[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":467},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-\u002Fblog\u002F3-ways-to-boost-your-prep-efficiency":3,"blog-neighbours-\u002Fblog\u002F3-ways-to-boost-your-prep-efficiency":458},{"id":4,"title":5,"alt":6,"author":7,"body":9,"categories":443,"createdAt":445,"description":446,"extension":447,"image":448,"meta":449,"navigation":450,"path":451,"seo":452,"stem":453,"tags":454,"updatedAt":456,"__hash__":457},"blog\u002Fblog\u002F3-ways-to-boost-your-prep-efficiency.md","3 Ways to Boost Your Prep Efficiency","Skilled chef preparing well costed reciped",{"name":8},"Jason",{"type":10,"value":11,"toc":431},"minimark",[12,21,31,44,51,61,67,74,85,88,93,99,102,105,122,129,132,136,139,146,149,155,160,163,167,170,177,184,189,200,204,215,218,229,232,243,246,250,253,265,271,286,397,400,402],[13,14,15,16,20],"p",{},"What makes a prep system ",[17,18,19],"em",{},"great","? From a high-level perspective, it simply means that you:",[22,23,24,28],"ul",{},[25,26,27],"li",{},"Don’t run out of prepared product,",[25,29,30],{},"Don’t waste excess \u002F improperly prepared product",[13,32,33,34,37,38],{},"Sounds pretty easy, right? Except, I imagine that no one reading this has ever gone a full calendar year without ",[17,35,36],{},"86’ing"," a dish because of one of these things. ",[39,40,41],"strong",{},[17,42,43],{},"Why is that?",[13,45,46,47,50],{},"Excluding supplier\u002Fvendor issues, this is typically because of our ",[39,48,49],{},"inability to triage effectively",".",[13,52,53,60],{},[54,55,59],"a",{"href":56,"rel":57},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.merriam-webster.com\u002Fdictionary\u002Ftriage",[58],"nofollow","Merriam-Webster defines triage as",":",[62,63,64],"blockquote",{},[13,65,66],{},"“The assigning of priority order to projects on thebasis of where funds and other resources can be bestused, are most needed, or are most likely to achievesuccess”.",[13,68,69,70,73],{},"Your internal food preparation methods are a perfect example of an ",[17,71,72],{},"around-the-clock"," triage system. Each day (or night) you are relying on your team to correctly identify:",[22,75,76,79,82],{},[25,77,78],{},"Items most in need of prep",[25,80,81],{},"The priority order of prep tasks",[25,83,84],{},"The product PARs",[13,86,87],{},"Let’s expand on those 3 categories a bit:",[89,90,92],"h2",{"id":91},"identify-the-items-most-in-need-of-prep","Identify the Items Most in Need of Prep",[13,94,95,96],{},"In order to effectively establish which items are needed the most, ",[39,97,98],{},"you need to have a clear understanding of the current quantity on hand of any given product.",[13,100,101],{},"I can’t count the number of kitchens I’ve been in where “writing the prep list” meant walking around with a piece of paper (pilfered from the office if you’re lucky -- ticket paper if you’re not) on a food vendor clipboard. You poke your head into the coolers and freezers to see what looks low or missing, jot it down, and then transfer it to a whiteboard hastily screwed into a wall somewhere.",[13,103,104],{},"Your prep list then looks something like the following:",[22,106,107,110,113,116,119],{},[25,108,109],{},"Sl. Tomatoes x 4",[25,111,112],{},"Crispy onions x 2",[25,114,115],{},"Slice and portion chicken",[25,117,118],{},"Boil potatoes for hash browns",[25,120,121],{},"Roast beef",[13,123,124,125,128],{},"While there are a few issues with this approach, the most glaring is the lack of information about the current ",[17,126,127],{},"quantity on hand"," for any given product. Without that information, it’s impossible to triage the prep list effectively. What’s more pressing, slicing the beef or pressing the burgers?",[13,130,131],{},"If we knew how many of each we had (say, 20 portions of chicken and 2 orders of hash browns) we would instantly know that the hash browns were a much higher priority item and should be moved up the triage list.",[89,133,135],{"id":134},"prioritise-the-order-of-prep-tasks","Prioritise the Order of Prep Tasks",[13,137,138],{},"Another