The three cadence layers
A monthly full count for the P&L. A weekly count of the high-value or high-velocity lines (typically 20% of SKUs generating 80% of cost). A daily spot-check on the two or three ingredients that theft, waste or over-portioning quietly steal (spirits, premium proteins, garnishes). Together they take under two hours a week and catch 95% of the variance a monthly count alone would miss.
The GP volatility test
If your weekly GP swings more than 3 points without a menu change, you're under-counting. Add lines to the weekly count until the swing settles. If it swings less than 1 point week to week, you're probably over-counting and can drop the weekly layer to fortnightly. GP stability is the honest signal that the cadence is right.
Who counts, and when
The person who ordered the stock should not be the person who counts it — full stop. Rotate counters monthly, count on the same day and same time (before service, not after), and never let a count run more than 90 minutes without a break. Counter fatigue is the single biggest source of count error, and it's cumulative.
What to do with the variance
Variance without a root cause becomes tolerated variance. Every count line off by more than 5% needs a two-sentence explanation entered against the count — waste, delivery short, portion drift, theft suspicion, count error. Over a quarter the pattern tells you where the real leak is, and the fix is usually operational not procedural.
Three cadence layers, a GP volatility test, rotated counters and a variance explanation habit. The stockroom stops being a mystery within a quarter.