Build prep lists and check food cost
Turn sales history into prep lists and flag high-cost menu items.
Estimated time saved
Estimated: 1–2 hours a week of planning. (Estimate; results vary.)
Tools
- ChatGPT (data analysis)
- Microsoft Copilot in Excel
- Google Sheets
The problem
Kitchens over- or under-prep, and owners rarely know which dishes are losing money.
Step by step
- 1Export item sales from your POS for the last few weeks.
- 2Add recipe ingredient costs in a sheet.
- 3Ask AI for a prep list by day of week and a cost-per-plate table.
- 4Chef adjusts for events and weather.
Copy-paste prompt
Prompt
Using this POS sales export and recipe cost sheet, estimate prep quantities for each day next week based on average sales by weekday, and calculate food cost % per menu item. Flag items above [X]%.
Review AI output before using it. Don’t paste confidential, customer or patient data into tools your company hasn’t approved.
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