How to optimise bread ordering in foodservice to reduce waste
Bread: a cost line often underestimated
In a restaurant or hotel, bread is often ordered "by instinct", without any real tracking. The result: surplus at the end of service, stock-outs on busy evenings, and a cost line that creeps up without anyone quite knowing why.
Yet optimising bread orders is one of the simplest adjustments to implement — with a direct impact on your costs and the quality of your service.
1. Calculate actual consumption per cover
The first step is to measure rather than estimate. For two weeks, track:
- The number of covers served each evening
- The quantity of bread actually consumed (not what came out of the kitchen)
- Bread returned or discarded at the end of service
You'll arrive at a reliable bread-per-cover ratio, which will vary by service type (quick lunch vs dinner, buffet vs table service).
2. Differentiate by service
Bread consumption is not the same at every point in the day:
- Breakfast buffet: high consumption, varied formats, bake-on-demand if frozen
- Lunch: moderate consumption, practical formats (dinner rolls, slices)
- Dinner: higher consumption for gastronomic menus, gourmet breads appreciated
- Room service: individual formats, individually wrapped bread
Each service has its own logic — and therefore its own specific needs in terms of references and volumes.
3. Adapt volumes to days of the week
A restaurant doesn't run at the same occupancy every day. Analyse your reservation data and identify your peak days. Ordering the same volume every day is a guaranteed source of waste on quiet days — and stock-outs on weekend evenings.
4. Use frozen for core references
For breads you serve every day, frozen offers valuable flexibility: you always have stock, you only bake what you need, and you reduce losses to almost zero.
Pre-baked bread, on the other hand, is ideal for formats you use in large quantities during a single period (table bread, baguettes for the lunch service).
5. Have a supplier reachable at all times
Even with the best organisation, unexpected situations arise. An unplanned event, a last-minute group booking, a missed delivery — in these cases, having a supplier with a 24/7 hotline can make the difference between a successful service and a table without bread.
In summary: the 5 levers
- Measure actual consumption per cover and per service
- Differentiate orders by time of day
- Adapt volumes to days of the week
- Use frozen for permanent references
- Work with a responsive, available supplier
At L'Arbre à Pains, we support our professional clients in building their assortment and calibrating their orders. Our hotline is available 24/7 for any urgent need or last-minute adjustment.
Get in touch with our team for a review of your current needs.
