Food cost volatility
Protein and produce prices shift weekly. Your menu prices don't—and margin disappears before anyone sees it on a P&L.
Labor shortages
You're scheduling blind: too few on the line Friday, too many on Tuesday. Overtime shows up after the fact.
Prep consistency
Yesterday's prep list worked. Today's was rebuilt from scratch—and the line ran out of dressing before the rush ended.
Recipe execution
The new cook portions differently than your chef. Same recipe card, different plate—and different food cost.
Inventory waste
Walk-in counts don't match what the kitchen pulled. Spoilage shows up in the trash, not on a report until month-end.
Receiving errors
Short shipments, wrong items, warm dairy—and the invoice still says everything arrived fine.
Scheduling chaos
Availability in one app, actual stations in another. Nobody knows who's on grill until they walk in.
Multi-location visibility
Location two runs tighter food cost than location one—and you can't see why until someone visits in person.
Catering growth
Off-premise events pull from the same walk-in as dine-in. Prep fights you didn't plan for show up Saturday morning.
Food safety
Temp logs in three places. When the health inspector asks for last Tuesday, the team starts digging—not pulling.
Vendor price creep
Chicken went up 8% last month. Your recipe costs still reflect old prices—and margin erodes before anyone re-costs the menu.
Ticket time creep
Friday rush backs up at one station. Guests wait, comps follow, and nobody can see the bottleneck until the damage is done.