2026-10-23 · 1 min read
Cafe Inventory Checklist: What to Count Daily, Weekly and Monthly
A ready-to-use cafe inventory checklist covering daily counts, weekly stock, monthly stocktake, coffee, milk, bakery items and packaging.
A cafe has few items but fast turnover, and milk, pastry and coffee run out at the worst moment. This checklist keeps counts short and useful.
Daily (5 to 10 minutes)
- Milk and alternatives: count and note the next delivery
- Fresh bakery and sandwiches: count remaining, record anything thrown away
- Fruit, juice and fresh ingredients
- Coffee: beans in the hopper and in the store, and the dial-in notes for the day
- Takeaway cups and lids, the items you cannot trade without
Weekly
- Dry goods: sugar, syrups, tea, chocolate, flour, toppings
- Cleaning supplies and consumables
- Packaging: bags, napkins, stirrers, boxes
- Check expiry dates and use or discount short-dated items
Monthly
- Full stocktake of every item and storage place
- Compare against recipes: actual use vs expected use for milk, coffee and the top five items
- Review pars and prices with your suppliers
Habits that keep it accurate
- Count the same places in the same order.
- Have one person own receiving and another count.
- Write down waste and staff drinks, so the gap is explained.
- Review the gap monthly and ask why.
Counting from a phone
DineTide lets cafes count from a phone with barcode scanning, record waste in two taps and track coffee roast and dial-in logs. See who it is for or start a free trial.