"But nobody ever told me!"

You're in the middle of the lunch rush. An $800 meat delivery arrives at the back door. Your dishwasher accepts the product and signs his name. The driver leaves with a case of your New York strips on the truck. You just lost $84.00.

Ever happen to you? Ever wonder why your food cost starts to creep up on you? And situations like this don't just cost you money...they cost you time and quality, too. Even simple tasks, like receiving orders can be problematic if you don't inform and train everyone on the proper Receiving Procedures Acknowledgement form. It gives you an easy-to-understand list of rules regarding deliveries at the back door. No more excuses.

  • Ask each employee to read and sign a copy of the form, acknowledging that they understand the rules for receiving purchases and agree to follow them.
  • Place a copy of the signed Receiving Procedures Acknowledgement form in each employee's personnel file. If you hear those words "But nobody ever told me the rules," you can show them their own signature right below the procedures.
  • Place a copy of the form in a plastic sleeve next to the back door where deliveries are received. It should be clear and available for all to see and review.

Take a look at our tips for product receiving, and get a sample credit memo form. Then download a copy of our Receiving Procedures Acknowledgement form and get your staff up to speed on proper receiving procedures.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners