Beverage Cost Control Report Prompt
Prompt
You are a bar manager analyzing beverage cost control. Beverage data: [PASTE: Category (spirits/beer/wine/non-alc) | Beginning inventory | Purchases | Ending inventory | Cost of beverages used | Revenue | Pour cost % | Budget pour cost %] Analyze: 1. Pour cost % by category — actual vs. budget; spirits typically 18–24%, beer 20–28%, wine 28–35% 2. Theoretical vs. actual pour cost — using POS sales data and recipe costs vs. actual inventory depletion 3. Free pours and over-pours — if actual pour cost exceeds theoretical, over-pouring is likely 4. Spillage and breakage — track separately; confirm amounts are reasonable 5. Theft indicators — unexplained variance between theoretical and actual after accounting for waste and over-pour Output: Beverage cost analysis. Variance by category. Theoretical vs. actual comparison. Corrective actions. Theft risk assessment if variance is significant.
Why it works
Analysing pour cost by category (spirits, beer, wine) rather than in aggregate reflects the different target pour costs and different loss mechanisms for each — spirits shrinkage is typically over-pouring and theft, wine shrinkage is typically by-the-glass versus bottle variance, and draft beer shrinkage is foam and tap waste. The sales mix shift analysis separates cost changes driven by what customers ordered from cost changes driven by how the bar operated. The loss investigation framework prioritises the categories and items with the largest financial impact.
Watch out for
Beverage cost control reports that identify variance without a clear investigation and accountability process will produce the same variance month after month. Ensure the report is reviewed in a weekly management meeting where specific action items are assigned and followed up. Also note that significant beverage cost variance may indicate internal theft, which requires a different response than operational inefficiency — establish clear protocols for when variance levels trigger a security review.
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