How to Automatically Track Supplier Price Increases

Key Takeaways

1. Unnoticed supplier price increases can erode UK restaurant margins by up to 5% monthly amid 4.6% food inflation forecast for 2026.
2. Manual tracking with spreadsheets fails in volatile markets, causing delayed detection and lost profits of £2,500+ per month for average operations.
3. A clear 4-step system, digitise invoices, monitor prices in real time, analyse profitability impacts, and negotiate with data, protects margins effectively.
4. Jelly automates invoice scanning, delivers instant price alerts, live dish costing, and POS/Xero integrations at £129/month, saving 10-20 hours weekly.
5. Users achieve 2-3% gross profit gains and up to 5% food cost reductions; schedule a chat with Jelly today for a 24-hour setup.

Rising Food Costs Are Squeezing UK Hospitality Margins

Food price inflation is forecast to average 4.6% throughout 2026, with food inflation increasing to 3.3% year-on-year in December 2025. Persistent inflation puts constant pressure on hospitality operators who still rely on manual processes to track costs.

The mathematics are unforgiving. A 5% unnoticed price increase across key ingredients can reduce gross profit margins by the same percentage. For a restaurant with £50,000 monthly food costs, that means £2,500 in lost profit every month.

Manual tracking methods fail because they are reactive, time-intensive, and prone to human error. Monthly reports reveal the damage only after weeks of eroded margins. Effective price tracking depends on three basics: digitised supplier invoices, real-time monitoring, and automated alerts.

Without these foundations, even diligent operators struggle to maintain profitable margins in today’s inflationary environment.

How Jelly Simplifies Price Alerts for UK Kitchens

Jelly turns complex back-of-house financial work into simple, automated workflows for growing UK restaurants, pubs, and hotels. The platform focuses on the core challenge of supplier price tracking through four connected features.

Automated Invoice Scanning: Upload invoices via photo or email for instant line-item digitisation. This removes manual data entry and keeps every supplier transaction accurate.

Real-Time Price Alerts: Receive instant notifications when any ingredient price changes. Percentage increases appear clearly flagged so you can act the same day.

Live Dish Costing: Calculate menu item costs in about 3 minutes instead of the typical 28 minutes. Costs update automatically as ingredient prices move.

Seamless Integrations: Connect directly with POS systems and Xero accounting software for clear financial visibility at £129 per location monthly.

Start protecting your margins today: Schedule a chat to see Jelly in action.

4-Step System To Track Supplier Price Increases

Step 1: Digitise Your Invoices Automatically

Manual invoice processing creates the main bottleneck in price tracking. Traditional methods can take 28 minutes per dish to pull pricing data from invoices, update spreadsheets, and calculate cost impacts. This heavy admin work creates delays that allow price increases to build up unnoticed.

Jelly’s automated invoice scanning removes this bottleneck. Photograph invoices with your smartphone or forward supplier emails to your dedicated Jelly address. The system extracts every line item, including SKU codes, quantities, unit prices, and tax rates, within minutes.

You gain a complete, searchable database of ingredient costs without manual typing or copying.

Step 2: Set Up Real-Time Price Monitoring

Once invoices are digitised, Jelly compares each new delivery against your historical pricing data. The system tracks price movements across all suppliers, from major distributors like Brakes and Bidfood to specialist local partners, and sends instant alerts when costs change.

This monitoring saves 10-20 hours weekly compared with spreadsheet tracking. Instead of spotting price increases during monthly reconciliation, operators receive same-day notifications and can respond or negotiate immediately.

Step 3: Review Alerts and Measure Profit Impact

When price alerts trigger, Jelly shows the percentage change, affected menu items, and gross profit impact in real time. Operators can quickly decide whether to reprice menus, negotiate with suppliers, or switch ingredients.

The system supports the 30/30/30/10 budgeting rule, which keeps 30% food costs, 30% labour, 30% overhead, and 10% profit. Jelly calculates how each price change affects these ratios across the whole operation.

Step 4: Negotiate and Act Using Clear Data

Accurate pricing data gives operators confidence when challenging suppliers. Effective negotiation strategies include requesting price delays, negotiating offsets in other categories, and using competitive quotes to secure better terms.

