Kitchen Prep Lists for Cafes and Restaurants: How Much to Prep Without Wasting Food
The short answer
Prep enough to reach your next prep day, and no more than will keep. Work out what you used last week, subtract what is already on the shelf, and cap the batch at the item's shelf life. Do that for every sauce, dressing and dough, and you stop running out mid-service and stop binning the extra.
Why prep goes wrong
Most kitchens prep from habit. Someone makes the same batch every Monday, whether the weekend was busy or dead. Busy week, and you run out of sauce on Friday and lose sales. Quiet week, and half the batch is binned. Either way you have paid for the ingredients, and for the labour to turn them into food nobody ate.
Try it: find the right batch size
Move the slider and watch what happens to a batch of house-made sauce.
Day 1
6 L
2 litres usedDay 2
4 L
2 litres usedDay 3
2 L
2 litres usedDay 4
Empty
0 litres usedJust right
Enough to reach the next prep day, and none of it outlasts its shelf life.
Example: you use 2 litres a day, prep every 3 days, the sauce keeps 4 days and costs $3 a litre. Move the slider to change the batch size.
Build a prep list in 5 steps
- 1
Pick your prep day
Tell Previo the day your kitchen batch-preps. Every suggestion is planned around your next prep day, so you know what to make before then.
Tip: Choose a quieter weekday when the kitchen has spare time.
- 2
Add what you make in house
Add prep items like sauces, dressings, doughs or stocks, and link the raw ingredients each one uses. Previo then knows what a batch takes out of stock.
Tip: Start with the 3 items you prep every week.
- 3
Previo checks four things
It compares stock against your par level, last week's usage, the expiry of your oldest batch, and when your supplier delivers. No guessing and no AI maths. The numbers come from your real data.
Tip: Set a par level for each item so low stock can be spotted.
- 4
Read the list
Each item shows why it is there: below par, expires before next prep, or delivery lands after prep day. Colours use the same red and amber as the FIFO tab.
Tip: Start with red items, then amber.
- 5
Log the batch
After you prep, tap Log batch. Previo adds the new batch with its expiry date and takes the raw ingredients out of stock, so your numbers stay right.
Tip: Log it straight away, while you remember how many batches you made.
A prep checklist for your kitchen team
- Prep for a set number of days, not "until it feels like enough".
- Write the made-on and use-by dates on every tub, with the same label format each time.
- Know how long each item keeps, and never make a batch bigger than that allows.
- Check what is already on the shelf before you start, so you only make the gap.
- Allow extra when a supplier delivers after your prep day.
- Log every batch, so tomorrow's list starts from the real numbers.
How Previo builds your prep list
Tell Previo your prep day and the items you make in house. It then checks each item against its par level, last week's usage, the expiry of your oldest batch, and when your supplier delivers. The Prep tab shows what to make and why, with the same red and amber colours as the FIFO tab. When you finish a batch, tap Log batch and Previo takes the raw ingredients out of stock and adds the new batch with its expiry date. Prep Help is included in the Medium plan.
Try Previo freeFrequently asked questions
What is a prep list in a cafe or restaurant?
A prep list is the list of things your kitchen makes ahead of service, such as sauces, dressings, doughs, marinades and chopped vegetables, with how much of each to make.
How do I know how much to prep?
Look at what you used last week, what is left on the shelf, how long it keeps, and when you will next prep. Make enough to last until then, and no more than will keep. Previo works this out for each item from your own data.
How do I stop over-prepping and throwing food out?
Match batch size to shelf life. If a sauce keeps for 4 days and you use 2 litres a day, an 8 litre batch is the most you should make. Anything above that is likely to be binned.
What if a supplier delivers after my prep day?
Then you may need to prep a little extra to cover the gap. Previo flags items whose ingredients arrive after your prep day, so you can plan for it.
Does Previo use AI to decide what to prep?
No. The quantities and reasons come from your stock, usage, expiry and delivery data. AI only helps explain the list when you ask a question in the chat.
Is the Prep tab available on every plan?
Prep Help is part of the Medium plan and above, alongside Square sync and the Pattern Engine.