Handle Multiple Locations: Automate Your Restaurant Inventory

Managing inventory across multiple restaurants, pubs, or hotels is a tough task that often leads to errors and profit loss. Manual methods struggle to keep up, causing stock mismatches, waste, and reduced margins, especially when scaled across several sites. Manual inventory tracking frequently results in inaccuracies, spoilage, and financial setbacks.

This article explores how automation can streamline your operations, centralise data, and boost profitability across all locations. If you’re looking to simplify kitchen management, book a chat with Jelly to see how it works.

Why Manual Inventory Fails Multi-Location Businesses

Using manual processes or spreadsheets for inventory across multiple sites creates significant challenges. What seems workable for one location becomes a tangle of issues as your business grows. Below are the main problems that hurt efficiency and profits.

Losing Control and Consistency Across Sites

Without a unified system, maintaining consistent standards across locations is nearly impossible. Each site might use different methods for ordering and tracking, leading to uneven operations. Ensuring the right stock levels at each location becomes complex as your network expands.

For instance, one site may pay higher prices for ingredients while another negotiates better deals with the same supplier. This inconsistency can confuse customers and weaken your brand. It also complicates group-wide strategies, like securing better supplier terms, since consolidated data isn’t readily available.

Hidden Costs That Drain Profitability

Manual inventory tracking hides costs that quietly reduce profits across multiple sites. Spoilage and waste add up when usage patterns aren’t visible. One location might manage stock well, while another loses money on expired goods. Supplier price differences also hurt, with some sites paying more for the same items due to a lack of oversight. Overstocking ties up cash, while understocking leads to missed sales and unhappy customers. These issues multiply across locations, creating a significant financial burden.

Time Waste and Lack of Real-Time Data

Managing inventory manually takes up valuable time for managers and chefs. Hours spent on data entry and reconciling numbers could be used for customer service or planning. Errors in manual inputs can skew purchasing decisions, and without real-time updates, you’re always working with outdated information. This delay stops you from reacting quickly to price changes or shifting demands, leaving your business at a disadvantage.

Logistics and Growth Challenges

Coordinating stock across sites adds logistical headaches, especially for transfers between locations. Poorly managed distribution and timing increase costs and affect customer satisfaction. Manual systems can’t handle growth effectively, becoming chaotic as you add more sites. A scalable system with detailed user controls is essential for expanding operations. Without it, expansion risks damaging your brand and operations.

How Automation Solves Multi-Location Inventory Issues

Automation offers a clear solution to the chaos of managing inventory across multiple sites. It centralises control, cuts errors, and scales with your business. Here’s how it helps.

Centralised Oversight and Instant Data Access

Automated systems provide a single view of inventory across all locations, removing data silos. Real-time data helps monitor stock and predict demand to avoid shortages or overstocking. You can make quick decisions based on current information, like adjusting to price changes or reallocating stock between sites, ensuring smoother operations.

Cost Reduction and Better Margins

Automation cuts costs by streamlining processes and improving supplier negotiations. Centralised purchasing data boosts negotiating power and ensures consistent quality. Real-time costing lets you adjust menu prices instantly to protect profits. It also reduces waste by tracking usage trends, allowing targeted fixes across locations.

Efficiency and Uniform Standards

Automated tools save time by handling repetitive tasks, freeing staff to focus on customer experience. Scaling inventory practices requires automation for reliable stock data at every site. Standard processes ensure recipes and quality remain consistent across all locations, simplifying training and management. Ready to streamline your operations? Book a chat with Jelly to learn more.

Easy Integration and Growth Support

Modern systems connect with POS, accounting, and supplier tools for a cohesive setup. Integration ensures consistent data flow across your business. As you grow, automation adapts without adding extra administrative workload, making expansion manageable.

Jelly: Your Solution for Multi-Location Inventory Control

Jelly simplifies inventory management for restaurants, pubs, and hotels with multiple sites. Built for growth, it tackles key challenges with a straightforward, automated approach that scales as you expand.