Useful negotiation scripts include, “Our data shows a 5% increase on chicken breast, can you match competitor pricing at £4.20 per kg?” or “We have consolidated our weekly orders to £2,000, what volume discount can you offer to offset this increase?”

Implement this system in 24 hours: Schedule a chat to begin your setup today.

Why Jelly Beats Spreadsheets and Complex Systems

Manual spreadsheet tracking still appears in many kitchens, yet it remains error-prone, slow, and offers no real-time alerts. Operators often discover price increases weeks after they happen, which makes recovery almost impossible.

Complex tools like MarketMan and Nory include many features but often need months of setup, structured training, and constant management. Smaller operations can feel overwhelmed by this level of complexity.

Jelly delivers value quickly through one-week onboarding, a simple interface built for busy kitchens, and flat-rate pricing at £129 monthly. Users typically cut food costs by about 3% within three months and save 10-20 hours of admin every month.

Real UK Operators Using Jelly To Grow Profit

Jelly users report clear gains in efficiency and profitability. Claudio from Illuminati Group shares, “I was buried under piles of paperwork, spending endless hours just inputting data. Jelly automated it all and I can focus on what I love.”

Stuart Noble, Head Chef at Cairn Lodge Hotel, saw rapid change. “Price hikes were crushing our margins. I felt helpless. With Jelly, every dish cost is up-to-date at my fingertips. We slashed food costs by 5% in a month, it’s a game changer!”

Ruth Seggie, Owner of The Howard Arms, exceeded her targets. “Our accountant said we’d be lucky to hit 60% gross profit. After using Jelly, we reached 80%. Now I sleep better knowing my costs are under control.”

Amber restaurant in East London saves £3,000-£4,000 monthly through systematic price tracking and supplier negotiations. That performance delivers roughly 68× return on investment.

Advanced operators also use Jelly’s Sales Mix analysis to spot high-margin, popular dishes and adjust menu layout for stronger profitability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best price tracking software for UK restaurants?

Jelly is built for UK restaurants, pubs, and hotels, with 24-hour setup, automated invoice scanning, and real-time price alerts. Unlike complex alternatives that take months to implement, Jelly delivers fast results through photo-based invoice capture and instant price change notifications. The system connects smoothly with UK suppliers and accounting software like Xero.

How does Jelly compare to MarketMan for UK operations?

Jelly offers faster implementation, usually 24 hours instead of several months, simpler pricing at £129 flat rate, and chef-friendly screens designed for busy kitchens. MarketMan provides a wider feature set, while Jelly focuses on price tracking and profitability analysis that UK hospitality teams use every day. Users often report higher satisfaction because training is minimal and results appear quickly.

What should I do when suppliers raise prices unexpectedly?

Respond with data from your price tracking system. Request competitive quotes, negotiate volume discounts, or ask for credits in other product categories. Consider consolidating orders to strengthen your position and keep relationships with alternative suppliers active. Record every price change so you can spot patterns and plan menu updates with confidence.

What is the 30/30/30/10 rule for restaurants?

This budgeting rule allocates 30% of revenue to food costs, 30% to labour, 30% to overheads such as rent and utilities, and targets 10% profit. Percentages can shift by concept, but the rule gives a clear starting point for cost control. Automated tracking tools help maintain these ratios by showing food cost changes and their impact on profit in real time.

How quickly can I see results from automated price tracking?

Most operators see better cost visibility within the first week. Margin improvements usually appear within 30-60 days as alerts support faster negotiations and menu changes. Users often report gross profit increases of 2-3 percentage points within three months, plus time savings of 10-20 hours weekly from automation.

Protect Your Restaurant Margins Now

Supplier price increases will continue throughout 2026, so automated tracking has become essential for profitable operations. The four-step system of digitising invoices, monitoring prices, analysing impacts, and negotiating with data gives a practical framework for protecting margins in an inflationary market.

Jelly’s automated approach delivers daily price alerts, real-time profitability analysis, and 2-3% gross profit improvements while saving 10-20 hours weekly. With 24-hour implementation and £129 monthly pricing, the platform often pays for itself within weeks through stronger supplier negotiations and tighter cost control.

Hidden price increases no longer need to erode your margins. Secure your advantage today: Book a demo and schedule a chat to start protecting your profitability immediately.