Guides
How to cut your weekly stocktake from hours to minutes without losing accuracy
Anna
Oct 1, 2026
Why manual stocktakes cost more than you think
The obvious cost is time. A full count across bar, cellar and kitchen often takes three to four hours, plus data entry. In a busy week, it's the first job to slip.
The hidden costs are bigger:
Counts happen monthly instead of weekly, so problems surface weeks late.
Tired counters make mistakes, and nobody wants to walk back to the cellar for a recount.
The numbers live in one person's spreadsheet, so the team can't act on them.
"Counting used to eat my whole Monday. Now I film the bar before service and I'm done before the first delivery turns up."
— Sam Okafor, Bar Manager, The Lantern Rooms
What changes when you count by video and voice
With Peckish, you walk each area and record your shelves on your phone. The AI detects bottles, kegs and products, and you add what it can't see, like open bottles, by voice.
Three things change:
Speed. You film each area once instead of counting item by item.
Recounts. The video is saved, so you check a doubtful item by rewatching a few seconds of footage.
Teamwork. Several people count different areas at once, and it all lands in one stocktake.
"If a recount means rewatching a clip instead of walking back down to the cellar, people actually do it."
— Leo Marsh, Head Chef, Harbour Street Kitchen
Manual vs. video stocktake: the numbers
Here's a typical week at a mid-sized gastropub with one bar, a cellar and a kitchen.
Area | Manual count | With Peckish | Time saved |
|---|---|---|---|
Back bar and fridges | 75 min | 18 min | 57 min |
Cellar and kegs | 40 min | 9 min | 31 min |
Kitchen dry store | 50 min | 12 min | 38 min |
Walk-in fridge | 35 min | 8 min | 27 min |
Data entry | 45 min | 0 min | 45 min |
Total | 4 h 5 min | 47 min | 3 h 18 min |
Figures are illustrative. Your times depend on range size, layout and how many people count.
Turn the count into decisions
A stocktake is only useful if it changes what you do next. Once the count is in, look at three things:
Variance: which products moved more than your sales explain?
Slow stock: what has sat on the shelf for weeks, tying up cash?
Margins: which menu items lost gross profit after the last supplier price rise?
From there, place orders to par straight to your supplier's email, so the count feeds the next delivery instead of a folder.
"The real win isn't the time. We count every week now, so we catch a problem in days, not at month end."
— Priya Natarajan, Operations Director, Northgate Dining Group
The bottom line
Faster counts are nice. Weekly counts you can trust are what protect your margin. If your stocktake still takes a manager's whole day, film one area this week and compare the time. Then pick a fixed day for your count, because regular counts are what make the numbers useful.
Ready to try it? Start your 14-day free trial and run your first stocktake from your phone.