Top Features for Managing Multiple Sites with Jelly

1. Unified Stock Overview: See stock levels, usage, and value across all sites on one real-time dashboard, eliminating the need for multiple reports.
2. Automated Invoice Processing: Digitise every supplier invoice across locations, cutting manual entry and ensuring accurate costing data group-wide.
3. Live Dish Costing: Track profitability for every menu item at every site using current prices, standardising margins with quick updates.
4. Supplier Price Monitoring: Spot price changes across all locations instantly, equipping you for better negotiations and margin protection.
5. Financial System Integration: Sync with Xero and POS systems to streamline reporting and reduce bookkeeping time by up to 90%.

Curious about automating your kitchen management? Book a chat with Jelly to explore these features.

Real Benefits of Automating Inventory with Jelly

Jelly goes beyond basic efficiency, delivering lasting changes to how multi-location businesses operate and grow. Here’s what you can expect.

Total Visibility and Control Across Locations

Jelly consolidates inventory data, even for complex transfers between sites. Advanced systems optimise stock allocation and cost control across networks. You gain immediate insight into stock levels and usage, spotting issues early and making informed decisions with full data.

“I was drowning in paperwork and data entry. Jelly automated everything, letting me focus on what I love,” says Claudio from Illuminati Group Executive. This reflects how Jelly frees up time for multi-site operators.

Significant Savings and Margin Protection

With real-time data and price alerts, Jelly helps cut costs and safeguard profits across all sites. Better supplier deals, less waste, and precise costing add up to measurable savings. “Our accountant doubted we’d hit 60% gross profit. With Jelly, we reached 80%. I sleep better knowing my costs are managed,” shares Ruth Seggie, Owner of The Howard Arms. This shows the financial impact of automation.

Efficiency, Consistency, and Scalability

Automation frees up staff time for quality and growth, not admin work. Systematic inventory organisation and forecasting match supply to demand. Jelly ensures uniform processes, strengthening your brand while simplifying operations. “Jelly is so easy to use. I can’t imagine running without it,” notes Holly, Operations Director at Social Pantry.

Data-Driven Decisions for Strategic Growth

Jelly equips you with detailed data for menu planning, supplier choices, and overall profitability across sites. Decisions move from guesswork to facts, supporting informed growth. For example, Amber Restaurant in East London saved £3,000-£4,000 monthly using Jelly, proving automation’s impact. “Jelly keeps my business alive,” says Chef-Owner Murat Kilic.

Common Questions About Jelly for Multi-Location Inventory

How does Jelly manage stock transfers between locations?

Jelly tracks inventory in real-time across all sites, showing stock levels and usage patterns. This visibility helps balance inventory, reduce waste, and optimise purchasing by identifying transfer opportunities.

Can Jelly standardise menus and recipes across sites?

Yes, Jelly’s “Cookbook” feature centralises recipes digitally, accessible at all locations. Real-time costing updates ensure consistent ingredients and profitability, maintaining quality and pricing uniformity.

Is Jelly hard to set up for multiple sites?

No, Jelly is built for simplicity, delivering value within a week. Its user-friendly design suits non-tech-savvy staff. Setup involves sending invoices to dedicated emails or photographing them, with insights starting in 24 hours.

What’s Jelly’s pricing for multiple locations?

Jelly costs £129 per month per location, with no hidden fees or per-user charges. This fixed rate simplifies budgeting as you scale, ensuring predictable costs for every site.

How does Jelly impact supplier relationships?

Jelly enhances supplier dealings by providing data for better negotiations. Price alerts track changes across sites, while total purchasing data strengthens your position, often leading to improved terms.

Gain Control and Profitability with Jelly

Manual inventory struggles cost multi-location businesses time and money. Errors from manual tracking often lead to stock issues and profit loss. Jelly offers a smarter way forward with automation, providing clear visibility and control. Success stories from clients like Amber Restaurant and The Howard Arms show the real difference it makes. Don’t wait for competitors to gain the edge.

Start automating today. Book a chat with Jelly to automate your kitchen management.