How much to make: a buffer that cuts waste without losing sales
A leftover costs you its full cost, a missed sale only the profit. Here is how to set a small production buffer from your own sales and cut waste.
Making a bit extra feels safe. But for food you can't sell the next day, every leftover is money in the bin, and it usually costs more than the sale you might have missed.
What a leftover and a missed sale cost
Example: a food truck sells soup at £4.00 a portion. A portion costs £2.60 to make, so the profit is £1.40.
- A leftover you throw away costs £2.60, the full cost.
- A missed sale costs £1.40, the profit you didn't make.
Here a leftover hurts almost twice as much as a missed customer.
A real week
Over the last four days the truck sold 52, 61 and 58 portions, and on the fourth day all 60 were gone by 1 pm. Should it make 60 or 70?
- On a 58 portion day: making 70 leaves 12 leftovers, £31.20 lost. Making 60 leaves 2, £5.20.
- On a 66 portion day: making 60 misses 6 sales, £8.40. Making 70 leaves 4 leftovers, £10.40.
60 comes out better in both cases.
A simple rule
Quantity to make = expected sales + a small buffer − what you already have ready.
- Start from your actual sales, not your best day.
- Note the time you sold out. Selling out at 1 pm means demand was higher than what you made.
- Keep the buffer small, 5 to 10%, when leftovers go in the bin.
- Make it bigger when leftovers can be frozen, sold the next day or used in another product.
- Write down leftovers every day. After a month you know your real buffer.
Orders first
Advance orders are certain demand, so plan them first and add the buffer only to walk-in sales. Our weekend production plan shows how to plan a busy day, and the weekly shopping list how to buy just enough for it.
How Lagom does it
Lagom turns your orders into a list of what to make today, next to pickups and deliveries. Profit shows the margin of every product, so you know what a leftover and a missed sale cost you.