efficiency killer in commercial Prep Systems is the inability to start items in a time-appropriate manner. Looking at the prep list above, an experienced operator would see the two portions of hash browns and know it needed to get started right away; however, not everyone follows your train of thought.",[13,140,141],{},[142,143],"img",{"alt":144,"src":145},"Chef Running Well Organised Prep Kitchen","\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fdc-blog-post-3-2.jpg",[13,147,148],{},"As an operator, you need to be aware of your own personal “like-me” bias. An inexperienced cook will probably start with the jobs they can do the fastest (I’m looking at YOU, veg preppers). It’s the primal yearning for instant gratification - slicing those tomatoes and mushrooms will take no time at all, so it’s two things you get to cross off the whiteboard. Don’t even get me started on “chopped parsley”.",[13,150,151,152],{},"So, how do you combat that? ",[39,153,154],{},"By assigning the specific order in which you wish to see the priority items completed.",[62,156,157],{},[13,158,159],{},"E.g.: On your prep board, place the #1 beside the item you wish to see started first (in this case, putting the hash browns in a pot on the stove), a #2 beside the next item (let’s get that roast loaded in the oven), etc.",[13,161,162],{},"Assigning tasks a number, 1 through 5, then repeating that process every time it’s cleared is a sure-fire way to ensure a united front from all team members conducting prep that day.",[89,164,166],{"id":165},"correctly-identify-product-pars","Correctly Identify Product PARs",[13,168,169],{},"The ability to react to seasonal changes in volume is critical to your restaurants ability to effectively manage waste and product shortages.",[13,171,172,173,176],{},"Your ",[17,174,175],{},"Point of Sale System"," is a powerful tool, and has a goldmine of data available to you should you wish to seek it! Most platforms have the ability to generate a “Sales Mix Analysis” - a detailed count of each menu item that you’ve sold in a given period.",[13,178,179,180,183],{},"These should be reviewed once a month against your current ",[39,181,182],{},"Periodic Automatic Replacement (PAR)"," levels. For example, let’s imagine the following sales mix analysis, month-over-month:",[185,186,188],"h3",{"id":187},"january-menu-items-sold","January - Menu Items Sold",[22,190,191,194,197],{},[25,192,193],{},"Beef Burgers x 120 each",[25,195,196],{},"Chicken Sandwiches x 80 each",[25,198,199],{},"Beef Dip x 100 each",[185,201,203],{"id":202},"february-menu-items-sold","February - Menu Items Sold",[22,205,206,209,212],{},[25,207,208],{},"Beef Burgers x 110 each",[25,210,211],{},"Chicken Sandwiches x 100 each",[25,213,214],{},"Beef Dip x 45 each",[13,216,217],{},"If we find the average monthly sales for each item (add them together and divide by the number of months), we end up with the following averages:",[22,219,220,223,226],{},[25,221,222],{},"Beef Burgers x 115 each",[25,224,225],{},"Chicken Sandwiches x 90 each",[25,227,228],{},"Beef Dip x 72 each",[13,230,231],{},"At an average of 4.34 weeks per month, this can be further broken down to:",[22,233,234,237,240],{},[25,235,236],{},"Beef Burgers x 26 each per week",[25,238,239],{},"Chicken Sandwiches x 20 each per week",[25,241,242],{},"Beef Dip x 16 each per week",[13,244,245],{},"Knowing how much of your key menu items you are selling on a weekly basis is crucial to setting realistic PAR levels.",[89,247,249],{"id":248},"putting-it-all-together","Putting it All Together",[13,251,252],{},"In order to have an effective Prep System, we need to know:",[254,255,256,259,262],"ol",{},[25,257,258],{},"How much of the product is currently on hand,",[25,260,261],{},"What our par level is supposed to be and",[25,263,264],{},"In what order the prep needs to be accomplished.",[13,266,267,268],{},"Having a clearly defined system of reviewing the PARs monthly and adjusting as necessary is just as important. ",[39,269,270],{},"The system is only as good as the data it’s being