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    Food Variance Report
    • 31 Jul 2024
    • 3 Minutes to read
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    Contents

    Food Variance Report

    • Updated on 31 Jul 2024
    • 3 Minutes to read
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    Article summary

    Similar to the Actual vs Theoretical Analysis, the Food Variance Report shows actual vs theoretical numbers in terms of both quantities and dollars.

    In addition to the actual vs. theoretical variance, the Food Variance Report also features additional columns that display the following information:

    • Variance Cap 

    • Variance After Cap

    • Variance Cap %

    • Actual After Cap

    • Final Variance %

    These additional columns help organizations determine whether their restaurants may be under-portioning or growing food. This report provides a deeper dive into the quantity, cost, and use of each menu item to find solutions to limit the biggest food cost variances.

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    Report Prerequisites

    The Food Variance Report will only list items that are part of an item category that have a variance cap type applied.

    To do this, open the item category, then set the Variance Cap Type field to Item Category or Item. 

    • Selecting Item Category will apply the adjustment at the item level as the sum of all variances. 

    • Selecting Item will apply the adjustment at individual item usage instead.

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    Setting a Variance Cap Type will open the Variance Cap Adjustment field, where users should indicate an acceptable variance for the items in this category. This value is how much the item is allowed to grow.

    The report will apply this adjustment to the item usage in order to calculate food variance.

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    Items featured in the report will respect the Variance Cap Adjustment of their lowest item category.

    Navigation

    To access the Food Variance report, first navigate to My Reports by clicking My Reports from under Reports in the left navigation menu. Use the search bar to search for Food Variance or click the Purch. & Inv. tab and locate Food Variance on the list.

    Click Run next to Prep Sheet to run the default view or Customize to run a customized view of the report.

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    Report Parameters

    Field

    Description

    1

    Location

    Select the location that the report is going to be run for. Only one location can be selected.

    The location selected will determine the inventory counts available in the Start Count and End Count fields.  

    2

    Filter to Top/Bottom 15

    This toggle allows users to select whether or not to sort the items by Top/Bottom 15.  When No is selected, all the items will be listed together.

    When Yes is selected, the items are separated into Top 15 and Bottom 15 items.

    3

    Start Count

    Select an inventory count that will serve as the starting parameter for the report. 

    4

    End Count

    Select an inventory count that will serve as a closing parameter for the report. 

    5

    Item Category 1

    Select to filter to an item category 1. 

    6

    Item Category 2

    Select to filter to an item category 2. 

    7

    Item Category 3

    Select to filter to an item category 3. 

    8

    Include Additional Details

    This toggle allows users to select whether to include additional details on the report. When Yes is selected, the report will include the following extra columns:

    • Var Cap %

    • Actl Aft Cap

    9

    Items to Display

    Allows users to include all items from various transaction types in the variance calculations for a specified date range. This ensures that the variances shown in the report accurately reflect the store's activity and performance during that time. Options include:

    • All Items

    • Counted Only

    • All With Transactions

    10

    View options

    This section provides options to select, save, edit, or delete a report view.

    11

    Run

    Generates the report. Click the down arrow to the right of the Run button to export, email, or print the report.

    Report Columns

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    Column 

    Description

    Items

    The list of items broken down by item category.

    When the Filter to Top/Bottom 15 toggle is set to Yes, items will also be sorted into the Top and Bottom 15.

    Cost per UofM

    The cost of the item per Unit of Measure.

    Quantity Usage

    Theo

    The theoretical quantity of the item used. 

    Actl

    The actual quantity of the item used. 

    Var 

    The difference between the theoretical amount and the actual amount of the item used. 

    Dollar Usage (QTY x Item Cost)

    Theo 

    The theoretical cost of the item used. 

    Actl 

    The actual cost of the item used.

    Var

    The difference between the theoretical cost and the actual cost of the item used. 

    Cap

    The indicated Variance Cap allowed for the item. 

    Var Aft Cap

    The food variance after the Variance Cap Adjustment has been applied. Values in red indicate the loss of product. 

    Var Cap %

    The percentage of food growth.

    This column only appears when Include Additional Details in set to YES is the report parameters.

    % of Sales

    Theo

    The percentage of theoretical sales. 

    Actl

    The percentage of actual sales. 

    Actl Aft Cap (% of Sales) 

    The percentage of actual sales after the Variance Cap Adjustment has been applied.

    This column only appears when Include Additional Details in set to YES is the report parameters.

    Final Var %

    The difference between the theoretical and actual percent of sales. 

    Email, Export, or Print the Report

    This report can be emailed, exported, or printed in custom formatting directly from the reporting window. 

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