Order list overview

The order list is Rinvy's answer to "what do I need to reorder right now?" Pick a supplier on the left and the order builds in the main pane. Each order is one supplier's worth of items at a time.

Picking a supplier

The left rail lists your suppliers; selecting one builds that supplier's order. Switching suppliers rebuilds the list in place — nothing is lost, so you can hop between suppliers freely. (On a phone, the supplier and start-from controls collapse behind a compact header so the order itself stays at the top — tap it to change them.)

Ways to start an order

A "Start from" list in the rail chooses how the quantities are worked out. The first three are a progression — start simple, add intelligence as you have the data for it — and the fourth lets you build by hand. Your choice is remembered per restaurant until you change it.

  1. Order to par (default) — refills every product that's below its minimum stock level, up to that minimum. Ignores how fast things move, so it needs no count history and works on day one. The most approachable starting point.
  2. Burn rate — adds a forward-looking layer: a product also appears if its burn rate predicts a stockout before the next available delivery, and the quantity becomes max(par deficit, stockout need). Needs a couple of counts of history to be meaningful.
  3. Sales expectations (Pro) — converts per-menu-item demand forecasts back into ingredient quantities via recipe explosion. See order list with sales forecasts.
  4. Blank order — no suggestions at all. You get an empty draft and add exactly the items and quantities you want. Useful when you know precisely what to order, or for a one-off.

Order to par and Blank need no lookback, so that selector is hidden for them. In Order-to-par mode, if a few fast movers might still stock out before the next delivery, Rinvy shows a soft "switch to Burn rate" nudge — par alone won't catch those.

How the burn-rate projection works

Three inputs:

  • Current stock — the most recent count plus any subsequent receipts, waste, prep, and sales.
  • Burn rate — daily consumption averaged over the configured lookback window (from inventory deltas, prep logs, and waste).
  • Next delivery date — the soonest delivery weekday the supplier is configured for, on or after today. (Delivery lead time isn't applied here — it's used separately to work out the order-by date for reminders and the expected delivery date stamped on orders you submit.)

The projection looks one cycle ahead: a product is flagged when its days of stock left (current stock ÷ burn rate) won't carry it to the delivery after the next one — i.e. it would run dry before you could restock again.

How quantities are computed

Once a product is flagged, the order quantity is the bigger of:

  • Par deficit: minimum stock − current stock.
  • Stockout need: enough product to last from delivery date until the following delivery (so you don't stock out again immediately).

Then the quantity rounds up to a clean case multiple if the product has a case size. You can override the suggested quantity inline.

Orders you've already placed

The order list knows what's already on the way, so two people working the same list don't double up. Every order you submit becomes a pending delivery, and the list nets it out per product:

  • Partly covered — if you still need more than what's on order, the product stays in the active list with a reduced suggested quantity and an "N on order" tag.
  • Fully covered — the product drops out of the active list into a view-only "On order" section in the sidebar, showing the supplier and expected arrival. Tap it to jump to Receive products when it lands. (Even in a blank order, an item you add that's already on order gets the "N on order" tag.)

Only non-overdue orders count as coverage. If an order passes its expected delivery date without being received, it stops hiding the item — see overdue deliveries.

Working through the list

  1. Go to Order list and pick a supplier on the left — the order builds in the main pane.

  2. Choose how to start (Order to par / Burn rate / Sales expectations / Blank) if you want something other than your saved default.

  3. Review the suggested quantities and adjust where you know something Rinvy doesn't (catering order, seasonal spike). Add items that aren't listed.

  4. Tap Submit for delivery — Rinvy records it as a pending order so it shows in Receive and is netted out of future lists. Send the order to your supplier however you normally do (you can Export it to CSV or Print it to PDF from the toolbar).

  5. When the delivery lands, record it in Receive products.

Printing the order list

Need a paper copy to work from, or a sheet to hand off? Print the current supplier's order to PDF from the Print action in the toolbar (alongside Export). It prints exactly what's on screen — including any quantities you've overridden and items you've added by hand.

  1. Build the order for a supplier, then tap Print in the toolbar.
  2. Choose your options in the Print order list dialog (below).

  3. Tap Generate PDF. On the web the file downloads; on the iOS/Android app it opens the system share sheet so you can AirPrint or save it.

Two toggles control the document:

  • Include cost columns (on by default) — show per-unit cost, line cost, and the order total. Turn off for a quantities-only sheet.
  • Include stock context (on by default) — show on-hand vs. par and the burn rate for each item. Turn off for a clean order sheet without the planning math.

The PDF covers the supplier you're currently viewing — build and print each supplier's order in turn.

What suppliers need to have configured

For the order list projections to work, suppliers need:

  • Delivery days — which weekdays they deliver.
  • Delivery lead time — gap between ordering and delivery.

Without those, Rinvy still flags par-deficit products, but the stockout projection becomes meaningless. See set up suppliers.

Products without a supplier

Products with no supplier link are grouped under a "No supplier" entry in the supplier rail. Select it like any supplier to build an order of those items — the list still flags them by par deficit (and burn rate, once there's history), but it can't tell you who to order them from. Link a supplier on the product when you know it, so the item lands in that supplier's list instead.

Common mistakes

Trusting burn-rate projections before you have two counts

Burn rate needs at least two consecutive inventory counts to compute. On day one, use Order to par mode — it needs no history. Don't lean on Burn rate or Sales expectations until you have a few weeks of count (or sales) data.

Setting minimum stock to zero

A minimum stock of 0 means the par-based check never fires. The order list still flags burn-rate stockouts, but you lose the safety net for slow-moving items.

Ignoring the case size rounding

Suggested quantities round up to a clean case multiple. If you order 6 each when case size is 4, you'll receive 8 (two cases). The order list tries to be honest about this — but if you override the quantity, you're free to order the awkward fractional amount.

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