fed.",[13,272,273,274,285],{},"Finally, to illustrate all of this, here’s an example of what a prep board and\u002For count sheet that accomplishes these goals looks like, (plus how to spot and avoid a potential tragedy!",[275,276,277],"sup",{},[54,278,284],{"href":279,"ariaDescribedBy":280,"dataFootnoteRef":282,"id":283},"#user-content-fn-1",[281],"footnote-label","","user-content-fnref-1","1","):",[287,288,289,294],"center",{},[290,291,293],"style",{"type":292},"text\u002Fcss","\n.tg  {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;}\n.tg td{border-style:solid;border-width:1px;\n  overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;}\n.tg th{border-style:solid;border-width:1px;\n  font-weight:bold;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 15px;word-break:normal;}\n.tg .tg-0pky{border-color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:top}\n",[295,296,299,329],"table",{"className":297},[298],"tg",[300,301,302,303],"thead",{},"\n  ",[304,305,306,307,306,313,306,317,306,321,306,325,302],"tr",{},"\n    ",[308,309,312],"th",{"className":310},[311],"tg-0pky","Product",[308,314,316],{"className":315},[311],"Quantity on Hand",[308,318,320],{"className":319},[311],"PAR UoM",[308,322,324],{"className":323},[311],"UOM",[308,326,328],{"className":327},[311],"Prep Amount",[330,331,302,332,302,355,302,376],"tbody",{},[304,333,306,334,306,339,306,343,306,347,306,351,302],{},[335,336,338],"td",{"className":337},[311],"Beef Burgers",[335,340,342],{"className":341},[311],"18",[335,344,346],{"className":345},[311],"26",[335,348,350],{"className":349},[311],"EA",[335,352,354],{"className":353},[311],"8",[304,356,306,357,306,361,306,365,306,369,306,372,302],{},[335,358,360],{"className":359},[311],"Roasted Chicken",[335,362,364],{"className":363},[311],"20",[335,366,368],{"className":367},[311],"10",[335,370,350],{"className":371},[311],[335,373,375],{"className":374},[311],"0",[304,377,306,378,306,382,306,386,306,390,306,393,302],{},[335,379,381],{"className":380},[311],"Hash Browns",[335,383,385],{"className":384},[311],"2",[335,387,389],{"className":388},[311],"40",[335,391,350],{"className":392},[311],[335,394,396],{"className":395},[311],"38",[398,399],"br",{},[398,401],{},[403,404,407,412],"section",{"className":405,"dataFootnotes":282},[406],"footnotes",[89,408,411],{"className":409,"id":281},[410],"sr-only","Footnotes",[254,413,414],{},[25,415,417,423,424],{"id":416},"user-content-fn-1",[418,419,422],"span",{"className":420},[421],"text-sm","The keen observer would note that our Roasted Chicken quantity on hand is double our par level required. Knowing the short shelf-life of poultry, this is an item that could be repurposed into a special or feature for the day, tossed in a soup, etc. Crisis averted!"," ",[54,425,430],{"href":426,"ariaLabel":427,"className":428,"dataFootnoteBackref":282},"#user-content-fnref-1","Back to reference 1",[429],"data-footnote-backref","↩",{"title":282,"searchDepth":432,"depth":432,"links":433},2,[434,435,436,441,442],{"id":91,"depth":432,"text":92},{"id":134,"depth":432,"text":135},{"id":165,"depth":432,"text":166,"children":437},[438,440],{"id":187,"depth":439,"text":188},3,{"id":202,"depth":439,"text":203},{"id":248,"depth":432,"text":249},{"id":281,"depth":432,"text":411},[444],"articles","2021-01-24","Optimize your prep system and make the most of your kitchen's products.","md","\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fdc-blog-post-3-1.jpg",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002F3-ways-to-boost-your-prep-efficiency",{"title":5,"description":446},"blog\u002F3-ways-to-boost-your-prep-efficiency",[455],"tips",null,"tSuj_cFzyxe6RUcd6xYbVBcn08x0z4EEowtUTILDP-I",[459,463],{"title":460,"path":461,"stem":462,"children":-1},"3 Great Tips for Menu Building Success","\u002Fblog\u002F3-great-tips-for-menu-building-success","blog\u002F3-great-tips-for-menu-building-success",{"title":464,"path":465,"stem":466,"children":-1},"Understanding Your Food Cost","\u002Fblog\u002Funderstanding-your-food-cost","blog\u002Funderstanding-your-food-cost",1793506158919]