +
Yes. It is built for multi-branch groups, with separate storage locations and par levels per outlet, transfers between outlets and a central kitchen, and reporting you can view per branch or combined.
Does it work for hotels and bars as well? +
Yes. It supports hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, cloud kitchens and central production kitchens, including bar and store-room locations.
How does it calculate food cost? +
Recipes are costed from the current weighted average cost of each ingredient, so food cost percentage and gross profit update when purchase prices change, with alerts when a dish goes above your target.
Can it connect to my existing POS? +
It deducts stock automatically from Odoo POS, and can take sales from any other POS through a REST API or a CSV import.
What is theoretical versus actual usage? +
Theoretical usage is what your recipes and sales say you should have used. Actual usage is opening stock plus purchases minus closing stock from counts. The difference is variance, and it points to waste, over-portioning or loss.
Can we count stock on a phone or tablet during a busy shift? +
Counts can be blind, in packs plus loose units, and by full, spot or category, and are approved before they adjust stock. Ask us about the best setup for your outlets.
How do supplier orders work? +
Suggested orders come from par levels, go through approval thresholds you set, and are sent by email or WhatsApp with a link the supplier can use to view and confirm.
Does it track expiry and allergens? +
Yes. Items carry shelf life and allergens, goods received can record expiry dates, and recipes roll allergens up to the menu item.
Can it handle a central kitchen supplying several outlets? +
Yes. Prep batches are produced at true cost and transferred to outlets, with request, approval, dispatch and receipt steps and discrepancy tracking.
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