Restaurant inventory sheet: free template and how to use it
By mise · Updated September 29, 2026
Quick answer: a good restaurant inventory sheet lists every item by location in the order you walk the shelves, with unit, count, unit cost and total value, plus a par level column. Count at the same time each week (before a delivery), use the price from your last invoice, and total the value by category to calculate food cost.
A spreadsheet is how most restaurants start counting — and a good layout is the difference between a 40-minute count and a three-hour one. Here is a free sheet, the columns it needs and the mistakes that make the numbers useless.
Download the template
The sheet has one row per item and the columns below. Totals are already formulas: fill in the count and the unit cost and the value calculates itself.
Download the free restaurant inventory sheet (CSV — opens in Excel and Google Sheets)
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Location | Walk-in, reach-in, dry storage, bar, freezer. Order the rows in the path you walk. |
| Category | Proteins, produce, dairy, dry goods, beer, wine, spirits, paper and disposables. |
| Item | The name as it appears on the invoice, with size ("Heavy cream 1 qt"). |
| Unit | The unit you count in: each, lb, case, bottle. Keep it the same every week. |
| Count | What is physically there, including partial units (0.5 bottle, 3.2 lb). |
| Unit cost | From the most recent invoice, in the same unit you count. |
| Total value | Count × unit cost. Sum by category for food, beverage and supplies. |
| Par level | How much you want on hand before the next delivery. |
How to set it up so counting is fast
- Sort by shelf, not alphabetically. The sheet should follow the room: left to right, top to bottom. Nobody should walk back to the walk-in for one item.
- Count in the unit you buy or the unit you use — and never change it. If flour is counted in bags one week and pounds the next, your food cost jumps for no reason.
- Split the count by location. Two people can count kitchen and bar at the same time.
- Count at the same moment every week. Sunday night after close or Monday before the first delivery. Counting after a delivery inflates the number.
- Update the unit cost from invoices. An old price is the most common reason a food cost doesn't match reality.
What the sheet is for: food cost
The value at the bottom is your ending inventory. With it, food cost for the week is beginning inventory + purchases − ending inventory, divided by food sales. The food cost calculator does the math.
Where the spreadsheet breaks down
The sheet itself is easy; keeping it true is the hard part. Items get added and renamed, prices change every delivery, and whoever counts has to type hundreds of numbers on a phone or a clipboard and then again into the computer. That's where mistakes and missing counts come from.
With mise the sheet builds itself: you scan the barcode, the mise AI finds the product and brings back its name, size and category, and you only type the quantity. Costs come from your invoices and the report exports to Excel.
Point the camera and the product comes up complete: name, brand, category, size and photo — the mise AI finds it from the barcode or a photo. 7-day free trial, no card.
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Frequently asked questions
How often should a restaurant take inventory?
Weekly for food and beverage is the standard, on the same day and time each week. High-cost items — proteins, liquor — are often counted daily or at every shift change.
What should be on a restaurant inventory sheet?
Location, category, item name with size, unit, count, unit cost, total value and par level. Order the rows the way you walk the storage areas.
Should I count by case or by unit?
Count in the unit you actually use and price in that same unit. Cases are fine for unopened stock; open cases are counted in units. What matters is keeping the same unit every week.
Is there a free restaurant inventory template for Google Sheets?
Yes — the CSV on this page opens directly in Google Sheets (File, Import) and in Excel, with the value formulas already in place.