Take your first inventory count

The first inventory count is the most important number you put into Rinvy. Every burn rate, every cost report, every low-stock alert, and every order recommendation is built on it. This article walks through what to do, what to expect, and how to set yourself up so the count is useful.

Before you count

You need:

  • A few storage categories that match how you walk the kitchen (Walk-in, Freezer, Dry Storage, Bar).
  • The products that live in those categories, with the right default unit and case size.
  • Optional: suppliers linked so the order list knows where things come from.

If you skipped product setup, do that first. Product setup overview covers what each field means.

Starting a session

  1. Go to Inventory Count.

  2. Tap Start session. Rinvy creates one active session for your restaurant — multiple people on your team can count in the same session simultaneously.

  3. Pick a category. You'll see every product in that category in a count list.

Counting quantity-tracked products

The count input depends on whether case size is set:

  • No case size: a single number input in the default unit (e.g. 12 lb).
  • With case size: two inputs side by side — "cases" and "loose items" — that add up automatically (e.g. 2 cases + 6 loose with case size 25 = 56 each).

If the on-hand quantity is already correct, you can tap Confirm to keep the prior value rather than retyping.

Counting status-tracked products

Three buttons: OK, Low, Out. No numbers required. Tap whichever matches what you see on the shelf.

Saving categories vs. completing the session

  • Save category saves the counts you've entered so far in that category. You can come back, edit, and re-save before completing the session.
  • Complete session locks in every category's counts as the baseline. After completion, edits require either staying within the 24-hour staff self-edit window or a manager/owner override.

Counting with your team

Multiple people can be in the same active session. The category-presence indicator shows who's working where so two people don't count the same storage area independently and overwrite each other.

What changes after the first complete count

  • Current stock is populated for every counted product.
  • Low-stock alerts start firing.
  • Inventory Value and Spending reports work immediately for owners and managers (staff don't see reports).
  • Burn rate starts accumulating. Order list quality and prep-list recommendations get better with every subsequent count.
  • Usage, Waste, Counting, Product, Menu Item, and Variance reports become meaningful with two counts — they compare consecutive baselines.

Example

Counting the walk-in cooler first

Your team starts with the walk-in because that's where the highest-value perishables live. You set up 18 products (chicken, beef, dairy, produce) with correct units and case sizes, then run a count one morning before service.

Result: every walk-in product has a baseline. Low-stock alerts immediately flag two items below minimum stock. By the next count three days later, burn rate has started to make ordering recommendations.

Add dry storage and the bar in the following days.

Common mistakes

Trying to count the whole kitchen on day one

Start with one storage area, learn the workflow, then add the rest. A first count of 20 items is more useful than a half-finished count of 200.

Wrong case size

If a product's case size doesn't match the supplier pack, the case+loose math will be off. Fix the case size on the product before counting (or count in single units only).

Skipping products that look uncountable

For things like napkins or to-go boxes, switch the product to status-tracked before counting so OK/Low/Out is enough. See choose the right product type.

Counting without completing the session

Saved-but-not-completed counts don't establish a baseline. Complete the session before walking away or the counts won't be used by reports or ordering.

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